I guess the definition of friends is different...I knew no one when I joined this forum.
I STILL know no one. I don't have anyone's back but my own.
Hey now Wendy. That's a bit harsh. I thought you and I were friends. We are even on eachother's friends list.
But anways, when we are talking about quality. I think the real answer here is to think back to when quality was better. What were we doing in the past that made things so great? Perhaps some of the quality that is going is because of what might have changed over time. Sometimes things change in a manner in which some don't notice them until now.
I can remember a time when the chat room use to be FULL of people. It would always have at least 20 people in it just about every day.
I remember a time when NP$ was much widely more used due to the fact that NP$ were backed by NamePros. Members could sell NP$ back to NamePros if it was ever needed. As of right now there is no guarantee someone will always be there to buy your NP$. Which creates risk when having them.
I can also remember a time when live domain auctions in the chat room was much more common. We use to pack people in the live auctions every time. It was always a big thing. Would have at least 100 people show up if not more.
I remember a time when NamePros radio was thriving the community and the staff would be as friendly as could be.
I remember a time when we would have HOLIDAY PARTIES! Prizes would be given away. Free hats, free shirts, free domain registrations.
I remember a time when we use to have CHARITY AUCTIONS to help raise money. People would always have a blast and have fun.
Things now, are just... different. The atmosphere is not the same. In my opinion, it all began when the look of the forum changed a while back and I believe NPQ took over for a while. Not to say it was the leadership or the look and feel of the design that changed the community. But other things that have changed as well along the way as mentioned above.
As for paid membership, that wouldn't do anything to help post quality. Those who want to contribute to the community can do so with the new options put in place for supporters. I was actually one of those who suggested allowing people to donate. It was a great idea. Just don't force everyone to do so. We want members to join and basically have a good time. Charging admission to do so does not always allow for that to happen. Many people here enjoy being able to talk here and participate in all areas without membership.
What would boost post quality though is incentives to make quality posts. A long time ago NamePros use to pay members NP$ for making quality posts. Perhaps that should be something that returns (not sure if it still exists or not). For those who make quality posts regularly, enable a feature that allows them to earn NP$ for each post and thread created as a special thank you treat.
Also are member of the month programs still going strong? Maybe offer incentives to those who make member of the month. Offer an NP$ reward, a couple of free domain registrations, and maybe throw in a hat.
Maybe there should be a team devoted to just working on promoting the community and making the community feel more like home to each and every member. The team should be asking questions, getting feedback from the members here on a regular basis and making sure people are not upset about things. If such a team already exists, they may not be doing their job as well as it could be done. I know it is a hard job for anyone to have. But it requires the right people to be in that position. I've worked at a resort before and I run my own local computer repair business and know what it takes to make people happy.