What’s the SEO payback or other incentive to participate?
Many sites, when they are just staring out, reward participation with a do_follow or, more often, a no_follow backlink as payment for the member taking the time to register and contribute positively.
What mechanisms are already existing within AnsPress or AskBug, or could be exposed ~ apart from the point-based reputation system ~ to encourage participation?
In other words, how does ~ or how could ~ the AnsPres/AskBug combination help us build momentum and get traction on the Internuts?
I think, backlink is custom feature and not related to AnsPress. I seen some backlink exchange plugin few years back when I started WP development but I am not sure if they exists today. But I would rather wait and add quality content to my site to get backlink from other site, yep its time consuming but its worth to wait.
You can do many things with AnsPress for encouraging user participation. Like user badge, user ranking (extension will release end of this month) or an earning system:
- Best answerer will get paid
- or pay per answer
- or pay monthly payment for numbers of views
There are many possibilities, its depend upon your users interest as well.
When you say “(extension will release end of this month)” to which month is it you are referring?
Yes, I take your point about adding additional incentive systems like points and payment, but I think you are missing my point, somewhat.
Many sites gain substantial volume of users by offering the bribe/payment of a backlink. Allowing member profiles to contain links to their own websites, which as you know is built into the WP profiles and, one could argue, its in the very DNA of WordPress.
But AskBug ignores all that and there are no external links as part of the profile, or anywhere else for that matter, as far as I can see.
I think its a mistake not to allow at least profiles to contain links to own websites, and I would argue, its possibly also a mistake not to allow users to have their own taglines.
StackExchange, for example, allows me to fix my location, add an “about me” (html), a web presence, a Twitter link, a GitHub link, plus private and career information.
My feeling is that AskBug is missing the boat in this respect. The profile is too limited (the TML profile is page is better), either way it needs to allow for at least some external links.