How to keep Forum Members

[MXrider13]

How do you keep forum members? I can't get anyone to stay on my forum. I have over 2000 posts but 90% of them are just from here using the FP and forum exchanges.
How do you keep members? I have tired hosting contests, I am constantly starting new threads, but I can't get any members to actually stay on my forum.
Here take a look my forum:
http://www.lanoireforum.com/

I got a review done recently and they said its because my forum theme is too dark and I have a bad layout. (which I don't think so, the layout is still the same)

How do i keep members?

 

[Fergal]

Personally I very rarely ever participate on forums that only have a dark theme - simply because I find them difficult to read. I'm sure I'm not the only person that has this view, so by having a dark theme only you are alienating some potential members.

Have you spent some time thinking about what kind of people would join your forum, what they are looking for and how they would benefit from participating there?

 

[Mr.Hazey]

I personally now only target people/sites that I know will attract members who will be interested in the subject of my forum. I found out when running TH that using packages and exchanges are only good for short term solutions, in terms of activity and stats wise. You need to look at what your target audience is and devise a plan of action on how to attract them to your site. Look at sites in your genre and see what they are doing better then you and look to implement chancgs and once you start getting REAL members then keep your forum fresh with plenty of new topics. also theses days successful forums are much more then a bulletin board so look at adding other features to entice new members in.

I see site admins that open a forum and think job done and then rely on exchanges and packages to keep their forum alive and then moan and groan when they realise that it is one thing to open a forum and another to keep it going well.

 

[MXrider13]

Personally I very rarely ever participate on forums that only have a dark theme - simply because I find them difficult to read. I'm sure I'm not the only person that has this view, so by having a dark theme only you are alienating some potential members.

Have you spent some time thinking about what kind of people would join your forum, what they are looking for and how they would benefit from participating there?

Well the reason its dark is its the colors of the game, also I have on other video game forums but most don't allow you to sent links even in PMs which makes it harder to get my sites name out.<br /><br />-- 10 May 2011, 11:28 --<br /><br />

I personally now only target people/sites that I know will attract members who will be interested in the subject of my forum. I found out when running TH that using packages and exchanges are only good for short term solutions, in terms of activity and stats wise. You need to look at what your target audience is and devise a plan of action on how to attract them to your site. Look at sites in your genre and see what they are doing better then you and look to implement chancgs and once you start getting REAL members then keep your forum fresh with plenty of new topics. also theses days successful forums are much more then a bulletin board so look at adding other features to entice new members in.

I see site admins that open a forum and think job done and then rely on exchanges and packages to keep their forum alive and then moan and groan when they realise that it is one thing to open a forum and another to keep it going well.

Do you know a way to reach a target audience? My is video games the only problem is 90% of video game forums don't allow sig links or allow links sent in PMs, so it makes it harder to get my forum out. I have been banned from IGN, 360 forums, GTA forums, PS3 forums, PSN forums, call of duty forums, etc all for trying to promote through PMs.

 

[Mr.Hazey]

I have been banned from IGN, 360 forums, GTA forums, PS3 forums, PSN forums, call of duty forums, etc all for trying to promote through PMs.

This will have caused you to get bad rep, the worse thing for a forum admin to get is bad rep. You should always follow other sites rules, like me and my co-owner we contacted owners of like minded forums and did link ups and that is how we have gotten members by doing it the right away.

 

[MXrider13]

I have been banned from IGN, 360 forums, GTA forums, PS3 forums, PSN forums, call of duty forums, etc all for trying to promote through PMs.

This will have caused you to get bad rep, the worse thing for a forum admin to get is bad rep. You should always follow other sites rules, like me and my co-owner we contacted owners of like minded forums and did link ups and that is how we have gotten members by doing it the right away.

I've tired do link ups with other video game forums but it seems none of them are interested, in doing link ups.

 

[Mr.Hazey]

What else you tried?

 

[MXrider13]

What else you tried?

