I can't seem to get anyone to join... nevermind getting somebody active... 🙁
I really don't want to buy a .com domain for it if its not gonna be active.
And I know alot of people hate forumotion, but I don't want to change hosts because I have been using it since 2009, and its easy.
Any tips?
It takes time, you just started yesterday.
Fill up the empty forums or merge them together, no one wants to join a forum with empty section.
Have you tried advertising your site on other related sites?
Buying a dot com domain is a worthwhile investment. It tells your visitor that you are committed for the long haul. You should think about that.
As for registrations, it's still too early to say whether people will join or not. What you have to do is give them lots of good reasons to join. Reasons like plenty of juicy topics to discuss and at least one active poster to discuss them with. By default that one active poster will have to be you. So just keep on posting.
1) Consider a redesign
2) Create content – and lots of it
Your forum probably died a slow death due to a lack of content.
3) Set yourself targets
4) Email current members
5) Continue to market, create content and nurture your community
6) Don't use a free forum host
Time is against you
Not everyone has a lot of time to spend in your community. Parents are busy raising their children. Fishermen are busy fishing. Gamers are busy playing games. They need a reason why they should give up their spare time to contribute to the community.
You need to start meeting people in the same position as yourself that are struggling to get a forum off the ground. Then you need to join forces with them so you can work as a team to make one forum a success. This way you can keep each other company whilst other people join in eventually.
I’ve found that most recent communities I’ve been a part of over the years were founded by people who were popular on another community. It might be best trying to build a network of friends on other places and then build a forum based around that network rather than just establishing a forum like you’ve just done.
If you're not ready to get a domain yet, at least get a temporary .tk or .co.cc domain to make the URL a little more accessible. Also, reduce the number of boards you have. New forums shouldn't have more than 10 boards - it makes the site look real empty.
