What can the Bayt.com "Specialties" team do to better engage its users?

Thanks for inviting me to answer your question.
I think your goal is to think from a customer point of view make me “ as a user” love your product and give me a reason to stay! Lets be honest here you have only one competitor in the market.
In my point of view you have a huge advantage that you are more localized to the Arab region so give them a reason to switch.
-You need people to be on the site.
I “ as a user” will engage when I find my friends here, you are asking me to share with my friends so motivate me.
Give me points for inviting my friends.
Rank me for having a great network.
Add a badge for being a better Networker.
-Your landing page is “the Stream” the key.
So make it useful and Eye catchy.
Give identities to the specialties make them colorful.
- Advertise your product more Try to make it easier and let people know that it is new advertise on your home page.
Creating product awareness -Give it a more unique way get out of the concept of the forum.
Making it more social “ Which would require a lot of effort and ideas”.
Take every specialty and create a strategy for it.
Allow me to speak for myself I am working in the field of social media field so I will speak accordingly.
As I said give me a reason to switch and to stay on your page all day.
1-Notifications Notifications.
-I am following people so at least notify me if this person adds a question.
-If I missed being on the site lets say for 1 hour.
Do you really think I will keep scrolling down the questions? And if I did how far would I go! Collapse the stream make it an active one so I know what I have missed.
-Your mobile app is fine but when are you planning to integrate this into it.
We live in a very fast and digital world.
So try to satisfy all your customers needs.
2-Integrate video playlists about the category I am in in my stream., case studies useful links and interviews bayt made.
3-integrate ads related to my specialties.
Products and articles 4-You did a Facebook app.
Integrate notification in it so I get notified on FB to check it and direct the user back to your site.

5- Advice recommended and online courses and let people share their opinion about this course.

6- I am ranked in the top 10 in Social Media Marketing specialties.
And I haven’t received any messages or an approach from a single head hunter.
Not even a single advantage.
Don’t you think that is too strange? That you didn’t give back anything when users spent that time and effort from their day on your site? It makes one wonder is it really that useful.
For example you sponsor events in the UAE and Egypt so give the holders of the special ranks a gift.
Integrate offline and online marketing strategies.
Last but not least.
Separate your specialties and give unique identities to each.
Let's say I am a recruiter and I want to head hunt someone in the digital marketing.
I am supposed to leave one of the specialties I am following to look for a new candidate? What if I am working in a recruitment agency or head hunting more than one species? Give identities and degrees.
Separate seniors from managers from CEO.
People will engage if you give them a chance to contact with managerial departments.
Give a chance for people to find related things to them and to add each other and to share knowledge.
Another approach is, let's say I am a graphic designer give me a small free space or a bigger paid paid one to upload my work so that people could find me easily.
Make me proud to share my profile link around the internet.
Not just another profile that has the same information about my career.Integrate my questions and answers into my profile in a more unique way and don’t separate the Specialties from applying to the jobs.
This is very important, and you are not taking advantage of it.
I am sorry that I took too long in my answer.
A lot of work can be done.
Greatness is never an easy task..

Thanks Rabea Ataya for giving me a honor to have an opportunity to share my product development expertise to this interesting question.
First I would like to appreciate the Bayt Specialties team that they are already doing a great job but i believe if some more things can be implement on that as per product development aspect, that can be of course in "WOW Factor".
Points including: a) Following count limit should be increased from 500 to per day following limit.
The point is the more peoples will follow to specific profile, the more it will assist other Bayt users to engage and see whats the exciting features that already Bayt expert users enjoying currently.
b)There should be Benchmark or you can say the milestone criteria that defines through a small pictorial graph which explains the story as to where the Bayt user is currently standing at which medal and how much more acquired to get silver or Gold Medal.
This helps and motivates the user to work more and assist them to engage most of his/her time on bayt forum to share his/her expertise level on different creative questions.
c)In "Specialties" phase, the expertise level should be increased from 5 to at-least 8, the more user select his/her Specialties, the more they will be love to engage in Bayt Questions & Answers.
d)Specialties Medal should be transformed to better sign or logo, as the current one (i.e.
the the arrow medal sign) doesn't defines the concept for the new user as either its a medal or something else.
e)Against each medal or points upgrades, the user should be allocated with more points or coins system which helps him/her to approach more users while sending them message.
Deficiency of Coins never encourage user to approach for more users and hence don't assist them to engage on bayt forum most of his time.
f)" Top 10 specialist" phase should be transformed to more better state as per Product Development aspect.
g)With upgrades in medals or achievements, this can not only links within the profile management, I truly believe that it can do brilliant wonders if user knows that by the time his/her profile become more approachable to the employers once he/she become achieved a points, honors, medals, achievements.
Users can get more profile visibility for job/opportunities depends on their Medals/Grades.
h)Social Media profiles integration is the most important aspect in Product Development, so I suggest that just like Quora.com, Bayt should also offer each user to embed his/her posted questions, answers or their profile to any of his/her other social media profile for integration concept or to their blogs.
This can not only encourage user to get ORM (Online Reputation Management) but of course it can be great also as per SEO/social media optimization phase of Bayt.com Website.
i)Just like LinkedIn or Naymz.com, Bayt should now offer recommendation concept to each user profile, that can also be brilliant and user would love to see the testimonials which they received from his/her social circle of Bayt users.
j)Sometimes, users "VOTE DOWN: the question & its really becoming so disappointment for all those who have added creative thoughts in their answers but user just vote down without any proper proof-reading with that, so I suggest Product development team to get the feedback against all those users who try's to vote down any user answer, the Bayt-Bot with a pop-up window should ask them the reason that they are trying to vote down, once after the verification, they Bayt Specialties team would be most welcome to vote down if its really like that.
k)Bayt should now offer blogging concept just as same like Quora offered for the last 2.5 months ago, here is my Quora blog link (https://syedwaqassaghir.quora.com/).
This also helps user to love with engagement of Bayt blog and forum as well.
I believe that if Bayt Specialties team would work on these, it can do more wonders.
All The Best.
Syed Waqas Saghir Internet Marketing Expert, SEO Consultant, Social Media Evangelist.

