Free Download for registration or not?

[gnuru]

Hi,
in my forum I offer a download section, which is quite popular.
In the past, I forced people to register before they can download. I had a whole lot of registrations but only few new postings in the forums.
What should I do: enable the download section for guests? How can I get the registered members to post in the forum and not just stop by for the downloads?

 

[Lisa]

I view any downloads as a privilege for registered members (or even members who are active), not for guests. What kind of downloads do you offer? Maybe link it to requiring x amount of posts before allowing people to download - that way they're offered as a "thank you" to active members.

 

[RaynerMedia]

I'm not quite sure exactly what your users can download, but have you thought of installing some form of method which alerts the person after they download something, to post a review of sorts in a designated section?

Just an idea

 

[gnuru]

thank you for your thoughts.
My website is about organizing the work of a family doctor. I offer templates that we use in our medical office.
In the past I tried to force people to post 3 replys/topics before they can download more than 3 templates per month. Only 2 made use of that.
I think, I stick again with downloads only for registered members and try to install a post-download messagebox or something. Thank you for the idea.

 

[meetdilip]

I would continue to make downloads registration only as they might consume some bandwidth for which you will have to pay. As for making members to post, you could try sending news letters to your members and make them into posting.

 

[gnuru]

I also think it's better, make downloads only available for registered users.
Sending a newsletter asking for posts look really desperate (what I am) ....

I will be trying a global forum message, stating to actually post something....

 

[meetdilip]

Though sending newsletter inviting users to be active is not that bad as you think. But I was suggesting about a newsletter based on your current topics.

 

[gnuru]

Thank you for your answers. I switched to force people to register before downloading. This works pretty good: there are a few registrations per day.

Now I would like people to engage in the forum.
As I offer useful documents in my niche as pdf and Word-Documents, I thought, that downloading the pdf can be free. But downloading the Word-Document (for branding or editing) should only be available to members, who write posts.

What would you do?

1. Create a premium category with the word-editions of the other downloads. Active members can download files in this category. But I would always have set a link in the file description of the pdf-file to the word-file in the premium category.
2. Use the built-in restrictions of the IP-Board: max number of downloads per day/week/month/post