In my opinion, as a forum user for several topics, this forum is severely lacking. A good forum needs experienced people, regular users, stickied topics, and many of all of those things. This forum doesn't really have those at all.
It has many sections with many unanswered questions. I can go into a section and the 5 most recent threads have gone unanswered, and some of those are months old. Maybe it's because the questions are already answered elsewhere, but maybe not, or maybe a search was not helpful and they had to ask. And if they are left unanswered because it's a common question, then such things should be placed in a Stickied-Topic or FAQ at the top of that forum. There's not very many threads period, so there is already a lack of information.
I've asked a question that has gone unanswered for several days. A question about macronutrient percentages and how those percentages are measured. Apparently it's a common question, because I found it asked elsewhere after looking some more. However, the question is still unanswered in my opinion because the answer given in the other threads were different. One time it's said to measure it in weight, another time it's said to be measured in volume. A definitive stickied FAQ would be helpful for this topic considering it's often asked, and apparently not clear in the materials that come with the NT test.
So how can this forum become successful? Well, it's not my place to decide how Dr. Mercola runs his business. I respect him and greatly appreciate him and his team's efforts at bringing information to the people so that they can lead healthy lives. And I understand all of this carries a heavy cost. However, I think this forum should be free. The NT forum can be limited to those who have paid for NT testing, but once they've done that it should be free.
Why? Because free means a larger and more consistent body of contributors. If you come to a forum for help and the forum is small, has few threads, no helpful FAQs, very few contributors, and your questions go unanswered are you going to stick around? Not me, it defeats the purpose. Would you pay monthly to remain a member of a forum you find unhelpful? Definitely not.
So where is the incentive to stay a member? I don't think it's here yet, and as such I think it will keep the forum stagnant. If I don't find the forum useful, I won't come to it. I don't find the answers I'm looking for, so I can't become learned and help others when they have questions. They don't find answers, so they don't stay and they don't become learned and help others either. I'm certainly not going to pay to be part of such a forum, so even if in a few months I've gained knowledge and experience about the NT diet I can't help anyone because I'm no longer a member of the forum because I stopped as soon as my first free month was done. So what I see is people pay for NT, use their first free month and then quit (if they remember to) because the forum is too lacking to warrant the price. Then the forum continues without ever gaining a significant population of helpful contributors.
It's the population of contributors that eventually lead to a useful forum as they answer questions, new users see answers and can pass them on to the next new user, users see questions repeatedly asked and begin building FAQs that then become stickied topics, etc. That's why I think this forum should be free to all those who have paid for the NT testing. Even invite the old members who quit after their first free month, especially since they'll be in a better position to be helpful members since they've been on the program for some time. Then after the forum becomes strong and useful, then perhaps charging for it would make sense, but only if it doesn't encourage too many people to leave the forum. Perhaps it could still remain free for the extra helpful members.
As it is, I don't find the forum very helpful and I definitely do not see it being anywhere near worthy enough to pay for. Yet.
I don't mean to offend or presume I know what's going on behind the scenes in regards to costs, profits, etc. I only mean to make a suggestion that could possibly lead to a strong and helpful community of people that can help each other lead healthy lives. A forum with practically only one participant (thank you, Glen), does not make a forum. It makes a Q and A where one guy has to do all of the work and still resulting in lesser results, because he can't answer everything, doesn't want to repeatedly answer the same question, and isn't always around. Forums are meant to be large bodies of people who together become an educated community. No one person knows it all, but together they can educate and learn and solve. If it's successful enough, it might be worth a monthly payment. And a larger forum, could mean a lower price. I don't know how many remain paying members, but a large body of consistent, low-price paying members is better than a small body of inconsistent paying members. But that'll take time and based on the age of some of the threads I've seen and how small the forum still seems to be, becoming a free forum might be the best way.
Good thoughts adfinder23,
I wanted to add exactly the same. The layout of the forum itself looks confusing by itself, it is so fragmented. Why don't you use something like the industry standard phpBB forums?
For example, I have a question on water filers. Seeing the fragments and lot's of unanswered questions... I have really no idea where I should post my question.
Mercola.com is the biggest health site on the Net. Alternatively, can you recommend me maybe the second bigges? Or the one with the strongest forum?
Additional recommendation: the ability to edit my post. I wrote bigges instead of biggest. On most forums I can reedit the post later after posting.
Interesting data on the main Forums page:
184,412 users have contributed to 5,370 threads and 7,651 posts.
So, in avega every second forum post got one single reply, and the other one gets 0 replies. That accomplishment is pretty awesome of any web message board.