I found a email marketing site that allows 15k free emails a month. I really only intend to send one out so it seems like a good match for me.

Anyway, I honestly have no idea what to include in the email. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

"Hey Phags,
Cry4Fail is gone, so come back and get pwned you smug POS'S"

lol'd

I think you need to determine the overall direction of the site before we can wordsmith anything for you. And since your wife is going to be the controlling voice it sounds like you need to consult with her.

Exactly. We're putting the cart before the horse. It's hard to say what to write until we decide if we're doing anything about these pricks or not

I mean, I was pretty much kidding around with the wife thing, though we were discussing stuff last night and she did say that she would do it if I thought it would help.

justincredible;1465294 wrote:I mean, I was pretty much kidding around with the wife thing, though we were discussing stuff last night and she did say that she would do it if I thought it would help.

I think the point remains though that you need to determine what the overall plan is moving forward.

I guess the main reason for the email, like was discussed a few weeks ago, is to get feedback on why people left. At the same time it should be an invite for them to come back and test the waters again.

I feel like those need to be separate things. You can ask people why they left, but it's hard to ask them to come back given that in most cases nothing has probably changed since they left, giving them no reason to return. That's where determining a direction comes in

So maybe mention that we are doing the survey to determine the future direction of the site, find out if there are any major/repeat reasons that people left, and without necessarily asking them to come back now, see if there are any changes that can be made that would bring back any "lost" members.

ts1227;1465298 wrote:I feel like those need to be separate things. You can ask people why they left, but it's hard to ask them to come back given that in most cases nothing has probably changed since they left, giving them no reason to return. That's where determining a direction comes in

I think that this makes the most sense. Do a first e-mail to send out to hopefully collect information and let them know you are working on improving things. And then if there is a common thread between their responses then a second e-mail once you have determined the overall direction.

justincredible;1465301 wrote:So maybe mention that we are doing the survey to determine the future direction of the site, find out if there are any major/repeat reasons that people left, and without necessarily asking them to come back now, see if there are any changes that can be made that would bring back any "lost" members.

I think I mentioned in the previous thread that you must make sure to keep it simple. Most people probably won't respond, and people won't respond if it is too long. Basically a simple multiple choice answer response and then a write in option is easiest. I would limit it to 6-8 total questions.

I think even 6-8 questions is too long.

I think 2 is plenty.

1. What caused you to leave the site? (multiple choice)
2. What, if anything, would get you to become an active member again? (multiple choice)

Not that exact wording, but the general idea would be the same. I really can't think of much else that would be helpful.

justincredible;1465311 wrote:I think even 6-8 questions is too long.

I think 2 is plenty.

1. What caused you to leave the site? (multiple choice)
2. What, if anything, would get you to become an active member again? (multiple choice)

Not that exact wording, but the general idea would be the same. I really can't think of much else that would be helpful.

And that's fair. I wasn't saying you need 6-8, I was saying that would be the high end. If you can get the information you want in less without being too general then that's better.

I would limit the "options" on each MC to 4-5 and then an extra "write-in" option just in case.

1. Why did you leave?

a. Excessive moderation
b. Abusive members
c. Real life got in the way
d. Boring/repetitive content
e. Other (write in)

2. Come back!

a. Relax the moderation
b. Increase moderation of abusive members
c. Fuck you, never.
d. Other (write in)

These are clearly in the exact wording I would use.

Should multiple selections be allowed? I feel like many will choose boring/repetitive AND one of the others. Or, do we force them to pick the one "main" issue?

That is a good point. State that we are looking for the main reason and only allow one answer. Then add a third (optional) question that is nothing but an open text field asking for any additional feedback they would like to give.