New forum, how to get started ?

GreyWyvern <spam RemoveThis @greywyvern.com> wrote in
news:opr8kppovnsl6xfd@news.nas.net:

 > On Tue, 25 May 2004 20:52:10 GMT, MeNotHome
 > <dtfa@****nospm****insightbb.com> wrote:
 >
  >> I have recenlty added a Forum to my website.
  >> How do I get the initial posts started?
  >>
  >> I know forums start off slow and gradually build on themselves.
  >> Is there anything I can do to help it along, in the beginning?
  >>
  >> Thanks for any advice
 >
 > Check it. Daily.
 >
 > One of the biggest killers of forums is the feeling that no one else is
 > reading/posting-to it.

And don't forget there's nothing wrong with writing teaser topics yourself,
to get things going, as well as letting people know what kind of content is
desireable/acceptable in your forums.


--
Marc Bissonnette
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Looking for a new ISP? <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.canadianisp.com" target="_blank">http://www.canadianisp.com</a><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: New forum, how to get started ? 

In article <Xns94F4AD48049F2dragnetinternalysisc DeleteThis @207.35.177.135>,
Marc Bissonnette <dragnet DeleteThis @internalysis.com> wrote:

 > And don't forget there's nothing wrong with writing teaser topics yourself,
 > to get things going, as well as letting people know what kind of content is
 > desireable/acceptable in your forums.

Or (in the beginning) becoming several users in your forum and holding
"conversations" between them.

I'm serious, too.

Hey, even a good flame war or two...(now I AM joking).

Audry

--
tawdry glamour who is at smile global dot com<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: New forum, how to get started ? 

On Tue, 25 May 2004 20:52:10 GMT, MeNotHome
<dtfa@****nospm****insightbb.com> wrote:

 >I have recenlty added a Forum to my website.
 >How do I get the initial posts started?
 >
 >I know forums start off slow and gradually build on themselves.
 >Is there anything I can do to help it along, in the beginning?
 >
 >Thanks for any advice

mhhh

I'm facing the same problem...

Yes, they do start slowly, unless you are a big and famous web site...
In that case among many visitors you have more chances to get it
started...

And a forum full of posts is more attractive already...

A couple of things i'm trying to do is to link it everywhere after a
review, a tutorial...
Just putting the main forum link didn't work...

People want to click in the context... so let them find the forum link
where appropriate...

Another thing i'm going to do is to write a post in the forum and put
the first 40 words of the post in the home page with a link to the
rest of it on the forum...

Any other advice welcome

--
I'm going home
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.pigmalion.info/" target="_blank">http://www.pigmalion.info/</a><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: New forum, how to get started ? 

MeNotHome wrote:
 > I have recenlty added a Forum to my website.
 > How do I get the initial posts started?
 >
 > I know forums start off slow and gradually build on themselves.
 > Is there anything I can do to help it along, in the beginning?
 >
 > Thanks for any advice

I found this site when I was looking for ways to advertise my forum. I have
no affiliation with them except that they have listed my forum on their
site...

<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.forumfinders.com/" target="_blank">http://www.forumfinders.com/</a>

--
Viper
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.zurax.com" target="_blank">http://www.zurax.com</a> - PPC Search Engine (We triple all deposits!)
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.jwshosting.com" target="_blank">http://www.jwshosting.com</a> - Web Hosting
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.banneralley.com" target="_blank">http://www.banneralley.com</a> - Banner exchange<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: New forum, how to get started ? 

"MeNotHome" <dtfa@****nospm****insightbb.com> wrote in message
news:ulc7b018bfgrfklah4dege9vkki9ie10sh@4ax.com...
 > I have recenlty added a Forum to my website.
 > How do I get the initial posts started?
 >
 > I know forums start off slow and gradually build on themselves.
 > Is there anything I can do to help it along, in the beginning?
 >
 > Thanks for any advice

People have to actually be visiting your website in the first place to find
information, so excellent content is the key before you even start thinking
about forums.

Then getting people to click through to the forums. Make it very easy for
them to get involved, don't put too many barriers in their way to
registering etc. Don't have too many different forum areas to start with,
nobody likes empty forums. If I'm going to spend time writing out a question
I want to have a good idea that it's going to be answered.

Also theres nothing wrong with having 4 or 5 different aliases and talking
to yourself for a while. I kind of kick started my forum that way. There
were about 2 real users and I was 4 others. So it looked bigger than it was.
Multiple identities can be very tiring remembering who has said what however
and I didn't do it for more than a few weeks.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: New forum, how to get started ? 

Well, I already get almost 1000 vistors/day so I thought a forum would
be a good addition.

On Wed, 26 May 2004 11:26:59 +0100, "Mark Hewitt"
<mail.RemoveThis@markhewittDotCoDotUk.spammers.will.die> wrote:

 >
 >"MeNotHome" <dtfa@****nospm****insightbb.com> wrote in message
 >news:ulc7b018bfgrfklah4dege9vkki9ie10sh@4ax.com...
  >> I have recenlty added a Forum to my website.
  >> How do I get the initial posts started?
  >>
  >> I know forums start off slow and gradually build on themselves.
  >> Is there anything I can do to help it along, in the beginning?
  >>
  >> Thanks for any advice
 >
 >People have to actually be visiting your website in the first place to find
 >information, so excellent content is the key before you even start thinking
 >about forums.
 >
 >Then getting people to click through to the forums. Make it very easy for
 >them to get involved, don't put too many barriers in their way to
 >registering etc. Don't have too many different forum areas to start with,
 >nobody likes empty forums. If I'm going to spend time writing out a question
 >I want to have a good idea that it's going to be answered.
 >
 >Also theres nothing wrong with having 4 or 5 different aliases and talking
 >to yourself for a while. I kind of kick started my forum that way. There
 >were about 2 real users and I was 4 others. So it looked bigger than it was.
 >Multiple identities can be very tiring remembering who has said what however
 >and I didn't do it for more than a few weeks.
 >
 ><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: New forum, how to get started ? 

In article <ogd7b0hfubpdm7n3110o79t1v5kt9osoof.DeleteThis@4ax.com>, pigmalion
says...
 > On Tue, 25 May 2004 20:52:10 GMT, MeNotHome
 > <dtfa@****nospm****insightbb.com> wrote:
 >
  > >I have recenlty added a Forum to my website.
  > >How do I get the initial posts started?

 > A couple of things i'm trying to do is to link it everywhere after a
 > review, a tutorial...
 > Just putting the main forum link didn't work...

The website somethingawful.com has a thriving forum community, despite
charging $10 per membership. They tend to add a small "discuss this in
the forum" link to the bottom of news topics, etc.

It does help to remind your readers of the forum, and prompt them to
post, whenever you get the chance.

--
Dan Ruscoe<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: New forum, how to get started ? 

"MeNotHome" <dtfa@****nospm****insightbb.com> wrote in message
news:c8k9b0tgo859k9po9af59rt7bge22gmhe2@4ax.com...
 > Well, I already get almost 1000 vistors/day so I thought a forum would
 > be a good addition.
 >
indeed. Go for it.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: New forum, how to get started ?