Advice for a beginner forum owner

[Deleted member 49125]

I figure this may be a good topic to start.
What advice would people give to someone who is just starting out in having their own forum? Are there any tips & tricks that help the process go smoothly?

Some things I have learned is to not be afraid to ask for help. I am not technically inclined & while Proboards is self-explanatory in some ways, I had some issues setting up some Plug-ins.
Another tip, patience. We really have to learn patience in having a forum. Can't just create one & expect it to run itself.
Post exchanges are very useful. I've made some wonderful friends, joined some great forums.
That brings me to my next tip. Keep learning & growing. Don't be complacent. If something doesn't work out, step back & see what can change.

What are your tips?

 

[Nebulous]

I figure this may be a good topic to start.
What advice would people give to someone who is just starting out in having their own forum? Are there any tips & tricks that help the process go smoothly?

Some things I have learned is to not be afraid to ask for help. I am not technically inclined & while Proboards is self-explanatory in some ways, I had some issues setting up some Plug-ins.
Another tip, patience. We really have to learn patience in having a forum. Can't just create one & expect it to run itself.
Post exchanges are very useful. I've made some wonderful friends, joined some great forums.
That brings me to my next tip. Keep learning & growing. Don't be complacent. If something doesn't work out, step back & see what can change.

What are your tips?

Those are all great tips! My main one would be to be patient. Forum growth can be a VERY slow process.

 

[Fait]

Those are all great tips! My main one would be to be patient. Forum growth can be a VERY slow process.

Especially with social media now, it’s still not impossible but definitely harder..

 

[Deleted member 17779]

- Do some posting on your own forum. Don't just expect others to post on there for you. Be willing to invest in your own forum and post on there from time to time.
- I agree with @ZandraJoi about requesting packages. This can help boost activity on your forum. It provides posts for you and your regular members to respond to.
- Social media does help. I've linked my blog up to Twitter and Facebook. I've seen more traffic to my blog since doing so. It wouldn't hurt to try to use social media. It's a way to reach people who might be interested.

 

[Fait]

- Do some posting on your own forum. Don't just expect others to post on there for you. Be willing to invest in your own forum and post on there from time to time.
- I agree with @ZandraJoi about requesting packages. This can help boost activity on your forum. It provides posts for you and your regular members to respond to.
- Social media does help. I've linked my blog up to Twitter and Facebook. I've seen more traffic to my blog since doing so. It wouldn't hurt to try to use social media. It's a way to reach people who might be interested.

I’ve tried social media, They all say wow you’re stuck in the 90s owning that forum then they close the tab 🙁

Especially on Snapchat.

 

[Deleted member 17779]

@Fait Well, it's helped me out in the past. Have you tried targeted a specific audience with your social media? (specifically people who would potentially be interested in your community)

 

[Fait]

@Fait Well, it's helped me out in the past. Have you tried targeted a specific audience with your social media? (specifically people who would potentially be interested in your community)

What platform did you use? 🙂
Twitter isn’t as hateful about it with how Facebook & snap is.

My site is an entertainment forum so I can give that a shot, anyone that loves movies & music!

 

[Jay™]

Don't have too many empty forums, keep them low and populate them progressively and then start adding more or use a posting service like postingbay or boost to get you up and running, going to a site with many empty forums will turn people away.

 

[Shawn Gossman]

My advice is probably going to turn into an article LOL.

#1 - Choose a topic that you're passionate about.
Too many new forum owners create gaming forums when they know very little about gaming. You can take gaming away and insert another "niche topic" there instead. The point it we see a topic that is getting a lot of attention and think that we can perform that well in that topic as well. The problem is that you will run out of ideas quickly if it is something you know very little about. Choose a topic that you know a lot about and that you really enjoy. It is going to be you at first making all of the content on your forum and that will be required for success. An empty forum will result in an empty forum. People need exciting content to be worth joining and posting for. Choose a niche you know nothing about and you work overtime or even triple time. Choose a niche you know a lot about and life will be so much easier.

#2 - Get a real domain on real hosting service.
Don't get a free forum if you want to grow your community. Sure, ProBoards and all of those networks are nice but it is rented space. If they go under for any reason, do your forum. Their terms say this - go ahead and read them. And there is little in the way of upgrading these free hosting services. You are limited to what they decide to provide you. Most of it will cost you money. If you're not making money with your forum, there is no ROI worth investing your money into. Choose a good .com domain that is easy to remember. Don't use hyphens or misspell words unless you're trying to create a brand. Choose a basic shared hosting environment for now but know as your forum grows, you'll need to upgrade your resources. That will cost money so try to create a strategic plan to earn some revenue back - even if the forum just pays for itself.

#3 - Don't be overly competitive.
Forum owners really need to be working together in 2022. The days of being aggressively and overly competitive are long dead and not coming back. Social media has hit us hard and we really need each other nowadays. If a competitor joins your forum, don't be quick to ban and block their content. Try to collaborate, work together, and share traffic and members. You'll earn more trust from your members this way, too. It shows proper leadership. Don't waste money on Facebook and Google ads, buy them from competing forums and just about any forum. Members on another forum are perfect potential members of your forum because they already like forums.

#4 - Each new member is a VIP.
Every time a real member joins (not a post exchange partner), treat them like they're the VIP of the forum. Treat them like they will be your best user and you're shaping them to be just that. Welcome them, send them a message, ask them what more they want to see, and become their friend. Make them feel more welcome than they expected. That is how you develop loyal members who will not only stay active, but they'll likely be the best members you can ask for. Try to do this for all members.

#5 - Be patient.
Forums are not as popular as they were 10-15 years ago. You got to be patient today. You have to be consistent about content creation and activity. You have to give your forum a chance. Don't have huge goals that will be difficult to reach. Start out with smaller goals that are easier to reach and then create more goals. Give them forum a good year before you decide its fate. Don't give up - we have too many quitters in this world.

 

[Nomad]

If yu want to build a forum, get a domain and hosting, and use free forum script like phpbb, smf or mybb. There is no need to pay for premium software like xenforo. If you keep your investment low, you can run your forum for a long time without incurring heavy financial burden.