Site traffic

[thebradau]

Since I started trading online, the Bench has been "home." Each year, traffic has slowed. Other sites seem to be thriving with new members and - while I don't know exact figures - appear to be growing fast.
Is there any way to grow numbers here? The site is great as it doesn't feature people looking to sell at BV and buy for 5% of bv. There appears to be more team collectors here, by comparison.
How can we grow? Can we promote Saturday's as a "display day" or something similar where people can visit as sort of an "online" card show? Just throwing out suggestions.... Would love to hear feedback from others. Thanks in advance.

 

[t.rooster]

The positive aspects of growing is obviously more selection of offerings & the potentially diverse viewpoints.... I used to think the bench was too big of a site for me when I first joined, but you get used to navigating. Personally, I like the size that we are although it's always nice to have fresh offerings from new faces.....

 

[thebradau]

The positive aspects of growing is obviously more selection of offerings & the potentially diverse viewpoints.... I used to think the bench was too big of a site for me when I first joined, but you get used to navigating. Personally, I like the size that we are although it's always nice to have fresh offerings from new faces.....

Agreed on new faces. I think a lot of it has to do with tradelists and updates. While I like to find items for folks, many don't promote what they have available. I don't think we're all bored with one another, but it's hard to want to come back when so few new folks join and some "veterans" don't keep needs/tradables updated.

 

[SymphonicMetal]

Although I just joined The Bench in March, I had been trading with a lot of members here the past several years whenever I could find a compatible trader who had their email address available n their profiles or their websites. I have noticed a major decrease in traffic over the years and also see that a lot of the regulars that were here on the forum are no longer around anymore.

I don't think the decrease in activity here has anything to do with the site but rather the fact that collecting cards is not very popular anymore. The decline in the number of card collectors over the past few decades has been nothing short of catastrophic in terms of the hobby's popularity. I'll bet for every 100 card collectors in the heyday of card collecting (late 80s-early 90s) there is only one collecting today. Every collector I knew with maybe one exception has gotten out of the hobby and sold their collections at pennies on the dollar. So for many years now there has been a glut of sellers and a dearth of buyers which has killed the hobby.

So I really don't think there is much anyone can do about the decline other than spread the word to other fellow dinosaurs...........errr....I mean card collectors.

 

[Camsue]

This great site as been home for me since last year I have made many friends and lot of great trades I would not want to go anywhere else. I have tried my best to pass the word maybe some advertisements at local shows if a benchie has a stand maybe just post a flyer on their table or I agree with the free view auction/card show maybe have some benchies donate some cards or products to auction and have the proceeds go to the bench I would be more than willing to donate, or maybe have a prize for most posts in a month similar to trader of the month just a few things and also maybe post a link on our buckets and web pages of our cards to trade and wants please let me know if I could assist

 

[thebradau]

I think we'd have to grassroots it. Polling active members on ways to improve may help. I absolutely think promoting a weekly "trade show" day would help. I do remember seeing ads for the site years ago. Is there a mod that could help shed some light? (This is constructive feedback that is all coming from a place of love, btw)

 

[oldmarine0311]

ya know this kind of crossed my mind a while back too. but the idea i had was that it would be interested to have some kind of banner or something of the sort that we could add to our ebay pages or our ebay menu that tells others about us. but on the same hand would be a sign to a bidder/member here that they are bidding with more confidence. and might attract some new people to the group too

 

[bombie1138]

I'm still lurking around,I just don't post much because I stopped buying packs years ago and my needs list is so small,..
I have actually sold most of my collection except for my Indians team sets that I am still working on,.
It took me a bit to adjust to the new format but I like it,.and the members are some of the best in the hobby for sure,.
Oldmarine does have a idea about adding a Bench avatar to a Ebay profile,..I would do that,..

Clint

 

[OnDeck]

I'm still here reading, watching.

 

[T-206]

The site I am on and where I organize my cards is pretty much dead for the time being. I can start a thread and 3-4 days later my thread will still be on page 1. From what I see this site is thriving compared to what I left.

I will go on and say I have made approx 30 trades since I have come back in the past month and for the other site I might get 5 trades.

I will also say now I can keep up with 2 sites pretty easily I wish I could put my trade cards in a link so they would be more accessible to everyone but I have yet to find it.

