Top tips for getting a forum started
- Thread starter shellspeare
- Start date
Nice post. Well, I definitely agree from the word PATIENT, because you need t be patient in order to build a wholesome relationship to the member on the forum field.And always keep yourself on the right track of the conversation otherwise you'll be out.LOL
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very nice threads here
I am going to print & read very carefully
thanks for sharing
I am going to print & read very carefully
thanks for sharing
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Just the kind of information I was looking for. I did help run a successful forum years ago but I've not had the time to commit to one in the last few years. I've decided to give it another go. As I remember, it takes a lot of time.
I have just set one up to see if I like the look of it. I have set up a couple of false accounts mainly to see what access they have rather than to use them for posting.....but you never know, I might have to give myself a good talking to on there at some point.
I have just set one up to see if I like the look of it. I have set up a couple of false accounts mainly to see what access they have rather than to use them for posting.....but you never know, I might have to give myself a good talking to on there at some point.
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- Jun 15, 2012
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That's right man,it's always good to start with friends,but its hard to find experienced friends willing to spend time.
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- Jun 21, 2012
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I'll definitely read all the important threads here but HOW do you exactly start each of the threads after creating them? We just set-up our forum from scratch so it's really challenging and difficult. I've created categories and main threads, now what? Do I post a short intro for each of 'em? I believe that there should be something the visitors would read so they could reply or be attracted, hopefully. What would be the best shot? PLEASE give me some tips. Thanks in advance!
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- Jul 1, 2012
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The main ones I suggest to any new forum owner.
1. Make Content Before Opening... I have seen this time and time again. Someone opens a forum and has little to no content. People are not going to just join and make the content.
2. Make your forum unique as possible. Ways to do this are having your own custom theme, have your own special content you can't get anywhere else, and/or have that one special feature not seen anywhere else.
1. Make Content Before Opening... I have seen this time and time again. Someone opens a forum and has little to no content. People are not going to just join and make the content.
2. Make your forum unique as possible. Ways to do this are having your own custom theme, have your own special content you can't get anywhere else, and/or have that one special feature not seen anywhere else.
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- Sep 1, 2012
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Bookmarked thread, really helpful tips and never get old.
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- Sep 11, 2012
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Wow. This is a motherload of a thread! Great tips from everyone.
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- Feb 2, 2012
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no one here will do that. This isn't the war forums. Relax!
Friends, thank you for generously sharing your advice. I have recently started one and loved this thread.
Let me share a small idea that I have been trying recently. Use twitter. Essentially there are many people in my forum's "niche" who post the most latest events and insights on twitter. I have started following these people and organizations and intend to make sure my forum gets these latest and greatest news.
Let me share a small idea that I have been trying recently. Use twitter. Essentially there are many people in my forum's "niche" who post the most latest events and insights on twitter. I have started following these people and organizations and intend to make sure my forum gets these latest and greatest news.
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This is good advice, thanks guys
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- Dec 24, 2012
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Thought I could add a bit of my own in this really useful thread. Perhaps I am only rephrasing something that has already been said before, but here goes :
1. Not sure about the "have content already written before you launch the forum". I think instead of doing that, it might be better to start off with as many forums as you deem necessary, and not just a few ones. I explain : it shows how ambitious you are.
2. Set up a number of posts you have to write each week, or maybe each day, for each forum, but that is really a taxing duty, and there are some days you are too tired to achieve this due to real life activity. But try to reach your weekly goal. At least 80 % of it. To do that, think of some threads like : something/ someone of the week, a focus on a event or a personality. It helps a lot and give members a feeling of wanting more. Just like Season 1, episode X...
3. How to engage readers to become members and then to feel like writing replies, and ultimately to write threads ? The biggest challenge ! Depending on your niche, research your competitors' practices and bend them or think up of new ways to add content that is better than theirs. How is it better ? Just by looking at an outsider's point of view. Forget about your ideas about your niche topic, pretend you DON'T LIKE what you've chosen, play the devil's advocate and ask friends to criticize everything you have done. It is a big asskick like that which can spur you to find better ideas.
