I just joined up and am planning to launch a dating/singles forum soon (non-adult). I am looking to form my initial promotion strategy and note that Forum Posting packages options are discussed here...
Isn't paying for forum posts a fake way to move ahead? Wouldn't a genuine member realise that, initially, a forum is dominated by 'fake' posts and thus move away?
Apart from paid posts, what would be the best initial strategy to obtain the initial batch of Genuine members?
Thanks.
-- 01 Jun 2014, 01:51 --
Also, once a paid posting package has been done, how would this follow up in bringing in genuine traffic and kick-starting the forum?<br /><br />-- 01 Jun 2014, 13:10 --<br /><br />so no one has any feedback on fake posts?
Your forum requires promotion in various other high traffic forums. You can buy some banner advertising from popular forums and also hire some people to post on your forums. Moreover you can promote your forum in social networks for getting visitors.
Isn't paying for forum posts a fake way to move ahead? Wouldn't a genuine member realise that, initially, a forum is dominated by 'fake' posts and thus move away?
Technically they're not fake posts. I disagree with this theory. Because they are real members posting on your forum. Yes, they are being paid, but that doesn't mean they are not genuine posts. Posts would only consider to be fake if you (or someone else) creates a duplicate account and makes posts/threads (for those who are desperate 😛)
Posting packages are widely used and a popular method in giving your forum an activity boost. So, I don't get how that can drive people away.
Also, once a paid posting package has been done, how would this follow up in bringing in genuine traffic and kick-starting the forum?
If you rely solely upon paid posting, it will be obvious. However, if you use paid posting for what it's meant to be - a small boost of new content provided by usually someone who's not usually active - than it won't be as obvious and can be helpful.
The issue with paid posting is that the interest behind the forum they join is fake because they are only there because they are paid to be there and post. They may or may not have a genuine interest in the subject but they most certainly do not have any genuine interest in the forum they are on because if they did then they would stay even if the post package or exchange is completed.
I think the problem these days is people are so used to the promises a site makes to someone who joins that they base the choice of what forum they join and post based on what the site promises even if they never follow through which leads to people taking all sorts of desperate measures to get people posting.
The only way to kick start a forum is to show a genuine interest in the subject matter and show this to people who also genuine want to be apart of such a forum without letting the desires of owning a large forum from discouraging you from pressing on when things get difficult which they will at some point. Most really only care about the size of the board they make and the glory they desire to get from it and not the subject matter which is why so many sites fail to ever truly get kick started into life because they simply didn't really care about the subject matter and just wanted a large forum to gain glory from based on what they saw in those who had such a forum without seeing the other half of it.
I don't recall any post package encouraging or discouraging me from joining any forum so I can't hold any belief that they do anything good or bad for you but the end result of a post package or exchange is usually in that person leaving eventually and that doesn't help anything.
I always assumed the idea was that it would superficially make the forum look active, making individuals more likely to join, and therefore, it'd eventually become genuinely active.
I believe the more posts and members you have on your site, the more willing people are to stay. They see activity, which is why people post on forums. So I think posting packages are great.