I've tired asking to do affiliates and link exchanges with other Rockstar and Video game forums, I've tired promoting through PMs on other forums, I have done SEO and I have the 2nd keyword rank on google, bing and yahoo! but people only seem to be going to the first site. A while ago I tired adwords but it didn't help much. The only problem with the video game forum world compared to other niche forums the Video Game forums are usually very competitive with each other, and don't like help each other even when 2 forums are 2 different games. Which makes it a bit tougher, to promote.

 

[Acorn]

I have been banned from IGN, 360 forums, GTA forums, PS3 forums, PSN forums, call of duty forums, etc all for trying to promote through PMs.

I don't ban actual participating members from my site if they advertise by PM, I do blacklist the site's link and warn the person that it isn't allowed, because it isn't. If they're a starting member who hasn't actually participated at all on the site, and I get reports that they are sending multiple spam PMs, I do ban. Nobody likes getting junk mail, my members rightfully complain when they get any. My policies are pretty similar to that of other sites--maybe even a little lax.

Any time you want to advertise your site you need to go within that other site's rules. It's like you're a guest in their home. They've provided that forum for you to enjoy so it is important not to abuse it.

If you're having problems establishing a general video game forum, it's best to further specialise--maybe centre on just ONE game. My ebook has a chapter on this tactic. You start out with a very specialised niche and over time, once you have grown more successful you can begin to expand.

 

[MXrider13]

I have been banned from IGN, 360 forums, GTA forums, PS3 forums, PSN forums, call of duty forums, etc all for trying to promote through PMs.

I don't ban actual participating members from my site if they advertise by PM, I do blacklist the site's link and warn the person that it isn't allowed, because it isn't. If they're a starting member who hasn't actually participated at all on the site, and I get reports that they are sending multiple spam PMs, I do ban. Nobody likes getting junk mail, my members rightfully complain when they get any. My policies are pretty similar to that of other sites--maybe even a little lax.

Any time you want to advertise your site you need to go within that other site's rules. It's like you're a guest in their home. They've provided that forum for you to enjoy so it is important not to abuse it.

If you're having problems establishing a general video game forum, it's best to further specialise--maybe centre on just ONE game. My ebook has a chapter on this tactic. You start out with a very specialised niche and over time, once you have grown more successful you can begin to expand.

MY FORUM IS ABOUT ONE GAME! IT IS ONE SPECIALIZED NICHE, MAYBE YOU SHOULD ACTUALLY CLICK ON THE LINK FIRST AND LOOK AT THE FORUM BEFORE POSTING? Yes my forum is one fro one game called LA Noire IT IS ONE SPECIAL NICHE so thats not the problem. Lets see content my forums content is updated daily so thats not a problem either, its posted on daily, it has a Domain name, it has paid hosting, its 2nd in google keyword ranks. So I can't figure it out.

Also the forums I got banned from a few of them like IGN and Gamespy I had been a member for over 3 years and had several Hundred posts on each.

 

[dan213]

One thing you need to keep in mind as well is that there are so many gaming forums out there. Whether your site is based on just one game or a multitude, you always have competition.

I know the forum you have, I used to run it and I created it but I no longer had an interest once I heard the game wasn't going to have online play. I also think the forum may pickup once the game is out and has it's grasp on the fan base. The longer the game is out and the more people that pick it up, the more people will be looking for a site to join or atleast visit.

Now is the time for you to stay on your "A" game and keep things rolling. As soon as the game hits the shelf, I would be surprised if you didn't see some type of increase even if it's just in hits and uniques alone.

A few things to consider:

1) What is your competition doing that you aren't? How can you be unique from the site that is receiving hits and steady traffic? Just during the time that I was writing this reply, I came up with 2-3 ideas.
2) Get the game, play the game, come up with new discussions or write guides and "how tos". Maybe consider doing YouTube videos or something of that sort?
3) I have well over 7 years of experience with gaming sites, I would have to agree with you when you said many gaming sites don't cooperate with other gaming sites. Something to consider all in itself, you are always being watched and the gaming crowd can sometimes be the most relentless and cut throat ones to deal with.

