The hardest question of all... how do you get new users?

Jim_UK · Post by **Jim_UK** » Thu May 31, 2007 8:21 pm

Getting way off topic - back on topic please.

Jim

MadFly · Post by **MadFly** » Fri Jun 01, 2007 12:27 pm

oops

IoanFilipov · Post by **IoanFilipov** » Fri Jun 01, 2007 7:51 pm

hard-work and purpose.

MadFly · Post by **MadFly** » Fri Jun 01, 2007 9:51 pm

Hard-work i can understand, but the purpose not so well...
would you mind to elaborate on the purpose part for me a bit, or is it just that its better if your forum has a specific purpose or a specific topic... or is general better...?

IoanFilipov · Post by **IoanFilipov** » Fri Jun 01, 2007 10:32 pm

It's not just to have forum. Every forum has to have purpose. All it's individual.

MadFly · Post by **MadFly** » Fri Jun 01, 2007 10:56 pm

IoanFilipov wrote:All it's individual.

???

no you got me curious... pls give more detail...

Post by **battye** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 11:29 am

I think what he means by purpose, is that your forum has to offer something that others don't.

ChrisRLG · Post by **ChrisRLG** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 3:06 pm

Yes - unless YOUR forum offers something different to others - why should people join yours where an extablished forum is already doing the same thing.

I had the same problem when I started my own first forum - I found something that the other similar forums ware not doing - and filled that void.

When you fill a void (a need in your community) you will gain members, and you can expand on that.

Jim_UK · Post by **Jim_UK** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 3:22 pm

An example of difference would be my sons Model ship board.
There were already several model ship sites out there that either dealt with:-
Wooden model ships (on a stand type)
or
Radio control
or
Plastic models
or
Card modelling

He has a site that encompasses all the different types of nautical modelling and the associated skills and materials for he could see that there was a cross over between these different types. He has added a portal, gallery and has a tutorials section with several members devoting a lot of their time to producing work to help others. There is even a flash tutorial on using a cad programme to produce working drawings. Latest development is a Model shipwrights database.
The site was even reviewed in one of the popular Model Ship magazines

You get the idea? This site is different - it has a lot going on and is not stagnant.
As an Admin on the site (just for technical support) I get an email every time a new user registers (mod of course) and I know that he has a steady stream of new users every day.

If you want your site to be a success it requires a lot of work to be put into it.
It has to be different.
It has to be dynamic (plenty of changes)
It has to fulfil a need that others may not do.

Jim

Avaya · Post by **Avaya** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 3:30 am

MadFly wrote:Hard-work i can understand, but the purpose not so well...
would you mind to elaborate on the purpose part for me a bit, or is it just that its better if your forum has a specific purpose or a specific topic... or is general better...?

To my mind, purpose is having a site that has a specific direction. If you're dedicating a site to car repairs, then focus on repairs. If you're dedicating a site to TV programs, then focus on that. Don't just open up a site that is a catchall for everything. With a dedicated purpose, you'll attract users. Now I just need that to start happening for me

Jim_UK · Post by **Jim_UK** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 9:53 am

Avaya wrote: To my mind, purpose is having a site that has a specific direction. If you're dedicating a site to car repairs, then focus on repairs. If you're dedicating a site to TV programs, then focus on that. Don't just open up a site that is a catchall for everything. With a dedicated purpose, you'll attract users. Now I just need that to start happening for me

Agreed - back in the days when we had a forum where folks could ask what other users thought of their site I saw many instances of such a mishmash of different forums on the same site. Irrespective of the appearance of the site to have one that has everything from computer games to music to how the local football team is performing is not going anywhere.

Jim

eukben · Post by **eukben** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 6:23 pm

Thousands of new forums are set-up every day but many people unfortunately give up on them after a short few weeks. Getting your forums recognized in search engines is a good way of getting your forum noticed, SEO strategies do help. Adding your forums to directories and advertising your forum where-ever possible is a bonus. You could also consider PPC (Pay Per Click) advertising, however not all the time PPC advertising is beneficial.

Griffin012cgh · Post by **Griffin012cgh** » Thu Jun 14, 2007 3:50 am

thanks

gilb29 · Post by **gilb29** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 4:28 pm

some excellent posts on here my head is spinning now

. i have started a gamming review site just for xbox 360 what has taken a few weeks to build due to so much content. i have the forum with plenty of content. obviously the posts are 0 .but if i add some content in there do you think it will still attract people if add plenty of posts?. if that makes sense. when people look all they will se is me posted 100s of posts.

stevemagruder · Post by **stevemagruder** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 7:15 pm

I started a local history and issues forum in November. Outside of the admin (me), my co-founder, and two fake accounts, it currently has 43 bona fide members. There are occasional bursts of activity, but it is never sustained. Outside of the forums of our local corporate newspaper, there is no obvious competition for this kind of discussion in my city. I try to periodically kick up the dust with issues to discuss, but that is a hit-or-miss that misses a good majority of the time. My board has been linked to from various other blogs and sites, and was even mentioned in a local historical society newsletter a couple months back -- but none of this seems to driving much traffic. I also post in a local foodies discussion board, and while this has brought in a few members, they also haven't contributed yet. I've also posted some things up at coffee shops, cross-advertised with a local author (who happens to be the co-founder), continuously advertised in Craigslist, and occasionally linked back to my board from a very popular regional politics blog. But those approaches are apparently not helping much either.

One possible problem is that one person at one moment brought up the thought that the board has too many forums. Could this by itself be something that intimidates or drives away users? Is there a magic number of forums that should never be crossed?

Also, are there any specific approaches I can look into for stoking interest in a local issues board?

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