Developing Forums

[eddy0]

I';ve been having a really hard time getting members to my forum. I've submitted it to many search engines and got some paid posting, but I still can't get any members. Any advice?

 

[Hitch]

Maybe you could link us to your forum.

Then we can check, what you need to add, etc...to attract users. :tu:

 

[nmr86]

yeah, than we could give you advice, no we cant

 

[Brian]

General tips on forums, it has to look active before anyone will register and post. Starting out, you should really be replying to pretty much every thread if your the owner, you should also be starting a lot of the new threads to give people things to talk about.

Thats really all I can offer right now without seeing your site, then I will probably be able to give you specific examples of things you could be doing.

 

[lzy]

Create lots of accounts yourself and 'talk' to yourself. It works. People see all the activity and will be more inclined to start posting. Good luck.

 

[CrazyTech]

Forums are the hardest form of a website to start in the world IMHO.

My advice is this - forums need unique content so you need some sort of "X" factor to draw people in to sign up and post. You absolutely have to be an expert in the topic of your forum and you have to love it enough to be willing to talk about it all the time.

From there, when you start up, try and get some friends to post. The fake account method also helps out because it can allow you to establish yourself as knowledgeable in the topic.

I'll be honest and say paid posting isn't really worth it all the time. These groups tend to fall into a rhythm of posting the same toned and content posts over and over. Places such as NP offer a location where you can use forum currency and reach a wide range of people. I really do recommend going this route because of the wide range of people here that will give you a wider range of posts.

In order to get into the SE's you need content. I've given some methods above to help you out a bit. I have no problem elaborating if you need anything else.

 

[Mike]

It's also in the legwork. Just posting alone isn't going to get you anywhere. it's always a combination of methods. self posting, "hired" posters, are a good start. Then again, the key is to determine WHO the people are that you feel are the right ones for your forum, your target group. Go to where these people are. Talk to them about it, present them with an option to be with their peers, direct them to your board. the legwork is in direct emailing, cross posting on other, likewise minded boards, press release (if your forum presents press releasable content), etc. there are tons of ways to promote, most likely to succeed is the way that utilizes all of them.

 

[smallpc]

One thing I could add is that you also need patience. I have a forum up that's about 8 months old and I worked really hard to get the first 80 or so sign-ups. When my forum reached 80 members, it seemed to be easier to get people to sign up.

 

[0lgi]

It depends what kind of forum are you talking about. I have GoldReferrals.com and it has more than 520 Members within 1 month

Olgi