 

[bombie1138]

Ya got me thinking Brad,..
Maybe we can come up with a "Greatest Rant of the Year award to the Benchies ceremony
That would be great,.you get to nominate who ever you feel to have the best one,.
Things change but ya still have to have fun,..that's whats missing,..
the hobby has changed quickly these last 5 years,.but most of us know that it's not about the money anymore,.
that's old news,..
but just think 50 years from now when these achieves are found by a 6 year old that has a old rookie card,.
he'll probably see some post that was shared in this forum,..

 

[thebradau]

Ya got me thinking Brad,..
Maybe we can come up with a "Greatest Rant of the Year award to the Benchies ceremony
That would be great,.you get to nominate who ever you feel to have the best one,.
Things change but ya still have to have fun,..that's whats missing,..
the hobby has changed quickly these last 5 years,.but most of us know that it's not about the money anymore,.
that's old news,..
but just think 50 years from now when these achieves are found by a 6 year old that has a old rookie card,.
he'll probably see some post that was shared in this forum,..

I can't tell what tone your post has. If you felt my OP was a rant, you are misinterpreting the goal of thread: feedback to grow the site. That way, the 6-year old with the RC will KNOW there's an archive to check. If you think all is well with the site and that we don't need to grow, I respect your opinion. What I don't respect is someone implying that an attempt to improve a site WE love is merely shouting in the wind.
If you didn't mean any ill will, I appreciate you participating in the discussion.

 

[kycardkid]

I have been keeping up with this thread since it started and have put alot of thought into it. I like some of the ideas that are being tossed around here and think that they would be beneficial in growing the site. The eBay banner I think is a good idea. Maybe if you set up at a show, get some business cards made with your bench id and the site address to hand out.

To me, the number one thing this site is lacking for growth would be in it's marketing. Let's be honest folks. This is the new millennium. Anything that is getting hyped or getting word around happens with social media. As much as I love this place, the socil media presence is practically non existent. There is 0 action on the Facebook page. No Twitter. No Instagram. This is something I would guarantee would attract new blood to the site. Do profiles of the HOF traders and Traders of the month. Announce the contests happening on the site. Post photos of box breaks and nice pulls. Organize case breaks for members of the site. Strategically make comments on the accounts of Topps, Panini, Beckett,etc. There are many ways to get the site noticed, create traffic, and it would cost nobody a dime.

I only say this because the Bench is my new hobby home, my previous place of trading is dying a slow and painful death. I would really hate to see that happen here as that will be the end of my Internet trading. I'm just not willing to start over on a new site again after trading online for 15 years. I also want to point out this is not negative criticism in any way. Just trying to add to the discussion. Happy Trading!

-Josh

 

[thebradau]

I have been keeping up with this thread since it started and have put alot of thought into it. I like some of the ideas that are being tossed around here and think that they would be beneficial in growing the site. The eBay banner I think is a good idea. Maybe if you set up at a show, get some business cards made with your bench id and the site address to hand out.

To me, the number one thing this site is lacking for growth would be in it's marketing. Let's be honest folks. This is the new millennium. Anything that is getting hyped or getting word around happens with social media. As much as I love this place, the socil media presence is practically non existent. There is 0 action on the Facebook page. No Twitter. No Instagram. This is something I would guarantee would attract new blood to the site. Do profiles of the HOF traders and Traders of the month. Announce the contests happening on the site. Post photos of box breaks and nice pulls. Organize case breaks for members of the site. Strategically make comments on the accounts of Topps, Panini, Beckett,etc. There are many ways to get the site noticed, create traffic, and it would cost nobody a dime.

I only say this because the Bench is my new hobby home, my previous place of trading is dying a slow and painful death. I would really hate to see that happen here as that will be the end of my Internet trading. I'm just not willing to start over on a new site again after trading online for 15 years. I also want to point out this is not negative criticism in any way. Just trying to add to the discussion. Happy Trading!

