Everyone wants to lurk but nobody wants to post

A good amount of the content posted to reddit was a small number of power users, and the reason you see certain communities show up more than others on lemmy is because of those power users.
Don't be afraid to be that for your communities, even if you are the only one posting for awhile. The biggest discouragement to activity in a community is seeing the latest post is weeks to months old, and you wondering if there is anyone actually here.
- The biggest problem for me is trying to make original content but I guess reddit also started with reposts from other social networks....
  
  I'm just reposting local news stories to my local community. It ain't much, but it's something.
  
  Seriously man. I'm trying to power user like 4 porn communities right now and recycling content is where to start. I just need someone to take up the banner for that non porn stuff like gaming and gaming circle jerk and it'll feel like home! You can even reuse memes about Todd Howard for those! I'll keep trying to keep people coming 😉 with the porn! You get em to stay in the refractory period!
  
  you could try to make something like the one lemming on anarchychess and make a pic where the top comment changes things the next day
- And my biggest problem here is that my community is a place to post trade requests for items in a game and well, I don't need anything and I've already posted that I'll answer requests for free
  I also did a post mentioning the lurkers but also pointing out that they could just be people wanting to help fulfil requests too and 1 person commented saying they were and idk about the other (currently) 13 people :)

I never feel like I have something worth posting. I'm pretty boring and unoriginal.
- Yeah, see, I couldn't even come up with that
- You just lack self confidence

Lemmy has to reach a critical mass of users before the more niche communities start to grow. Most of it is all tech communities which is expected. Lucky for me thats my interests.
- Yeah, I like tech too but also enjoy cleaning ancient coins. It'll be nice if someone else found my community and it would pick up. I'm trying to post ever so often so anyone that stumbles on it will know I'm still around
  
  Wait... If pawn stars taught me anything... Don't you not want to clean ancient coins?

Be the post you wish to see in the world.
-Mahatma Lemmy

Don’t forget, the best way to get accurate information and stimulate discourse is to post horribly wrong information.
- Wait... is this comment accurate information or horribly wrong information? 🤔
  
  Doesn’t matter. Now we’re engaging, which means it’s working.
- Pedantic autist here. You're entirely too correct.

My biggest concern is that Memes are the most prevalent content in Lemmy. Its like I'm back on 9gag in the mid-2000s.
- just block the memes community
  There's plenty of other content to contribute too. It just takes a little bit more effort to find it now that we're all starting fresh.
  
  How do you block communities? I’m getting sick of seeing memes and political content
- I’m not concerned 🙃
- I mean, i wouldn't be mad it that was the case...
  
  Well let me put it another way. Lets say your favourite meal is Steak. I don't know what it really is, it should automatically be Pizza, but for the purposes of this metaphor, its Steak.
  Imagine the only meal you will have for the rest of your life is steak. It will not be possible the enjoy that. We need variety, even if we crave for specifics. And what Lemmy currently lacks is variety. Not variety in memes its currently aceing that. But... sometimes I want Pizza not a can if beans.
  *written while hungry.

Well... With this meaningful comment, I'm doing my part.

It's actually getting better this week, artporn fake history and true crime are finally coming to life

Same thoughts. I've mostly lurked from my 10 yo reddit account, but now since we're the pioneers, gotta till the soil and work hard 'n all that.

Good work posting this.

Well, you've posted two things, both memes, and given that one was talking about people not posting and the other talking about niche communities not getting traffic -- and I assume that memes@lemmy.ml isn't niche -- I assume that you haven't posted to whichever community you'd like to see more traffic in. You could do so. Each new post also helps make the community more visible, at least on kbin, since it can show up in the random threads section on kbin instances.
- on lemmy they show up on all with new where from my knowledge are quite a few people and i joined some communities simply by looking what new has to offer

Are you promoting them?
- Not really, I should start doing that but was hoping that people fleeing reddit would search for them.
  
  Drop some links my dude!

Yep it's a little frustrating some days, I have lots of posts with 100+ up votes and...1 comment...
If we want this place to thrive people need to contribute to the conversations more not just doom scroll and shit post
- One percent content vs votes. That is a healthier community than you think. The ratio of reads to posts will be even higher.
  We just need to create a sustainable level of content while people discover that Lemmy exists,
  The biggest problem is “join a server / start a server”. There needs to be a “join any server, still see the best of all communities” option. People come knowing they have heard they should sign-up for Lemmy. They have no idea what server they are looking for. Regardless of what they choose, there needs to be a way of getting a snapshot of “what is happening on Lemmy”. People will self-select and gravitate towards individual communities later.
  The magic of places like Reddit was immediate access to a lot of content first and specific content second. People started with Trending before they even knew what a sub was.

Except I see a million memes compared to anything else

👀

First time commenting. Hello fwiend

This is my first comment just to say that complaining about lurkers reminds me of when I first joined reddit 12ish years ago. Coming full circle!

I see communities with 50 subscribers thinking "there is no way this is sustainable" for years.
- The effective community size is bigger. We just need to start figuring out how to harness the overall Lemmy community. The ecosystem will start to take shape as we use it.
  You and I are from different communities but I am commenting on your content through the magic of the “front page” via Voyager.

I admit I am being a lurker on Lemmy. But I also always have been a lurker on Reddit...

"If you build them, they wil come ..."

I'm doing my part!

same

but I’m shy

Lemmy is alive ! Lol hello all , come here often because I know I don't comment often XD

Is stage fright a thing in online world? If so, that might be it.

I live to lurk!

I don't have anything to say, I would've posted otherwiseeee

I have a few things to post lined up, they are projects in varying stages of completeness. I definitely want to be more of a poster than a lurker here. I feel like it's our responsibility to help Lemmy thrive.
- I feel the same way and want to post, just can't figure out what. 😭

Hello this is me, your friend

Yes! Check out !pamedicalmarijuana@lemmy.world for medical marijuana patients in Pennsylvania! I’ve only made posts there, but I’m much more of a lurker at heart than a poster. Trying to contribute more on Lenny though.

Watching a doc on Koch brothers from 8 years ago from Brave New Films. That’s what I’m doing.

This is a informative comment.
There ,I just made a content!!!