So I recently (and kind of unexpectedly) came into owning a license for a paid forum and blog software. I've had a number of ideas floating in my head for sites I could make over the past months, but never really did them due to lack of resources, a little bit of time, etc. Now, however, owning these licenses has pushed me to decide I should do something with them.
An idea I've had for awhile - and I have no idea how well it will work out, but I think it could have a little promise - a forum based on the area where I live focused on local businesses (kind of like a directory), activities, events, etc. Some hard spots I can see about going this route is that using any type of promotional forum services on it would likely not be very effective. Advertising might be a little more easy though, as I can focus it on this area, plus, it could spread via word of mouth easier. Also, not a key focus of when I first start out, but something I would need down the line to support it, is that monetizing it would probably be easier, as local businesses would be getting the attention of local people. There are a few sites serving this niche, but they are mostly only blogs and focus on restaurants in the area.
Some other ideas I have had include education based forums (I am a teacher, so this field is a passion of mine), however, there are already a couple specialized organizations that offer forums, so it might be difficult to get into.
I also love amusement parks and currently work during the summers at one, so I have considered a forum about amusement parks. I have a few industry friends from around the country as well who I might be able to get to help me if I went this route. The downside is that while amusement parks are quite popular, the crowd of enthusiasts which are the people who mostly contribute to these forums, is quite a bit more limited and I know of several large forums which already serve this area.
Some other interests I have include cars, boats, video games (especially first person shooters and simulation games) and science (connected w/ the teacher part as I'm a science teacher).
So, yeah. Pretty expansive list and I'm just not sure which direction I want to go... So I thought I would get some other people's opinions!
An idea I've had for awhile - and I have no idea how well it will work out, but I think it could have a little promise - a forum based on the area where I live focused on local businesses (kind of like a directory), activities, events, etc. Some hard spots I can see about going this route is that using any type of promotional forum services on it would likely not be very effective. Advertising might be a little more easy though, as I can focus it on this area, plus, it could spread via word of mouth easier. Also, not a key focus of when I first start out, but something I would need down the line to support it, is that monetizing it would probably be easier, as local businesses would be getting the attention of local people. There are a few sites serving this niche, but they are mostly only blogs and focus on restaurants in the area.
Some other ideas I have had include education based forums (I am a teacher, so this field is a passion of mine), however, there are already a couple specialized organizations that offer forums, so it might be difficult to get into.
I also love amusement parks and currently work during the summers at one, so I have considered a forum about amusement parks. I have a few industry friends from around the country as well who I might be able to get to help me if I went this route. The downside is that while amusement parks are quite popular, the crowd of enthusiasts which are the people who mostly contribute to these forums, is quite a bit more limited and I know of several large forums which already serve this area.
Some other interests I have include cars, boats, video games (especially first person shooters and simulation games) and science (connected w/ the teacher part as I'm a science teacher).
So, yeah. Pretty expansive list and I'm just not sure which direction I want to go... So I thought I would get some other people's opinions!
