Getting Forums On Their Feet

[Stooly]

Ok so me & my significant other have started a forum on our site & we're sturuggling to get ppl to sign up.

Any tips?

[Kamilla]

For me to even consider joining a board, it has to be busy. So the advice I can offer would be to signup some fake accounts and post through those accounts, to mix it up and make it appear more busy.

[Geeman]

imho to build an active board you need to already have decent traffic to feed it.
as kamilla said: nobody will join a board with only 2 guests hanging around doing 2,5 posts per week.

sure you can grow it slowly with building linktrades, advertisment and providing good content to your members but I think thats a pretty hard way to get it off the ground.

It is easier to build a different site (blog or something), grow it and then add a board as a bonus feature where your surfers can hang around.
they already know and bookmarked your mainsite, read your feed and are more likely to join your board too.

[Beejeebers]

Set up a blog, get that listed, then attach a link to your forum from your blog. If you have something viral, it will build itself. If it's a forum in an area where you have quite a bit of competition, it's a tough haul...

[Stooly]

Thanks for the tips guys, I have done that actually, made the fake accounts, & it is a forum for our main site.

[GTP Dave]

which site is it ?
I am alway happy to exchange hardlinks..

[girl]

i'm having a hard time setting up my forum. In about 5 months of operation I only have 200 users and most have just signed up to add a link to their profile....

U can hire paid posters to get things started

[ting_tong]

Get you're forum off the ground:
- You need 1-2-3 friends that can help you to do this.
- All of you register 5-8 accounts at that board.
- Start good discussions with eachother, continue, and write long catchy replies.
- Join up to other boards, look for disussions similar to those at you're board...participate, and leave a link back to the discussion on you're board for referance between the discussions.
- Continue to this....and write, write, write, and you will have actice board within 3-4 months.

I am using this techniq myself, and it is bulletproof in maintream, but you have to know the topics discussed to write good posts against yourself.

Now, go out there and start writing.

Good luck!

[facialfreak]

www.rentatroll.com

[girl]

anyone intersted in exchanging posts? Eg: I post in your forum and you post in mine.

I have a skin care related forum

[Stooly]

Sure girl, I'll PM you now..

That's actually a great idea, you post in mine & I'll post in yours.

[Hentaikid]

I tried a contest to encourage posting. But it didn't work too well...

[Stooly]

What kind of competition was it?

[Blinky]

There are actually lots of very good articles on getting forums established.

The easiest way to work it out is think about what dras you to other forums - try to make it so on your own.

[girl]

thanks butters......i like our scheme

[tajmahal156]

thanks for the ideas....

[docputer]

How about posting a link to your forums? some of us might be inclined to look and perhaps post.

[girl]

mine is acne related.,.....i can pm it if u want but not going to post it here.

[Stooly]

Yeah I don't really wana post it here either.... but if you want the link, I'll be happy to send it

[chuckzom]

best advice was already stated,.. get friends and things to start discussion.