As others have already said, don't go against other site rules when it comes to advertising. You need to keep your reputation up and that alone will get you noticed.

I remember one member I received when I ran that forum and the guy was pretty nice, I think his name was RockStar Spy. You may want to follow up with him and see if his site is still active. I remember doing some type of exchange with him and we talked about going further so see what he's up to.

Good luck!

 

[Acorn]

I am in shock at how I was treated on this thread for trying to help someone. This person also sent me a nasty PM.

 

[MXrider13]

One thing you need to keep in mind as well is that there are so many gaming forums out there. Whether your site is based on just one game or a multitude, you always have competition.

I know the forum you have, I used to run it and I created it but I no longer had an interest once I heard the game wasn't going to have online play. I also think the forum may pickup once the game is out and has it's grasp on the fan base. The longer the game is out and the more people that pick it up, the more people will be looking for a site to join or atleast visit.

Now is the time for you to stay on your "A" game and keep things rolling. As soon as the game hits the shelf, I would be surprised if you didn't see some type of increase even if it's just in hits and uniques alone.

A few things to consider:

1) What is your competition doing that you aren't? How can you be unique from the site that is receiving hits and steady traffic? Just during the time that I was writing this reply, I came up with 2-3 ideas.
2) Get the game, play the game, come up with new discussions or write guides and "how tos". Maybe consider doing YouTube videos or something of that sort?
3) I have well over 7 years of experience with gaming sites, I would have to agree with you when you said many gaming sites don't cooperate with other gaming sites. Something to consider all in itself, you are always being watched and the gaming crowd can sometimes be the most relentless and cut throat ones to deal with.

As others have already said, don't go against other site rules when it comes to advertising. You need to keep your reputation up and that alone will get you noticed.

I remember one member I received when I ran that forum and the guy was pretty nice, I think his name was RockStar Spy. You may want to follow up with him and see if his site is still active. I remember doing some type of exchange with him and we talked about going further so see what he's up to.

Good luck!

Well your right about the Hits and UN Visits they Trippled! Just the members haven't, I now have over 400,000 Hits so far this month so people are searching they are just not joining and I will look up rockstar spy

 

[Fergal]

MXrider13 thanks for posting questions regarding your forum here on FP. When you reply with terse statements using All Caps you don't exactly encourage people to help you. When someone who owns a forum significantly larger than yours takes the time to give you some suggestions, you should at least be polite. You don't have to agree with other members, but you will benefit more from Forum Promotion if you show respect to your fellow members.

 

[MXrider13]

MXrider13 thanks for posting questions regarding your forum here on FP. When you reply with terse statements using All Caps you don't exactly encourage people to help you. When someone who owns a forum significantly larger than yours takes the time to give you some suggestions, you should at least be polite. You don't have to agree with other members, but you will benefit more from Forum Promotion if you show respect to your fellow members.

What did I say that wasn't polite and not respectful? I just happen to disagree and I was annoyed that, that person didn't take the time to read my thread or even look at my forum first.

 

[Fergal]

I was largely referring to this "MY FORUM IS ABOUT ONE GAME! IT IS ONE SPECIALIZED NICHE, MAYBE YOU SHOULD ACTUALLY CLICK ON THE LINK FIRST AND LOOK AT THE FORUM BEFORE POSTING? "

 

[Acorn]

I'm still getting nasty PMs too.

I actually had more I wanted to say to help this member but I'm not going to on this thread, at least until I get an apology first. My apologies that I don't usually get time to swing by this place till the wee hours of night and so I'm often pretty tired, and yes I missed a couple things on your post. But I was only ever trying to help you. I don't understand the aggression for trying to help someone.

 

[MissTake]

Topic locked until this is resolved.

This is being dealt with 😉