-Josh

Josh, I think you nailed it. There are even trading pages on Facebook and Instagram. I didnt even know the site had social media pages. Does anyone know if a moderator has access to these pages from an administrative standpoint? Perhaps we have some members that would like to grow the social presence? (I am a dinosaur when it come to those pages so I wouldn't recommend me.)
I can say that the other sites I have visited - one of which I am a very active member - have 1) a social media presence 2) many ad partners 3) banners and marketing on other related sites 4) a newsletter that drops monthly (and while this isn't something everyone reads, it shows that the administrators reach out and actively solicit feedback.)
These things would all be great for external growth. But we all know, if the site is slow and not active, it won't matter how many new folks join - they will be quick to leave if things aren't active. You wouldn't want to invite guests into a house that's not in order. For this reason, I'm going to try and post an "online show" thread filled with scans. I'd like to try this on a weekly basis (post on Saturdays and run Saturday through Friday) and would encourage others to do the same. This way, when a new person comes by, they'll have a more visceral - and hopefully interactive - experience. Perhaps we could all post with the same title (i.e. kycardkid's weekly online show thread; thebradau's weekly online show thread). Would anyone else be down for this? I won't be home until mid-May, but would love to see if others would be interested.

 

[Meliah]

I agree with many things said on this thread, and it is a great conversation starter. I've been on The Bench for a long time and a Mod here as well and am very attached to this place and it's members. That being said--The Bench needs some serious work right now and it's something that needs to start at the top. I may be the top Mod but without a present owner there isn't really much I'm able to do, especially on the technical side. I wish I had something better to say but at this point I feel like the site is kind of floating around and will continue to exist as long as people are here but may never grow again.

 

[Beachbum]

I agree with many things said on this thread, and it is a great conversation starter. I've been on The Bench for a long time and a Mod here as well and am very attached to this place and it's members. That being said--The Bench needs some serious work right now and it's something that needs to start at the top. I may be the top Mod but without a present owner there isn't really much I'm able to do, especially on the technical side. I wish I had something better to say but at this point I feel like the site is kind of floating around and will continue to exist as long as people are here but may never grow again.

Did I miss something? Is there not an Owner at the present?

 

[pltcards]

There is still an owner, he has just been very pre occupied for some time and we need him to get some technical and behind the scenes stuff in the hands of interested people. I would say that we have a ton of very loyal members who can keep this site running and can grow as long as there is word of mouth and some promotional work on each others social media pages until a concerted effort can be started with better organization. Keep the attitudes as positive as possible and hang in until hopefully things improve. I am not sure that there is another site that is safer or has less negative ragging of fellow members as this one and this has to be one of its biggest attributes. Don't be afraid to forward thoughts to Mods and administrators . Thanks Pat

 

[kycardkid]

I agree with many things said on this thread, and it is a great conversation starter. I've been on The Bench for a long time and a Mod here as well and am very attached to this place and it's members. That being said--The Bench needs some serious work right now and it's something that needs to start at the top. I may be the top Mod but without a present owner there isn't really much I'm able to do, especially on the technical side. I wish I had something better to say but at this point I feel like the site is kind of floating around and will continue to exist as long as people are here but may never grow again.

The response to this thread from a mod is reassuring but your response raises a couple of questions in my mind. Pardon my ignorance on this subject but I haven't really delved into the intricacies of this place, I just trade. When you say "present owner" does that mean there is no owner? The owner is uninvolved? Permanently? Temporarily? Also, how involved could we as members be, in recruiting new members? Could an individual or group correspond with the owner and perhaps obtain permission to help with aspects of the site such as social media? Honestly something like that would be my area of expertise, and I find it enjoyable.

I also really like the idea of creating a forum or posting in one of the sub forums profiling some of the sites most prolific and/or veteran traders. Maybe post their photo (putting a face with the name so to speak) and have them answer a series of questions about their collection and their experiences within the hobby and the Bench. It would be fun for existing members and reassuring for new members. Maybe have HOF members nominate a fellow HOF member on a monthly basis with the top vote getter being profiled. It would add some prestige to the title and give non HOF members something to strive for. Maybe even create a new title for those with 1,000+ trades. "Bench Legend" perhaps?

I think these would be relatively easy implementations. They would not be overly time consuming for any one person or group to pull off.

 

[anglinomics]

There is an owner and apparently he is still paying the bills to keep the site active. Things have changed for him the past few years in that he has a family. He hasn't been active on the site and we will find out if he can pass some things along to those that are interested.

 

[Beachbum]

I wish Peter the best, I always enjoyed reading his posts and learning about some of his ideas, he's a web genius in my book, I couldn't do what he does so I noticeably miss his frequency on the boards.