4. After your research, your criticising, you'll be able to look into what you stood for in the first place and get read of BS to try new ideas, and especially new angles and viewpoints. Look at your topics as if seen from above or under, or from a distance. For that you may even stop logging in and wait for a 2-week interval. That's what I do with new ideas. If after 2-weeks they still seem great, I try them.
5. Dramatize everything and don't be too cool. Stating facts coldly is right if they are weird, awesome, funny and compelling by themselves. For ordinary stuff, use overly exaggerated adjectives. That provides a contrast, which is seldom seen and add a humorous tone to the messages.
6. Tweet everything, like everything posted, publish on Stumbleupon, scoop.it, digg, reddit, pinterest, there's the addthis add-on where there are tons of SNetworks, even ones you may have not heard of, like MrWong and really weird others. Sign up for everyone of them. Be prepared to harden your security because you'll get tons of spam, but tons of traffic, too.
7. Private forums are good to taunt visitors into signing up. Frustration leads to curiosity and to registration. Or they will damn you and swear they won't ever register... Let them whine
8. Fake members, why not ? Create a bunch of them, but do like writers do, write their portrait and don't make them stereotypes like the cool guy, the hater of everything, the shy otaku... Write about their jobs or lack of, family background, children if applicable, what they like or hate for breakfast, their pets, their biggest fears, their best pals' lives... Hone your writer's skills. There are books to help writers do exercises in description, character building and all that stuff. What are forums if not writing places ? Use them they are shock-full of ideas.
9. Become known and respected. Join in any kind of forum, not just the ones in your niche and write witty, controversial, funny stuff and as soon as you can, add your forum's link in your signature.
That's all for now.
1. Not sure about the "have content already written before you launch the forum". I think instead of doing that, it might be better to start off with as many forums as you deem necessary, and not just a few ones. I explain : it shows how ambitious you are.
2. Set up a number of posts you have to write each week, or maybe each day, for each forum, but that is really a taxing duty, and there are some days you are too tired to achieve this due to real life activity. But try to reach your weekly goal. At least 80 % of it. To do that, think of some threads like : something/ someone of the week, a focus on a event or a personality. It helps a lot and give members a feeling of wanting more. Just like Season 1, episode X...
3. How to engage readers to become members and then to feel like writing replies, and ultimately to write threads ? The biggest challenge ! Depending on your niche, research your competitors' practices and bend them or think up of new ways to add content that is better than theirs. How is it better ? Just by looking at an outsider's point of view. Forget about your ideas about your niche topic, pretend you DON'T LIKE what you've chosen, play the devil's advocate and ask friends to criticize everything you have done. It is a big asskick like that which can spur you to find better ideas.
4. After your research, your criticising, you'll be able to look into what you stood for in the first place and get read of BS to try new ideas, and especially new angles and viewpoints. Look at your topics as if seen from above or under, or from a distance. For that you may even stop logging in and wait for a 2-week interval. That's what I do with new ideas. If after 2-weeks they still seem great, I try them.
5. Dramatize everything and don't be too cool. Stating facts coldly is right if they are weird, awesome, funny and compelling by themselves. For ordinary stuff, use overly exaggerated adjectives. That provides a contrast, which is seldom seen and add a humorous tone to the messages.
6. Tweet everything, like everything posted, publish on Stumbleupon, scoop.it, digg, reddit, pinterest, there's the addthis add-on where there are tons of SNetworks, even ones you may have not heard of, like MrWong and really weird others. Sign up for everyone of them. Be prepared to harden your security because you'll get tons of spam, but tons of traffic, too.
7. Private forums are good to taunt visitors into signing up. Frustration leads to curiosity and to registration. Or they will damn you and swear they won't ever register... Let them whine
8. Fake members, why not ? Create a bunch of them, but do like writers do, write their portrait and don't make them stereotypes like the cool guy, the hater of everything, the shy otaku... Write about their jobs or lack of, family background, children if applicable, what they like or hate for breakfast, their pets, their biggest fears, their best pals' lives... Hone your writer's skills. There are books to help writers do exercises in description, character building and all that stuff. What are forums if not writing places ? Use them they are shock-full of ideas.
