Top tips for getting a forum started

[TuxSH]

Great thread thus far.

On the mod/admin issue: I feel it is best to already be established as a contributor in the community you are serving and as a fairly knowledgeable individual on the topic matter. This will allow you to possibly have knowledgeable candidates in mind that are willing and interested in helping you with your forums and site. It also gives you some pull to bring in a small transplanted community right off the bat.

 

[raven1083]

post

i think forum administrator must set a standard with regards to the quality of there forum sites.

 

[eteenz]

Quite true, that the admin needs to set the standards, but i think the most issue that admins fall for is patients (me having experienced that)....sometimes we just expect it to kick start in like a week or two....you got to have patience with forums, thats a real key.

 

[Budda]

How much does continued advertising come into play? Do you guys continually advertise for this site ($ per click or banner) or is there a membership momentum that carries itself?
Can you say, for example: " A niche forum with 200 active members can keep itself alive"?

 

[Davon]

Terrific suggestions. This is all useful for me.

 

[dragon_fire]

A lot of useful info here, thanks and I will take this on board for my forum.

 

[murad12s]

Oh really...
What a great tips....
Thanks for sharing...

 

[kilcher]

A few new tips I'd like to add...

If you're using vBulletin add the quick register hack. It has doubled my signups. Also use the sitemap hack. Not sure if it's a coincidence but shortly after adding it my indexed pages in Google have doubled. Unfortunately my traffic hasn't doubled but it has gone up about 10%.

 

[heavyd]

1. DEFINE YOUR FOCUS! I cannot emphasize this enough. How many gaming {or insert general genre of your forum here} forums are there already out there? What can you offer that everyone else isn't already offering with an established community? Why should anyone leave another forum to come to yours?

2. DEFINE YOUR FOCUS FOR SEARCH ENGINES. Search engines don't know anything about your site other than the text on your pages that they can scan (spider), parse, and index. What does your main index page offer up as spider food?

3. BUILD CONTENT. Write articles of your own. Start threads that you think others would be interested in reading or replying to. Build content for visitors and more food for spiders.

4. BE PATIENT! All forums start slowly and build slowly initially. At some point, if you persist and have something to offer members, you'll reach "critical mass" and you'll see your progress accelerate.

5. READ EVERYTHING YOU CAN FIND ABOUT SEO FOR YOUR FORUM SOFTWARE. There are huge differences in how search engine friendly different software is. Pay close attention to optimizing the forum title and thread titles. Make sure your forum descriptions actually give spiders something to index (I don't mean the forum meta description tag but make sure that is something that will grab a searcher's attention too).

6. SOLICIT AND CONSIDER FEEDBACK FROM THE MEMBERS YOU HAVE. If your existing members hate your smiley collection and want more, think about giving them more. If they find your avatar or signature rules too restrictive, think about changing them. Make your members feel important. Show them you value their contributions. Make it easy for them to recommend you to their friends. Let them know you want them to keep coming back.

7. BE AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF YOUR OWN FORUM. Make sure you visit and post every day, especially in the beginning. A forum with an absentee Admin just looks like an abandoned forum. Why should prospective new members care enough to join and post if you don't?

8. DID I MENTION BE PATIENT? Follow the above. Then read them again and follow them again. An average forum with any competition at all make take a year or two to really take off. If you're not in this for the long run, don't bother to be in it at all.

That to me is excellent advice, Am I allowed to copy and paste this for notes

 

[djbaxter]

Yes. Please reference the TAZ thread if you do:

http://www.theadminzone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34036

 

[route]

Cross pollinate your content. Mix it up a bit. Write a newsletter
and tell people to discuss your latest newsletter in the forum. Update
your list and tell them to read a special article posted on the forum.
Tell people to visit your forum for something newsworthy.

To get over the hurdle of getting people to register for the forum,
give them a free gift for doing so (tell them through your newsletter).

 

[alnmedia]

Great advice. thanks!

 

[route]

Great advice. thanks!

No problem. There are many members here who can really give you some concrete advice here at TAZ.

Regards
Route

 

[RelevantBuZZ_PR]

Fantastic tips. It's my 4th post but I'll take a stab at it:

I'd like to add that even if the genre of your site has been done tons of times don't be discouraged. It is essential that you are passionate about it. If not, what's really the point of having a site?

Your attitude will reflect back on the community so keep things positive. As shellspeare has already mentioned you are not only selling your site but yourself as well. Excellent point people most often miss. The rule does not only apply to your site but in life as well.

If you're looking for the short-term and expect immediate results you're in it for the wrong reasons. Stay commited. Especially with newer sites, guests who may be potential members want to know if you're in it for the long-haul or just another fad on the net.

When people say expect to fail, it sometimes mean to simply re-adjust. Remain flexible. Never let too much pride stand in the way for growth. Always give yourself a chance.

 

[gogoblender]

Your attitude will reflect back on the community so keep things positive. As shellspeare has already mentioned you are not only selling your site but yourself as well. Excellent point people most often miss. The rule does not only apply to your site but in life as well.


.

That's so dead on RelevantBuzz.

Content by itself doesn't really exist.

It's attached by the hip to the people who post it. Much in the same way as in real life that people's accents, inflections or hand gestures give "character" to the words, it's very much the same thing when reading what others have written. Very often, we'll look for certain posters when perusing forums because we connect to their own personal style of writing or oration. Someone else could probably say the same basic truths, but everyone has a unique spin on it. It's what makes forums so exciting to read.

The people, very often, are your content.



gogo

 

[RelevantBuZZ_PR]

So true. As diversed as human beings are we share common characteristics yet express them in our own, unique way. That alone gives meaning and life to what we say.

I too find myself gravitating to other forum members I can identify with. Even for an instance, it is comforting to know I've connected with someone else.

 

[BicycleOhio]

Thanks, great advise. Patience is a virtue, right? I have created another member I use to post, and was wondering if that was a good idea, you answered that for me. But I don't think I'll do 5 or 10.

 

[Penny62]

I think content over design is important if you had to make a choice. Good software and a good host are very important. If you want a busy forum and want search engine traffic your title and 80% of your topics better contain the phrases or terms people will type in google.
Ive seen some busy ugly sites and some beautiful dead ones. Google and Yahoo dont really care what your site looks like. They care about what is written in it and who is linking to it

 

[rqlguevarra]

Oh what a great forum, this is the first time I read tips about managing online community. Nice

 

[TheBasicsAbout]

I couldn't find a "Watch Forum" link ... so "BUMP"

I want to watch this topic for more input.