How,build,big,forum,Forum,buil DIY How to build a big forum - Forum building secrets of the pro
When starting a new work at home business it is very easy to become consumed by it. We spend so much time trying to get the business up and running that we may end up becoming burned out and lose our motivation. There is so much to learn and Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;mso-style-noshow:yes;mso-style-parent:"";mso-padding-alt:0in
Whilemany of the observations presented here may appear to be commonsense, they're often not put into practice by even the mostexperienced forum operators. Whatever your motivations for creatingan online discussion forum, keep in mind that building andmaintaining a base of engaged members is the key to a healthy,lasting forum community. For most successful forum owners, theformula to achieve that goal boils down to two simple practices;regular engagement and the consistent application of sound managementprinciples.Likethe old saying suggests, A good beginning makes a good ending.With that said, let's review some basic suggestions for setting upyour new discussion board;First,and foremost, choose your software and hosting solution carefully.Setup simplicity, cost, technical support, reliability, ease ofmaintenance, and a top qualityfeature set should be your biggest concerns. Selecting theright platform is crucial to having an enjoyable forum experienceand building a stable foundation for your community. Next,pick a unique name and URL for your discussion board andconsistently work on branding it. Be sure to choose a name thatreflects the theme and personality of your forum.Makeyour forum visually attractive. Newcomers will always be morewilling to investigate and engage with your community if the visualsare appealing. Choose a good theme and make sure your forum is easyto read with a complimentary color scheme. Remember, you only getone chance to make a first impression. Resistthe urge to create a lot of topic categories until they're necessaryor members request them. When visitors see a discussion board with ahuge list of categories it can be daunting and discourage them fromparticipating. Also, too many categories can dilute thread and postcounts, making the the forum seem less active. Besure to include a general chat or off-topic category within yourboard. While the focus of your forum might be about collectingteapots or your favorite sports team, community members should beable to talk with each other about pretty much whatever they want.Don'tdemand registration until you have a solid and growing member base.Also, always make sure your topics are viewable by guests. Mostpeople will leave right away if they can't review the topics yourmembers are currently talking about.Now,once you've set up your new discussion board and have opened thedoors for business, there are a few other suggestions you may want toconsider with regard to content and conduct;Whendeciding on the main topic ofyour forum, try to promote a unique perspective. Otherwise, if thereare huge numbers of sites already talking about the same thing,attracting visitors and future members could be a challenge. Generatingsome interesting content should be the first order of the day. Besure to invite friends and acquaintances to drop in and post.Also,if you own other content rich sites with a similar theme like ablog, website, Facebook page or Twitter account, consider re-postinginteresting snippets from those sources. Forwardsite traffic. Use your existing website traffic to drive engagementto your forum. Traffic from your other website(s), blog or socialmedia channels could prove to be valuable sources of new forummembers. Respondto member posts as often as you can. Acknowledging contributionsfrom new and existing members is always appreciated and really helpsto build loyalty and engagement. Bevisible to your community. Even if you're not the most knowledgeableperson in your forum, interact with members and post often. Also,private message (PM) and/or email members quickly when they have aquestion or issue that you can help with. Befriendly. Asthe site administrator, you set the tone. Whenever possible, try toshow your community warmth, friendliness and a genuine aura ofcaring. Maintaining an inviting environment is crucial to thesuccess of your forum.Nowthat you've deployed all the recommended best practices forsetting up and launching your new forum, it's time for the real funto begin. Invite friends and acquaintances to come by your forum andbegin the conversation. As your discussion board'smembership and content grows, so will your enjoyment. Stay tuned forour next installment inthis series on building a successful, self sustaining forum wherewe'll discuss more advanced tips, tactics and strategies.
How,build,big,forum,Forum,buil