I only joined postcrossing yesterday. I’m a regular to forums but felt really quite overwhelmed. It seems a bit overcomplicated, and there’s a lot of history here which is both lovely and intimidating.
I think it might help if things were consolidated more.
I went on a topic that was started in 2020. There might be one already (I can’t see it 
) but maybe an option to see newest comments first?
I have mine set up to only send me email notifications when someone tags me by name, so I don’t get very many. Otherwise I visit the forum when I have time, usually in the evening when I’m relaxing, after I’ve done my postcard stuff.
Something that I haven’t seen come up yet -
Postcrossing is one of the very few “old school” web 2.0 websites from before the proliferation of social media that’s still around. No seriously, it’s like you guys, tapeheads and Arctic sea ice forum. I’m exaggerating a little but not much.
Of course Postcrossing has been updated substantially since it was created but the essence is the same.
This is undoubtedly a good thing and I REALLY appreciate the owners / admins / mods resisting the urge to sell to some hedge fund or turn Postcrossing in to some phone app or “web 3.0” postcardcoin ponzi scheme.
However
The average web user in 2023 is nothing like the average web user was in 2007. People these days have legitimately forgotten - or never learned in the first place - how to use a forum, or even what a forum IS.
My opinion is that there should be a mobile version of the website (NOT an app, but something like m.postcrossing.com) that emphasizes the forum near the top, maybe with a ? next to it that provides a link to a quick primer on what the forum is, how to work it, the history of the forum etc.
Of course, I’m just some dude who likes writing. Someone with a tech background will be able to flesh this out better.
I think this would strike a good balance between the awful exploitation that modern web enforces on mobile websites / apps and the need to emphasize the forum to increase engagement.
Edit - fixed typos
Hi Alex!
Yes, it could be very overwhelming. I recently discovered too, and regarding to your comment: In every topic, you’ll see two numbers and the right bottom, something like 1/121. That means that topics had 121 entries and you are seeing the number 1. You can click there and go directly to the entry 110 (it will show 110/121) and then read the recent comments. Is the easiest way I think.
You’re right. I don’t remember anything specific about the Forum itself other than the announcement back in 2020, six years after the formal introduction of the Forum, here.
Perhaps we need more member writers to engage content from the topics published in the Forum. There’s a couple so far, Handmade Postcards and Show Us Your Post Office, which I really enjoyed.
I am very much sure @meiadeleite has been brewing a line up of interesting and amazing blog features!
I have to admit, it is still confusing! 
But hey, I am getting a hang of it, started to like the discussions and learning new things.
eg. Who knew “What is happening now?” is actually called “TV” on Postcrossing! Check it out here.
I work in marketing and building websites, and there are several hypotheses that should be checked. Also, there is something very simple to start with:
Just put an attractive colourful bloque with heading, description and picture to the “Send postcard” and “Travelling postcard” pages. As simple as that.
"Run out of slots? Waiting for the cards to arrive? Join the forum and send unlimited cards that suits your taste"
That is very easy and will definitely increase conversion.
On top of that, on mobile devices there is a bloque about forum. But it’s small and boring. So the first low hanging fruit hypotheses to check would be:
Change the title, several options should be tested, I’ll just leave 2 here:
A) Send more cards!
B) Run out of card limit?
Change the text, also several different, I’d start with
"Use forum to send and receive more cards, choose the groups that you like [add links to the most popular ones]:
Cat cards (link)
Topical cards
A lot of stamps
Get 10 cards at once (link to RR)
Add images
Etc. This also should increase conversion rate.
This bloque can be in the letters, and in many other places. If there was a task to increase the number of postcrossers using the forum, I see it as a very easy one.
Another question is if it is a good idea to do it…
I used to LOVE participating in RR on the old forum. I was able to find the topics and the posts quickly. Once the new forum opened up, I tried the RR a few times, but it got very confusing about which RR group I was responding to, and as you said, by the time I was ready to post my received cards, the post could’ve had 50-100+ new posts by then!
Maybe I’m just not very computer savvy. So I just stick to tags now, as there is no requirement to post about received cards in the post.
Thanks for giving so many great suggestions from a professional perspective. I do hope that the admin team tries some of these. Adding some links here and there shouldn’t be very hard 
I am not sure if your post was meant for this thread?
I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to push the forum by advertising that you’re able to send more cards there. At least without giving a major warning that you’re completely on your own in the forum, none of your actions are protected.
Of course it’s the same right now and we are all responsible for our own actions especially in the forum and with private swaps (e.g. who we give our address to etc.), but at the moment everybody who finds their way to the forum, tags and RRs informs themselves well about the risks- or at least I hope so.
With a direct link from the main page to tags etc. it might seem that the forum games are part of official Postcrossing, and people might think that it’s perfectly fine just giving out their address randomly, maybe won’t think about having to follow up themselves, keeping lists themselves, there’s a chance that your tag/swap partner won’t send you something in return while in official postcrossing you’ll always receive a card for each sent one, etc.
Isn’t it also a liability issue? In general I think it would be great if the forum had more exposure, but I’m not sure if there should be such direct advertising for the chance to send more cards on the main page, at least without a major disclaimer 
There’s far more to the forum than the chance to send/receive more postcards. In fact, apart from participating in lotteries where the prize really interests me, I have no interest at all in round robins, tags etc. And I never have been interested.
For me, the forum is interesting because it’s a place to chat with others on subjects that interest us. I do agree that it would be wonderful to have more forum members. But in advertising, in whatever way, for new forum members, I think we should emphasize the many different aspects of the forum.
‘Run out of slots…’ why not just increase the number of slots faster instead of directing frustrated users / people to a different environment that doesn’t list/hold card images in any formal way ?
Because increasing the number of slots does not take anybody to the forum. And this thread is about taking people to the forum!
I’m new to post crossing and I’ve been hesitant because I don’t understand the rules and the forum format isn’t very intuitive for me (basically reddit is the only forum format I’ve ever been active on.) I think if PC did more introductory/education about the forum during account creation, forum would see more activity for hesitant users.
The comment I replied to fave the Forum as a solution to insufficient slots to be advertised. Its not the answer-its very different.
I read the comment you replied to. It was about how to increase the number of forum users, while you wrote about increasing the number of slots. So your posting is imho off topic, while the posting which you repied to was on topic.
'Run out of slots… etc ’ I’m quoting again as you appear to be misleading people. Maybe its translation .
I mislead nobody, but you keep going off topit.
I am out now, for continuing this discussion is pointless.
Postcrossing has very clear rules: no more cards until your cards are received, that seems fair to me. Let’s say I’m a scammer, and I can send 100 postcards. I’ll just click as if I sent them, but I won’t send anything, I’ll be just waiting for them to expire. And in the meantime, I’ll get 100 cards from other users.
That’s why postcrossing have these limits, and they are well established. Forum, however, gives an opportunity to participate in RR and tags. So, you can send more cards while waiting for your official ones to arrive.
Or you can just have a nice chat with other users.
