I think forum post exchange is a good way to get some posts in your empty or new forum. I have tried forum post exchange when my forum was totally new. But it didn't help me much. Because you will need to pay much time for this. Beside if your active member will know that you are using forum post exchange for getting posts, then they will not get much interest in your forum. May be my thoughts are wrong but I think this. I will like to hear from you about forum post exchange. I want to know if it help you to get much posts on your forum. I hope you guys will share your opinions and experience.
I think ongoing exchanges work whereas you and another forum owner agree to contine visiting and exchanging membership on one and other forums. As far as exchanges working, if you can find the right people to do it, it can work very well. You need to find something who is just as serious as you are though so that you are not getting a bunch of generic posts from them. I'd recommend laying out the ground rules right off the bat and explaining to people what kind of content you are looking for. This way, if they find it too much, you can axe them from the beginning rather than be disappointed later. My few cents, at least. 🙂
I think it works as it shows that your community has traffic whether it be short term or long term. No one wants to visit a discussion board that has very few threads/posts, or lack of members. By having even a boost in this it can draw people in to register and actually post on yours.
You can't really just say that post exchanges "work" or don't work. If you spend a hundred dollars on your forum, but you do it unwisely, your forum probably won't be successful. It works the same way with exchanges. If you do active-active exchanges, space your exchanges out, and do the exchanges with people who will post quality posts, it will help your forum immensely more than if you just do a few exchanges. In addition to that, exchanges won't make a successful forum by themselves. You have to post on your forum yourself, promote your forum, and hire staff members to help you.
