Learn,Create,Magnetic,Message, DIY Learn to Create Magnetic Message Board Content Quickly and E

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Whileevery message board owner would love to preside over a thrivingcommunity engaged in provocative dialogue, it does take some planningand execution to get there. To that end, some thought should be givento defining the content and perspective your community will promote.It bears mentioning that while this chore is often overlooked in theplanning process, the more clearly you define the core “personality”of your community prelaunch, the easier it will be to market yoursite and attract members in the future.Aclearly defined theme provides two distinct advantages: By promotinga niche interest, you increase your message board's visibility in thesearch engines as a specialized “authority” site: Secondly, youmake it easier for people to determine if their interests are thesame as yours. Niche communities, while often small, tend to have amore passionate following where enthusiasts will seek your forum outvs. you having to find and attract them.Onceyou've settled on the identity and subject of your message board, thenext step is to decide which topics will best support that identity.Thefirst topics you post to your board should be limited to a short listof the most interesting and compelling issues that relate to the coresubject. Resist the urge to create lots of topic categories untilthey're necessary or members request them. When visitors see amessage board with a huge list of categories it can be daunting anddiscourage them from participating. Also,excessive categories can dilute thread and post counts making theforum appear less active.ContentCreationIfyou're passionate about the subject of your message board, generatingthat first content should take little effort and even be enjoyable.Consider choosing a topic you would have liked reading about when youfirst got interested in the subject. Next, createsome content that's a little more provocative and insightful. Perhapswrite about current events or developments related to your board'stopic. As you continue posting content and marketing your site, yourforum community will grow and begin to offer considerable content forusers to browse.Ona side note, try to make posts long enough to be informative butshort enough so readers won't stray or lose interest.Tohelp generate a steady stream of engaging content that will keeppeople interested, we've assembled a list of ideas top publishers useto bolster their offerings. Consider using some or all of thefollowing suggestions as they apply to your community:Developan editorial calendar:One useful technique is to think longer term about contentmanagement. Consider setting time aside on a weekly or even monthlybasis to review board content and map out a direction and schedulefor the introduction of new topics. Reviewing current discussiontrends in your message board will also help you to stay abreast ofyour community's interests and brainstorm new topics accordingly. Scheduletopics in advance: Tobuild on the previous suggestion, scheduling topics in advanceprovides the opportunity to develop ideas more fully over time sothey're better when you finally post them to your community. Makea list of interesting things you've discovered about your topic:Whether it's an amusing YouTube video, a provocative article makingthe rounds on the internet or some fantastic discovery in the news,gathering a few interesting links into a bullet-point posting is afun way to keep your board fresh without spending a lot of time orenergy. Map(mastermind) ideas:Start with either brand new content ideas or refer to interestingtopics previously discussed in the forum and thenbrainstorm ways those subjects can be expanded into new topics.Then, take those new ideas and think about ways they too can beexpanded into different, new posts. This technique can potentiallyhelp you identify countless new topics to write about. Turnresearch into content: anytime you spend searching for answers or information relating to yourmessage board's topic, take notes of everything you come across andturn that into content. If this information is valuable orcompelling to you, there's a good chance it will be meaningful toothers who share your same interests. Reviewposts made by forum members:Not surprisingly, this can often be a goldmine of ideas for newcontent. By reviewing the posts of your forum members, you can oftenfind information or opinions that spark ideas for compelling newdiscussion topics. Interviewan expert:invite a recognized authority in your niche to drop by your forumfor an interview to share their opinions and expertise with yourcommunity. This is a great way to give your readers a relevantexpert’s opinion and perhaps even learn something about the topicyourself.Whilethe list above is by no means exhaustive, it will hopefully equip youwith some new tools to continue building content. As an added bonus,the list below describes different types of perspectives forumpublishers take when formulating new posts. Experiment with some ofthese and you might find they open up the hidden writer in you. Siftthis list for ideas to craft additional new content:InstructionalPosts:Instructional posts explain how to do something. Try adapting thisperspective to your writing and you might be surprised at theresponse. Instructional content is some of the most sought after andviewed content on the internet. Reviews:Another highly searched for term on the web is 'review'. Reviewscome in every variety and can cover a broad range of topics. Providean insightful opinion on an issue relating to your board and askreaders for theirs. Top10 (or 5, 7, etc) Lists:One of the easiest, and most provocative posts to submit are rankinglists. They're popular with readers, can easily be expanded intosubsequent posts, and are always reliable for stimulating responsesfrom the community. Profiles:Pick an interesting personality in your niche and do a littleresearch on them to present to your readers. Illuminate how they’vereached their position and write about the characteristics andhabits they have that others in your niche might like to develop.Rant:Getpassionate, say what’s on your mind and tell it like it is. Rantsare great for starting discussions and can be fun if done in theright spirit. Just be aware they can also spark a flaming thread. Besensitive to your community but have a little fun in the process. LinkPosts:The‘link post’ is always popular and is simply a matter of findinga quality post on another message board or blog. Link to it with anexplanation of why you’re linking and include a personal commentor a quote from the post. Adding a comments makes these posts moreengaging and useful to your readers. 'Problem'posts:Another popular theme constantly searched in Google is that of theproblem/solution format. If there is a genuine problem relating toyour forum's main topic, bring it to light and begin a discussionabout possible remedies. This is where the power of the communitycan shine as people contribute suggestions, observations andpersonal experiences as they relate to the 'problem' you'veshowcased.Nowthat you've reviewed a few “best practices” for generating freshforum content, it's time for the real fun to begin. Start yourengines and begin writing! Hopefullythis article has provided a future reference for the continuedcreation of engaging content for your message board. Stay tuned forour next installment in this series on building a successful, selfsustaining forum where we'll discuss more tips, tactics andstrategies. Click here for previous articles in our ForumBuildingseries. Thanks for reading!