If you run a community, you’re probably drowning in numbers—active users, posts, replies, DMs, emojis, you name it. But most of those stats just sit there, looking impressive but not actually helping you build a better community. This guide is for people who want to cut through the noise and actually use Common Room to track engagement metrics that matter—and skip the stuff that doesn’t.
Let’s get into how to set up, track, and act on engagement metrics in Common Room, minus the fluff.
1. Get Clear on Why You’re Tracking Engagement
Before you even log in, ask yourself: What’s the real point here? More activity isn’t always better—sometimes it’s just noise. Figure out what you want to learn or improve, like:
- Are new members actually joining conversations?
- Is your help forum self-sustaining, or does staff answer everything?
- Are lurkers converting into contributors?
- Is engagement happening where you want (Slack, Discord, forums, etc.)?
Write down 1–2 goals. If you can’t tie a metric to a real goal, skip it. Trust me, vanity metrics just waste your time.
2. Connect Your Community Sources to Common Room
Common Room pulls in data from platforms like Slack, Discord, GitHub, Twitter, forums, and more. If you haven’t already:
- Go to Settings → Sources in Common Room.
- Connect every channel where your people hang out.
- Don’t bother connecting dead channels or platforms you don’t actually care about.
Pro tip: If you’re only using one platform (say, just Discord), you’ll get less out of Common Room’s cross-channel features—but it still beats tracking everything by hand.
3. Decide Which Metrics Actually Matter
Common Room tracks a ridiculous number of things. Here’s what’s usually worth focusing on, and what’s not:
Metrics Worth Tracking
- Active members: How many unique people are doing something each week or month. Not just visiting, but posting, reacting, asking, or answering.
- New contributors: How many people posted for the first time? This shows if your onboarding or welcome flows work.
- Engagement depth: Are people just liking things, or are they starting discussions and replying?
- Response times: How fast are questions getting answered? Is it mostly community members, or just staff?
- Churn/Drop-off: Are formerly active members fading away?
Metrics to Skim or Ignore
- Raw post counts: High numbers can just mean spam or off-topic chatter.
- Total reactions: Fun, but doesn’t mean much unless you’re running meme contests.
- Top “influencers” by post count: Quantity isn’t quality.
Stick to metrics that map directly to your goals. If you don’t know what you’d do differently if a number goes up or down, don’t track it.
4. Set Up Dashboards and Alerts
Now that you know what to look at, set up custom dashboards in Common Room:
- Hit Dashboards in the sidebar.
- Start with a blank one or use their templates. (Templates are fine, but you’ll want to tweak them.)
- Add widgets for your key metrics—active members, new contributors, unanswered questions, etc.
- Filter by source if you want (e.g., only Discord, or exclude Twitter).
Alerts: Set up notifications for things that really need action, like:
- When a question goes unanswered for 24+ hours
- When a usually-active member suddenly goes silent
- When there’s a spike in first-time posts
Don’t go wild with alerts. The goal isn’t to create more notifications—it’s to spot real issues.
5. Dig Into the “People” Tab—Don’t Just Look at Charts
Charts are nice, but the real power is seeing who is actually engaged. Use the People tab to:
- Find out who’s new and active (so you can welcome them).
- See who’s consistently helping others (potential moderators or champions).
- Spot people who used to be active but have disappeared.
You can filter by activity, source, tags, etc. Export this list if you want to run outreach or reward programs—but keep it simple. No need to stalk people or send a ton of “We miss you!” emails.
6. Run Experiments, Not Just Reports
Metrics are only useful if you do something with them. Try things like:
- Changing your welcome message and seeing if new contributor numbers go up.
- Running an AMA and tracking if engagement depth increases.
- Nudging regulars to answer more questions, then watching response times.
- Testing a new channel or topic and tracking if it attracts new voices.
Compare the numbers before and after. If nothing changes, move on. If something works, double down.
Honest take: Most “engagement playbooks” you’ll see online are generic. Your community is unique—copying what worked for one open-source Discord server won’t always work for your SaaS user forum.
7. Avoid These Common Traps
It’s easy to get lost in the weeds. Here’s what to skip:
- Obsessing over “growth.” More people isn’t better if they’re just lurking or spamming.
- Benchmarking to random communities. Your metrics should reflect your goals, not someone else’s.
- Automated “member health” scores. These are black boxes—good for a quick glance, but don’t trust them blindly.
- Reporting for the sake of reporting. If nobody acts on your weekly report, change what you’re tracking.
8. Share Insights, Not Just Numbers
Don’t just copy-paste dashboards into Slack and call it a day. Use what you’re learning to:
- Highlight community wins (e.g., “We had 10 new members answer questions this week!”)
- Flag problem areas (“Questions in #help are taking longer to get answers”)
- Suggest changes (“Let’s try a new onboarding flow, since first-time posters are dropping off”)
The point isn’t to impress the boss with a pile of charts—it’s to make your community better.
9. Iterate Quickly—Don’t Wait for “Perfect” Data
Community engagement is messy. There will always be outliers, weird spikes, and stuff you can’t explain. Don’t wait for perfect data or the “right” dashboard before taking action.
- Review your dashboards weekly or monthly.
- Tweak your metrics as your goals change.
- Kill any report or alert nobody cares about.
- Celebrate progress, even if it’s small.
Summary: Keep It Simple, Keep It Real
Most people overcomplicate tracking community engagement—they chase too many numbers and forget why they started. In Common Room, focus on a few metrics that map to real goals, set up dashboards that serve you, and act on what you learn. Skip the vanity stats, ignore the hype, and remember: If tracking a metric doesn’t change what you do, it’s just noise.
Start small, iterate, and don’t let the dashboards run the show. The best communities are built on real connections, not just good-looking charts.