Hi BJG..
You should get a response, but sometimes people don’t.
Are you interested in joining in any of the invites?

Hi BJG 🌻

That's an interesting question, and I'd be curious to hear other members' experiences too.

Like most communities, some messages lead to great conversations and friendships, while others don't get a reply. Sometimes it's timing, sometimes people aren't active, and sometimes people simply don't know what to say!

I've experienced it myself - I put an invite on a while ago and nobody came 😅. It happens to all of us. The important thing is not to take it personally (easier said than done sometimes!) and to keep putting yourself out there.

Members like Kath, Clare and others have been wonderful at helping get conversations, walks and meetups going, and we're always keen to hear ideas on how we can encourage even more engagement.

I'd love to hear what other members think.

Thank you for your response.

You have to be subscribed to reply to a message and a lot of people on the site are not.

It's strange when members post info on their page and you respond to it (making polite conversation ) only to be blanked. 'I like this band' ....'I saw them last year, which venue were you at?' ...etc Unfortunately if you're male some people might think they're being hit upon.

Bill5895: That's a fair point and something we're actively thinking about. Out of curiosity, would it help if members could see who is a paid member? Perhaps a small badge on profiles or messages so subscribers know they're contacting someone who can reply? Love to hear your thoughts, and any other ideas you have for improving engagement on the site.

sparky: I hear you! Starting a conversation online can sometimes feel harder than walking up a hill 😅
Out of curiosity, have you found a particular type of first message or conversation starter that tends to work better? We're always looking for ways to help members break the ice and make those first connections.

Well I’ve subscribed and it says I haven’t.

Jesse, Co-Admin: Hi Jesse. Yes, some kind of badge or icon to show who is a paid member would be great. It'd also help with engagement if we could get send notifications by email when we receive a message etc.

Bill5895: Agree.

Bjg: So sorry about that! Since you're able to post here in the forum, it looks like you do have feature access, but I want to make sure everything is right.

Do you mean your profile just doesn't clearly state that you're subscribed, or are you actually blocked from using other premium features (like messaging or invites)?

Let me know what you're seeing and I'll gladly look into it! 😊🌻

Bill5895: Thanks so much for the feedback! I'm glad you think the paid member badge/icon is a good idea - it really seems like it would help clear up who can respond.

I also love the suggestion about email notifications for new messages. Getting a quick nudge in your inbox is a fantastic way to keep people engaged and make sure conversations don't stall out. I've noted both of these down for our development roadmap.

Have a great weekend both!