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How can get members to my new forum?

How can i grow my new forum?

     

Barcode

3:54 am on Aug 23, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



Hi Everyone,
I'm a newbie and this is my first post. About 2 months ago I have started a new parenting forum. I have only 25 members and desperately thinking of how I can get new members to join. There are currently 200 posts but with only 25 members i dont know if they will stick around.

I have emailed people that I know that have kids and advertised in the search engines, and apart from leaving brochurs at the child health nurse's office and places like that I really don't know what to do.

If anyone can give me any ideas it would be most appreciated. Also, I would love to hear from other people who run a successful forum to get some inspiration and tips from.

Thanks in advance, hope someone will reply to this.

Many thanks.

Barcode

6:16 am on Aug 23, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



PS also i was wondering if anyone knows where i can find some content for Forum Rules that i can use? Thanks. :)

kodaks

1:37 pm on Aug 23, 2004 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



Greetings, Barcode!

Google "forum rules" for ideas.

Here is a post that may help you:
[webmasterworld.com...]

rogerd

7:29 pm on Aug 23, 2004 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Administrator rogerd is a WebmasterWorld Top Contributor of All Time 10+ Year Member



There have been some good discussions of how to jump-start new forums, as well as how to draw lurkers into posting. A good starting point is the Community Building Library [webmasterworld.com].

Stujoe

10:36 pm on Aug 23, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



I am active in other forums related to my niche (both usenet and other web based forums) and I am sure that has helped draw people in as they take a look at what my site has to offer.

Barcode

6:34 am on Aug 24, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



Thanks guys, I'll have another read of that. I didnt realise how hard it would be to get members. How many members do you think i need to have before I can spend less time on it? At the moment i am spending hours researching and trying hard to make it better but not getting much activity.

I dont like the idea of creating more user accounts because I dont think i'd feel comfortable chatting to my mates and not telling them it's me!

I'd prefer not to get members from other message boards because if they are willing to switch from one forum to another then they won't be loyal.

I guess some forums are huge because their site gets lots of hits as it is, but mine is just a forum. Perhaps I need to put some content together and it would help out with search engine rankings and will give users something else to read. Just thinking out loud!

rogerd

10:42 am on Aug 24, 2004 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Administrator rogerd is a WebmasterWorld Top Contributor of All Time 10+ Year Member



>>How many members do you think i need to have before I can spend less time on it?<<

Unfortunately, it probably won't work that way. You may spend less time promoting or writing content and posting, but you'll spend more time moderating, dealing with technical issues, etc.

I've taken one forum where I enjoyed posting from scratch to very busy, and I miss having the time to write thoughtful posts.

Stujoe

12:08 pm on Aug 24, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



I'd prefer not to get members from other message boards because if they are willing to switch from one forum to another then they won't be loyal.

I view loyalty as something I worry about after they get to my site and see what my forum has to offer. If I provide enough things to keep them there, they will stay or at least visit and participate regularly.

As a new forum, I was much more concerned with getting people there and getting some initial participation out of them. Even if they don't stay forever, and not everyone will, if you get them to post for a while, they can help you reach a critical mass of posts and posters that get you out of the ghost town category. Nothing encourages posting more than other people posting. ;)

I guess some forums are huge because their site gets lots of hits as it is, but mine is just a forum. Perhaps I need to put some content together and it would help out with search engine rankings and will give users something else to read. Just thinking out loud!

That is a good idea. Providing more than just a place to post messages will help to get people to come back (loyalty) and get you users from search engines.

rogerd

2:30 pm on Aug 25, 2004 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Administrator rogerd is a WebmasterWorld Top Contributor of All Time 10+ Year Member



>>I dont think i'd feel comfortable chatting to my mates and not telling them it's me!<<

In less personal forum environments this may be more natural. Assuming multiple identities is still a last resort, IMO.

>>if they are willing to switch from one forum to another then they won't be loyal<<

This may not be a good assumption - if you provide a better environment that gives people a reason to stay, you shouldn't fear their departure. I'd guess most of the mods, senior members, and other frequent participants here were once regulars at other forums (or may still be in some cases).

>>I guess some forums are huge because their site gets lots of hits as it is, but mine is just a forum.<<

If your forum is successful, you'll find that the traffic and pageviews on forum pages will dwarf the activity in your static content - the tail will be wagging not just the dog, but the whole kennel. Having other, non-forum content is probably most useful in the early days of your forum; it's also useful if you hope to convert forum readers into some other activity (e.g., buying a product).

 

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