When some one get a specific rank in a definite specialty.
(for example I mentioned that I’m in the top 10 list of advertising specialty and I have an account in (URL removed due to policy violation. Please contact support for further information.)) It will be a good idea to post this topic on my connections news wall in (URL removed due to policy violation. Please contact support for further information.) I believe it will have double benefits, First, for the person him/her self, because it will be a good recommendation in general.
Second, it would be consolidated and support the image of Bayt.com as a professional and strong social E-channel in the business and recruitment field, which is at the end a bright and smart advertising and branding idea.
Of course, this idea able to be done with another close website, not only (URL removed due to policy violation. Please contact support for further information.), it will get a better engage for BAYT.com users and will get attention for BAYT.com from a new potential users.

Hello In the beginning, you are doing a wonderful effort on this website, you are a great team Kindly, let me offer some suggestions Perhaps the site in need of more interactive activities more than to be on the pattern of question and answer, What about video posts? What about private messaging service between members? What about post professional templates such as models, plans and reports? What about the activities of the live broadcast on the site such as professional lectures? Hosting experts? Coverage of the professional events? Thanks for the invitation & good luck

most of us are frustrated that we have been on bayt.com fro sometime know,we have not received anything from companies or head hunters.this usually will have negative impact on people using bayt.com/.

i propose the following; :SUCCESS STORIES",bayt.com management should contact  candidates who succeeded in getting a job through bayt.com ,and ask them to post and share their success stories.this will add value ,credibility,and positive impact.

success stories are key.

- Gamification (not just points, maybe new titles) - Offline Activities (tweetups and such) - Add valuable service to customers, give Freebies, for example: training on how to do CVs, How to score high in a job interview...

When some one get a specific rank in a definite specialty.
(for example I mentioned that I’m in the top 10 list of advertising specialty and I have an account in (URL removed due to policy violation. Please contact support for further information.)) It will be a good idea to post this topic on my connections news wall in (URL removed due to policy violation. Please contact support for further information.) I believe it will have double benefits, First, for the person him/her self, because it will be a good recommendation in general.
Second, it would be consolidated and support the image of Bayt.com as a professional and strong social E-channel in the business and recruitment field, which is at the end a bright and smart advertising and branding idea.
Of course, this idea able to be done with another close website, not only (URL removed due to policy violation. Please contact support for further information.), it will get a better engage for BAYT.com users and will get attention for BAYT.com from a new potential users.

Hi, Getting an invite to answer a specific question is engaging the user plus it allows everyone to see a comparison of great answers.
To further engage users to participate, consider appropriate rewards (as others have mentioned) but promote how awarded points and ranking will be used - do potential employers see this? Personally, I think users participate because they like to share their own ideas/experiences and this can have a strong connections with others to do the same.
thanks

Great question to get ideas :) My suggestions are: - Start points system by gamification and allow the users to use these points to rank their application or CV after applying to a Job.
It will increase engagement because users will try to get points to increase their rank.
- Start a contest on Facebook or here on website and provide premium facilities to the winner.
- Start testing System for the Job Searchers in every field.
For example for Digital Marketing there should be a Digital Marketing test.
Once a user passed the Exam they can show on their profile with percentage or grade that they passed bayt.com digital marketing test.
Hope you will like my suggestions.
Thank you.

Hello Rabea Ataya, Interesting Topic! I think we should have: - Live Chat option to Network with Associated Members - An Option to Attach Files - "Thumbs Up" and "Thumbs Down" Icon for Like and Dislike - An Opportunity to view Member's Email IDs By the way, when we ask for a Recommendation from Past Employers, Clients etc, why do they have to Register on Bayt to give us Recommendation?

Greetings Rabea, Even I'm new here, I would suggest the following:1.
Study the possibility of verifying and checking the questions from specialists each in his area of concern before being life (posted on the site), as many questions are not related to the skills or specialties2.
Study if there a different rating structure for best answers (by giving the main rating weights from the top ranked specialists for example)3.
Study the questions rating that are not answer within a certain period of time (Example one week), to be placed in challenging question box with higher rating score (based on that all published questions on site are agreed earlier by the specialists in the field)4.
Study if possible to assure any question is not repeated or duplicated5.
Study the skills & specialties naming; as I do believe many skills and specialties need to be standardized and controlled Many thanks Maher