9. Become known and respected. Join in any kind of forum, not just the ones in your niche and write witty, controversial, funny stuff and as soon as you can, add your forum's link in your signature.
That's all for now.
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Yet more good information.
This past couple of months I've been focussing on our forum after reading all this advice and I've managed to get the posting activity up.
Traffic has increased as well though I'm not sure if it's useful or spam.
I've managed to get some new members as well who I'm nuturing in the hope that they'll start to become posters and participators in the forum. This is the hardest bit...getting people to register and then post.
I also like the question asked here a lot 'Why should anyone want to visit your forum?' Indeed. I'm now continuously asking myself that. I've now highlighted the two weekly games sessions we hold on the front page as a start to that.
But thanks all
This past couple of months I've been focussing on our forum after reading all this advice and I've managed to get the posting activity up.
Traffic has increased as well though I'm not sure if it's useful or spam.
I've managed to get some new members as well who I'm nuturing in the hope that they'll start to become posters and participators in the forum. This is the hardest bit...getting people to register and then post.
I also like the question asked here a lot 'Why should anyone want to visit your forum?' Indeed. I'm now continuously asking myself that. I've now highlighted the two weekly games sessions we hold on the front page as a start to that.
But thanks all
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- Dec 16, 2005
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- 8,191
My tip - Don't climb into the bandwagon of having to be the best forum in the niche because the wear and tear on you trying to make that possible will bring you down. Instead keep on having fun by making a community and let it get bigger and bigger as time goes by. Keep it all fun and you will enjoy it for ages to come!
Keep it all fun and you will enjoy it for ages to come!
- Joined
- Dec 24, 2012
- Messages
- 495
My tip - Don't climb into the bandwagon of having to be the best forum in the niche because the wear and tear on you trying to make that possible will bring you down. Instead keep on having fun by making a community and let it get bigger and bigger as time goes by.
Exactly. Watch others and see if they have fun in said forum. If they are comfortable you'll have a world of pain ahead convincing them to sign up in your own.
Try to create a fun place and don't set up your hopes too high. A laid back attitude as well as good content might attract people and if they feel well enough, sign up and later, contribute.
Also, don't be mean on your likes and karma, rewards or "accomplishments". Encourage members to use these systems. For some it creates a kind of emulation. I have two members who compete for the highest numbers of views for a topic. It's real fun because it's done with a lot of humor on both sides, and other members laugh at this friendly contest.
Those last two posts were really useful
I do tend to be a bit of a worrier with my forum, anxiously watching traffic and looking for new members.
There is a case for making sure your current members are comfortable and happy and just waiting for organic growth rather than running around in circles trying to make it grow!
With our current membership and posters we are alright, it's probably only a few more that we need to help ensure activity. We are a small community, but there is no doubt that activity has decreased from a year or so ago.
I think what galvanised me was finding out one of our longest standing members was actively looking for another more active gaming group to the extent that he has chosen to sit with another community at a LAN (computer gaming party) that we're attending because there were not enough of us going to be present.
That was a bit of a kick in the teeth really, for the first time ever, 4 of us will be sitting in one place and 2 in another and the community will be split. One of the other community members is sitting with him.
That really started me working on the forum, it needed it anyway, but it's probably why I can get a bit anxious over it
I do tend to be a bit of a worrier with my forum, anxiously watching traffic and looking for new members.
There is a case for making sure your current members are comfortable and happy and just waiting for organic growth rather than running around in circles trying to make it grow!
With our current membership and posters we are alright, it's probably only a few more that we need to help ensure activity. We are a small community, but there is no doubt that activity has decreased from a year or so ago.
I think what galvanised me was finding out one of our longest standing members was actively looking for another more active gaming group to the extent that he has chosen to sit with another community at a LAN (computer gaming party) that we're attending because there were not enough of us going to be present.
That was a bit of a kick in the teeth really, for the first time ever, 4 of us will be sitting in one place and 2 in another and the community will be split. One of the other community members is sitting with him.
That really started me working on the forum, it needed it anyway, but it's probably why I can get a bit anxious over it
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