Talk:Main Page

From MemberPlugin

Persuading members to install the Member Plugin

We decided that if we could get the regular posters who haven't installed the plugin to do so as 'example setting' to new and less confident members it would have a magnified effect as these members provide a disproportionately high percentage of the posts. It seems to be working as quite a few of them have since done so with the result that the Plugin footnote on posts is now very common. We think this will make it easier for those who have been reluctant to "go with the perceived flow" when we suggest they install it.

Here is the email we sent:

We were wondering if you would like to help in our push to get a lot more members using the Member Plugin? Whether you decide to help or not is completely up to you; we don't want anyone to feel pressured by the request, but here is what we have in mind:

We are asking our top members, those who post fairly often and are therefore pretty well known, by Yahoo ID at least, to other members,
to install and use the Plugin. These members, and you are one of them, set more of an example to other members than they probably realise. We suspect the newer members learn the ropes more by taking the example set by the regulars than they do from reading the rules.

As the members we are asking to participate post more often than most, the affect will be magnified in that there will be a high proportion
of Plugin messages appearing, so encouraging the others to join the (perceived) majority.

Sneaky? Maybe so, but the fact is the Plugin does make using Freecycle easier, quicker and more fun, so it is for a good reason. Shortly we will be posting an ADMIN to remind members of what the Plugin can do for them. Here are the most obvious benefits:

The Post screen becomes easier to use, as the key word doesn't have to be typed in. Neither does the Location once it is set as the
default. If the subject Line is too long to fit, the Plugin tells us, similarly if we accidentally hit cap lock as we type and don't notice,
it will let us know. Then there is the FOP in the heading coupled with the "Fair Offer Policy" that with one click lets others know we will
wait a few days before deciding who gets our OFFER.
The `My Posts' screen is useful in letting us see all of our recent messages, again with just one click.
In the above screen, (and also in the `Message' screen), our OFFER and WANTED messages have a button, (that only we can see), to produce (you guessed it) in one click, a TAKEN or RECEIVED message. The button is only there for those we haven't already completed so it is also a reminder in case we forget to let people know.
Completed posts are linked so anyone with the Plugin can easily see the OFFER has been TAKEN or the WANTED RECEIVED without having to search.
There is a button in the Message Screen to hide completed transactions so only the `live' ones are still visible. (it toggles between `Hide closed posts' and `Show all posts'.)
and there is a button to disable the Plugin if for some reason you need to do this. It toggles between `disable' and `enable'.

In fact the Plugin opens up a new experience, and is very `user friendly'. At the time of writing this we haven't had any requests
from those using the Plugin asking how to use it. They have apparently just installed it and started using it.

Your Mods have been using it for some time now, as we were in on the early `Beta' (test) versions. We certainly wouldn't want to go back to the old way. Why not join us?

Best wishes, (etc)

Bill D, albanyozfreecycle