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I’ve been running a small hobby forum for about a year, and I’m hitting a wall with member engagement. People sign up, make an intro post, and then just vanish without ever really jumping into the main discussion boards. I’m trying to figure out if it’s the onboarding process that’s failing or if the initial content just isn’t sticky enough to create a sense of community.

I run a small hobby forum too. onboarding felt smooth at first: signups, intro posts, then radio silence. people say they want a place to show their projects, but they don’t dive into the main boards after day one.

We tried a few experiments: a weekly prompt thread, a starter post template, and a buddy system for new members. the first week brought a little burst, then traffic settled back to the same quiet pattern.

I keep thinking maybe the issue isn’t onboarding or content but who we expect to engage. sometimes I worry folks sign up to lurk or to ask a single question and then vanish.

Do you think the real problem is timing or the core niche?

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