I only occasionally check EconSpark and I am ranked #4! How can we get more traffic and users on here?

Question

I think EconSpark was a great idea, but I can't help but concluding it is a horrible failure. I only log on about once a month and there are barely any new Qs! And like I said somehow, I am ranked #4.  Perhaps usage can be incentivized at ASSA? Can we start discussions from talks on here live? (I will pledge to log during the meetings.) Also having schools post official job market info here would very helpful, such as when they sent out all their interviews and have filled their position. (I think people should use less Twitter, but that's a personal opinion.)

Comments

Discussing ASSA talks sounds like a good idea.  The twitter community is so active, it seems like if there was more interaction between the two it would bring more people to this site.  I honestly didn't know that econspark had a twitter account, until I specifically searched for it (although it does have plenty of followers.)

Answer 1

I just created an account today and was surprised how dead this place is.  I can't help but wonder if the question and answer format is part of the problem - I heard the AEA created EconSpark to provide a wholesome alternative to EJMR, but what they actually ended up with seems more like some kind of Econ StackOverflow that nobody asked for.  (For the record, anybody who used EJMR as a place to ask econ questions would likely feel out of place.  The true purpose of EJMR, as far as I can tell is, to share econ-themed poetry parodies, which are generally neither "questions" nor "answers")[1][2][3][4]. Once we add in that Econ Twitter already provides an excellent outlet for non-anonymous discussions, I think EconSpark might just not have found a very good niche for itself.


[1] https://www.econjobrumors.com/topic/stopping-by-low-ranked-job-talks-on-a-snowy-afternoon
[2] https://www.econjobrumors.com/topic/a-rare-poem-by-coleridge
[3] https://www.econjobrumors.com/topic/a-little-eapoe-for-the-job-market-meat-on-the-left-coast
[4] https://www.econjobrumors.com/topic/a-little-eapoe-for-the-job-market-meat-on-the-left-coast#post-2550025 <- my personal favorite

Answer 2

I think after the initial buzz, it failed to reach a critical mass to become an alternative to EJMR. We're peak into job market season, and hardly any posts here.