New Forum Update - Guests locked out of majority sub-forums?

Was there a new update where the only sub-forums guests can view are the "Getting Started" and "Community" sub-forums? If so then what was the reason for that? Not that it affects me nor do I have objections to it, it's just my curiosity. Guests can always register to view the non-graduate studies sub-forums.

Coach made the decision to inpliment this change. Quite simply, we feel that it's important for all our readers to be involved at some level. If someone chooses never to post, that is fine, though we encourage posting from everyone.

Registration also will have further benefits in upcoming projects we have scheduled.

Cory - is it possible to make it so that people following external links can access individual topics? One of the things that drew me to GB was finding lots of GB threads either on google or referenced on other forums: what made me start to register and post was seeing lots of active, knowledgeable discussion. If only the community and getting started forums had been available I might have decide it wasn't worth the bother to register, since I wouldn't have been able to see the more interesting discussions going on.

I really think is a good way to keep the GB community growing...

Joshua Slocum said:

Cory - is it possible to make it so that people following external links can access individual topics? One of the things that drew me to GB was finding lots of GB threads either on google or referenced on other forums: what made me start to register and post was seeing lots of active, knowledgeable discussion. If only the community and getting started forums had been available I might have decide it wasn't worth the bother to register, since I wouldn't have been able to see the more interesting discussions going on.

It's possible, but as most forums do not allow that level of micro permissions, it would be out of the realm of hooks or plugins and a direct modification of core files.

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Hmm, I know my opinion is just a drop in the ocean, but regardless of that, this seems to me like an unnecessary isolation of the community. There's a wealth of interesting discourse throughout the forums. Why put up the wall? You've already got the Foundation and Handstand subforums. If anything, it strikes me as counterproductive to increasing exposure and expanding the community.

it takes less than 5min to register and its free. I dont really see where the problem is

Michael S. said:

it takes less than 5min to register and its free. I dont really see where the problem is

The problem is that registering just to view a forum's content is a hassle. 

Joshua Slocum said:

The problem is that registering just to view a forum's content is a hassle. 

Also, does it mean that this content will not be searchable via google? If yes, that sucks.

Joshua Slocum said:

The problem is that registering just to view a forum's content is a hassle. 

The increase in daily registration statistics so far disagree heavily with you. It's no more hassle than connecting accounts to your Facebook on the iPhone or other devices on an app. 

Cory Fair said:

The increase in daily registration statistics so far disagree heavily with you. It's no more hassle than connecting accounts to your Facebook on the iPhone or other devices on an app. 

Oh, I see, that's clever. I was under the impression that you had to provide an e-mail, then wait for a confirmation email, etc. 

Social media registrations don't require validation; and only the regular one is a quick validation link. No different than industry standard. 

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Just playing devil's advocate here but if someone is too lazy to register in order to gain full access to this community and all the information freely available on the forum then, in all likelihood, they are also too lazy to fully reap the benefits of GST.

All valid points, but at this moment Gymnastics Bodies' goal is to increase participation, which makes the push for registrations the right choice for us.

 

I tried to register an account, but it won't activate. It won't even show the two forums that are un-restricted. I tried sending a mail, but I got no reply. I got the activation mail With the "free chapter" but it just says ERROR 1001 to everything. I had to use a Proxy and a different browser to be able to Access this site at all because it just wouldn't log out of my profile, which didn't work!

-From what I can see, the only restricted forums for you are the ones requiring a course purchase. 

-As far as I can remember, ERROR 1001 is an installation error, which would likely be more an issue  on your end. If you need help with this, it's better to email me for support directly at webmaster@gymnasticbodies.com

Arto said:

Do you know what I do every single time I enter to a website which I don't regularly use and that requires registering only to view the content? I close the site and forget about it. The thing is, most people are too lazy and most definitely don't want to sign up on every site they visit, thats just irritating and a waste of time. Especially if you aren't planning on doing anything else than to get a quick glance or read a thing or two. Not trying to be offensive, but thats just my 2 cents.

- All visitors may continue to view the 'Getting Started' and 'Community" sections of the forum without either registering or logging in. The other sections of the free public GB forum do however require either registration or logging in in order to view the free content.

- If people do not wish to register with GB directly, then they may also log in to the forum with their facebook or other social media account. Which basically requires only a single click.

- I also agree with Michaël's statement above, "... if someone is too lazy to register (or log in with their pre-existing social media account) in order to gain full access to this community and all the information freely available on the forum then, in all likelihood, they are also too lazy to fully reap the benefits of GST ..."

The pursuit of excellence is not for everyone; most people prefer the comfortable blanket of mediocrity.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Coach Sommer said:

 the comfortable blanket of mediocrity.

Ouch!

I've registered. It was bound to happen.

Small online communities have banned my IP address for simply lurking.

I'm not sure if it's because I live in China or because I run a scary operating system.

Having dealt with a lot of online engagement paradigms all the points are valid. 

Previously it was a pain to just sign up for a forum without having some visibility to the community goldmine it offered. There is some loss of participation/ commitment from people due to that. 

With single sign in its easier. 

Another point that was made - INCREASE PARTICIPATION vs INCREASE REACH. 

I am guessing and I am hoping that Cory has checked the 'registered users' vs 'guest user' stats. If the number of REPEAT VISITOR Guest users is fairly high it will force these lurkers to sign up or fall out. 

There may be a small fall out from the above and maybe lesser NEW REACH due to FIRST TIME non-REPEAT LURKERS/ VISITORS not getting the initially HOOKED IN. 

Quality vs Quantity. 

Cory Fair said:

Coach made the decision to inpliment this change. Quite simply, we feel that it's important for all our readers to be involved at some level. If someone chooses never to post, that is fine, though we encourage posting from everyone.

Registration also will have further benefits in upcoming projects we have scheduled.

Joshua Slocum said:

Cory - is it possible to make it so that people following external links can access individual topics? One of the things that drew me to GB was finding lots of GB threads either on google or referenced on other forums: what made me start to register and post was seeing lots of active, knowledgeable discussion. If only the community and getting started forums had been available I might have decide it wasn't worth the bother to register, since I wouldn't have been able to see the more interesting discussions going on.

Cory Fair said:

It's possible, but as most forums do not allow that level of micro permissions, it would be out of the realm of hooks or plugins and a direct modification of core files.

trw said:

Hmm, I know my opinion is just a drop in the ocean, but regardless of that, this seems to me like an unnecessary isolation of the community. There's a wealth of interesting discourse throughout the forums. Why put up the wall? You've already got the Foundation and Handstand subforums. If anything, it strikes me as counterproductive to increasing exposure and expanding the community.

amardeep said:

Also, does it mean that this content will not be searchable via google? If yes, that sucks.

Cole Dano said:

All valid points, but at this moment Gymnastics Bodies' goal is to increase participation, which makes the push for registrations the right choice for us.

Coach Sommer said:

- All visitors may continue to view the 'Getting Started' and 'Community" sections of the forum without either registering or logging in. The other sections of the free public GB forum do however require either registration or logging in in order to view the free content.

- If people do not wish to register with GB directly, then they may also log in to the forum with their facebook or other social media account. Which basically requires only a single click.

- I also agree with Michaël's statement above, "... if someone is too lazy to register (or log in with their pre-existing social media account) in order to gain full access to this community and all the information freely available on the forum then, in all likelihood, they are also too lazy to fully reap the benefits of GST ..."

The pursuit of excellence is not for everyone; most people prefer the comfortable blanket of mediocrity.

Yours in Fitness,
Coach Sommer