Defining a successful forum

[Watch Me Sink]

I stole this topic from the SMF community boards.
What would you define a successful forum as?
I would say when you can stop promoting it, and people will still join.

 

[spyka]

It's successful when it meets the admins specification for a forum.

If the admin only wanted a small forum with 100 members and a few posts a day, and he has that, then that doesn't make his forum any less successful than one with hundreds of posts a day. Infact if the admin of the forum with 100 posts a day wanted his forum to have 1000 posts a day then the small forum is infact far more successful.

Then again some admins may not care about posts, forums, promotion etc and just want a 'nice' forum.

 

[Callum93]

I think a successful forum is one that is active and the admin doesn't have to work really hard on.

 

[Bahamut2000X]

I think it depends. For me a forum is successful when it has a fair amount of active posters and sees activity every day.

 

[Sagensyg]

I definitely agree with what Spyka said. But I can't talk from experience here because I don't, and don't want to, own a forum. At least not yet.

 

[tagalong]

It's successful when it meets the goals of the owner.

 

[XcapeX]

It's successful when it meets the admins specification for a forum.

If the admin only wanted a small forum with 100 members and a few posts a day, and he has that, then that doesn't make his forum any less successful than one with hundreds of posts a day. Infact if the admin of the forum with 100 posts a day wanted his forum to have 1000 posts a day then the small forum is infact far more successful.

Then again some admins may not care about posts, forums, promotion etc and just want a 'nice' forum.

I agree big time!!

 

[Zyenet]

When it gets over 200 posts per day. ~cheesey_grin~

 

[Murder he Wrote]

The way i see it, a successful forum is one which:

- Looks unique (has a custom made style)
- Always has at least 5 or 6 loyal members online (at one time) around the clock
- Constant flow of new members without promotion
- Only 1 or 2 moderators needed.

Buy as spyka said, it comes down to matter of the Admin's opinion ~smile~

 

[Watch Me Sink]

Stop describing FP! -lol-

 

[Pixma]

Yes, very nice.

 

[Ziveeman]

Two things: community and consistency.

If a forum manages to get 100 posts a day, it's better than a forum that jumps from 1000 posts one day to 50 posts the next. You're ensured activity with consistency. May not be the best activity, but you know it'll survive if you go on vacation for a week 😛

 

[JedoChristo]

I think a successful forum is one that is active and the admin doesn't have to work really hard on.

More a forum is active is allot more work for the admins as he has to work to keep them on the forum.

 

[Pixma]

Ya.

 

[Nebulous]

When can you stop promoting it? Id say never. Lol
As long as there is people at the forum replying to posts everday or every few days I would say its successful.

 

[BeautifulAngel]

I love reading what others definition on a successful forum is.

For me a successful forum is a forum where there is a positive and up-beat atmosphere on a forum. I also define a successful forum as being a forum where there are great quality threads and posts and not so many "fillers" as I call them. (Fillers are posts or threads that are created just cause. Either they want to up their post count, the post count on the forum, to win a competition, or to just be heard.) A successful forum also has new posts daily and have actual conversations in the threads rather than people just reading the first post and replying and are also replying to posts in a thread they have created.

To me a successful forum isn't about the quantity of posts, threads, staff members, members it's about the quality. You can have 20,000 posts but if they are less than 80% of quality threads/posts and aren't relevant to what your forum is about then to me it doesn't fall under the successful category.

Successful forums are also around for years and is very well known. (Doesn't have to be widely known, just well known and have a good reputation).