How To Create An Active Buzzing And Rapidly Growing Group In Three Weeks

Technically, four weeks ago, I started my group 'Honey Badger Chess' but for the first week the group remained a blank page. Two members joined of their own free will, without an invite, but that was that. Blank.

Then, three weeks ago, I rekindled my interest in a group, and got to work. Now I have over 100 members- 106 to be exact- and we're growing fast.

These are my tips for doing the same:

1) Be original when naming and creating your group. Please no more 'Chess club'- this group is for people who like chess and want to improve. Have a catchy name and interesting description, or try to appeal to a niche, something which would interest some people and make them feel they couldn't get it elsewhere.

Just start 1 group so you can give all your group energy to it.

2) Invite. Invite. Invite. Invite.

Right now there's some glitch which means you have limitless invites and this is awesome. First, invite all your friends and opponents. Then invite most active members. Then go on large 100 player team matches that have finished and people playing in them. You want to invite some 2000+ player, but mostly go for lower-rated people who won't be so busy. Don't invite anyone who time-outed.

3) Add a theme to your group, and a few friendly notes welcoming anyone who has joined. A blank notes page doesn't look good. Fill it. Chat and become friendly with all members.

4) Start a vote chess and a team match (with lots of time to join) and advertise it in notes. These should be against other small groups of around 50 players (assuming you're new). 

5) Start forums. Forums are the spirit of the group so I won't tell you what to do, but this is what I have:

You're banned!!! (forum game)

Finish my sentence (forum game)

Puzzles 

Game Analysis and Showcase

Honey Badger Openings

Suggestions Box

Who Wants To Be a Millio- sorry, Admin

Live Tournaments- Sign Up Here and Play

I don't have endless forums, like one forum for each puzzle, but I do have a few so new members have interesting stuff to look through easily. 

6) Start a group tournament.

7) Ask people if they want to be admin. Once your group is larger, people will be asking you to be admin, but that takes a while...

Get as many admins as you can! Anyone who is willing should be admin. Once your group is larger you can start pruning inactive admins. Don't make anyone SA though. They have equal power with you and can lock you out of the group. Only SA someone after they've been a good admin for several months and you trust them completely.

8) Create an admin group and get all your admins to join. Give each admin specific jobs, such a vote chess admin and forum admin.

9) Add more. More forums, more chess activities whatever, you're group needs to be constantly growing to keep membes active.

10) Make sure they know! Put notes on members pages, inviting them to your group acitivies. Don't messagy because you might be deleted for spanning

11) Steal ideas. Join other groups as members- you should do this first actually-, become admin in one or two if you can, and nick ideas. Think about joining Admin Training Groups...

So that's where I'm up to! What should I be doing next?

Already I have a good group. 100 members, and 3 admins.

To anyone thinking of starting a group, I really recommend you follow this guide.

If you want to join Honey Badger Chess, http://www.chess.com/groups/view/honey-badger-chess

Nice!

Your celebrating pedla group is more popular than the ragging one...

Now we have 148! Never stopping rising!

Put "Beer" in the title of your group ;^)

Or pizza. 

http://www.chess.com/groups/home/i-like-pizza

    Offer some free marajuana....      Active buzzing

I see a message from C.c in your mailbox soon.

     I'm already on triple secret probation. I have to go to Erik's office every week for "random" urine test.

The urine is the yellow one. 

        There are about 150 groups on this site. I get invites all the time, but I can't join them all. Hell, I'd be here 24/7

before anyone else has a chance to say it....

You're not here 24/7 already?

I absolutely agree. I once made a group 'the power of chess 2' when I was yonger, it was boring inactive etc. I went inactive until october 2014. Then I did all of those things and it grew so fast, we discussed a new name discription picture etc and now it is 'King hunters' with huge growth, daily puzzle, Q and A with GM's, opening of the week, with very active vote chess and team matches with 50+ players joining each.

Good Info