How to Jump Start a Forum

12 years ago

The Quick & Dirty Secret... Make a few fake accounts but make them HOT girls! Seriously! They should seem like normal girls but put in avatar pictures of really attractive, college aged girls.

It will work!

Thanks

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Joseph Robinson

Banned 12 years ago

You can use a forum posting service like Postloop that bases the writers getting paid on maintaining a high post quality. It's one way to get the conversations started without just creating a bunch of accounts and talking to yourself.

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1 reply

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skibbz

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Joe Robinson

You can use a forum posting service like Postloop that bases the writers getting paid on maintaining a high post quality. It's one way to get the conversations started without just creating a bunch of accounts and talking to yourself.

cool ideas lol

Thanks

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bellogy

12 years ago

Use social networking such as facebook and twitter to attract niche traffic to your forum

Thanks

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tpw

12 years ago

Keep in mind that this forum was jump-started by a fellow who posted every day for years, helping everyone who knocked on his door to help them get the answers they wanted and needed.

Thanks
2 replies

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skibbz

12 years ago

Originally Posted by tpw

Keep in mind that this forum was jump-started by a fellow who posted every day for years, helping everyone who knocked on his door to help them get the answers they wanted and needed.

thanks bill, i will keep this in mind

Thanks

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JasonParker

12 years ago

Originally Posted by tpw

Keep in mind that this forum was jump-started by a fellow who posted every day for years, helping everyone who knocked on his door to help them get the answers they wanted and needed.

I wish I was there during the early days.

I would've driven Allen crazy with so many questions

It's too bad he doesn't post much here anymore like that.

But I know things are probably different now... Sometimes when you try to help someone on this forum now, somehow the conversation goes south or your help goes unacknowledged and you realize you're just wasting your time when you could be out there marketing.

Thanks

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MikeTucker

12 years ago

Originally Posted by skibbz

Ok Guys, I started a new forum about an exciting opportunity which enables us to cut gas prices and become more fuel efficient with our vehicle.

I was thinking of ways to start promoting like
1.writing a squidoo lens
2.doing a press release
3. building backlinks to it the traditional way
4. spreading by word of mouth.

Here is what I do to grow my forums:

1. Forum Marketing (as targeted as it gets...
after all, they already participate in forums!)

2. Article Syndication (including press
releases)

3. Word-of-Mouth (including social media,
used correctly)

Originally Posted by skibbz

I have heard some webmasters done some stuff like create fake accounts and did postings to make it seem as if conversations were actually taking place but I dont know if thats a good Idea. I wanted to hear some other ideas you think could work to get the forum as active and entertaining as WF.

thanks

The theory behind this weak strategy is
that people won't want to be members
of your forum if it is slow, and they
won't stick around.

1. If you have great content, they will
recognize that your site is going to be
popular, and they will appreciate being
the first members, not to mention they
will be happy to tell their friends.

2. It doesn't drive traffic and get you
quality members who are actually
interested in the topic or theme of
your forum. Worse, it can backfire
if they become "friends" with the fake
people, who will eventually disappear.

Avoid that terrible advice. Instead,
focus all of your time and effort on
attracting quality, long-term members
from other forums.

Thanks
1 reply

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Joseph Robinson

Banned 12 years ago

Originally Posted by MikeTucker

Worse, it can backfire
if they become "friends" with the fake
people, who will eventually disappear.

I can attest to this one. My best friend was a fake forum profile. Everyone told me I should have known; but I just ignored them. These were the same fools that told me Santa didn't exist.

I miss you Fakey McPhakerson.

Thanks
1 reply

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MikeTucker

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Joe Robinson

I can attest to this one. My best friend was a fake forum profile. Everyone told me I should have known; but I just ignored them. These were the same fools that told me Santa didn't exist.

I miss you Fakey McPhakerson.

I'll never forget the look on your face.
It was heartbreaking:

The thing is, Joe, you should have known...
He was a member of the forum for almost
a year, and never even put up an avatar.
It really was obvious to the rest of us!

[ 1 ] Thanks
1 reply

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Joseph Robinson

Banned 12 years ago

Originally Posted by MikeTucker

The thing is, Joe, you should have known...
He was a member of the forum for almost
a year, and never even put up an avatar.
It really was obvious to the rest of us!

But you're real, right? You wouldn't abandon me? SAY YOU WON'T ABANDON ME!

I just wanted friends...

Thanks

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trizzypballr

12 years ago

I tried to start a forum about my favorite sports team a year ago. I just couldnt get people to keep posting. I would get people to the forum, just to get bored because there wasnt enough convo and slowly drop off. For every new person I got, someone dropped off, so I could never get above 5-10 active members. It failed.. :-(

Thanks
1 reply

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MikeTucker

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Joe Robinson

But you're real, right? You wouldn't abandon me? SAY YOU WON'T ABANDON ME!

I just wanted friends...

Sorry, Joe. The truth is that I really am
just another fig newton of your immigration.

But I won't abandon you, mon ami. Not ever.
At least, not without dragging down a few
of these other multiple personalities with me.

Originally Posted by trizzypballr

I tried to start a forum about my favorite sports team a year ago. I just couldnt get people to keep posting. I would get people to the forum, just to get bored because there wasnt enough convo and slowly drop off. For every new person I got, someone dropped off, so I could never get above 5-10 active members. It failed.. :-(

I'm sorry to here that. Let me ask you,
how did you get members to your forum?
And where did you get your content?

In this case, for example, I would have
persistently pursued members of the
sports team until I got one of them
(or the representatives) to post, at least
on an irregular basis.

This would have ensured not only stickiness,
but longevity for your forum.

Also, you would have to be prepared for
the off seasons, not to mention their
"losing" seasons! Depending on the sport,
that could be a challenge. BUT, there
are quite a few very successful sports
team forums, and there is no reason you
couldn't be successful if you give it
another try, knowing what you have
learned since then.

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1 reply

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trizzypballr

12 years ago

Originally Posted by MikeTucker

I'm sorry to here that. Let me ask you,
how did you get members to your forum?
And where did you get your content?

In this case, for example, I would have
persistently pursued members of the
sports team until I got one of them
(or the representatives) to post, at least
on an irregular basis.

This would have ensured not only stickiness,
but longevity for your forum.

Also, you would have to be prepared for
the off seasons, not to mention their
"losing" seasons! Depending on the sport,
that could be a challenge. BUT, there
are quite a few very successful sports
team forums, and there is no reason you
couldn't be successful if you give it
another try, knowing what you have
learned since then.

Itd be awesome to get one of the players to actually join the forum and be active, but I highly doubt ill be able to convince any of them do to anything like that. I would have much better luck trying to get one of them to join just for an interview or something like that. Question and Answer type thing. That would only bring in a group of people for that time though, and most would probably drop off again.

I know the groups are possible, im an admin of a Rams group on facebook that has about 350 members, at least 50 post every day. Not many were interested in the forum though, because facebook is so much easier to participate in for most people. Even though facebooks group layout overall is pretty crappy.

Thanks
1 reply

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Joseph Robinson

Banned 12 years ago

Originally Posted by MikeTucker

Sorry, Joe. The truth is that I really am
just another fig newton of your immigration.

Originally Posted by trizzypballr

I would have much better luck trying to get one of them to join just for an interview or something like that. Question and Answer type thing. That would only bring in a group of people for that time though, and most would probably drop off again.

Not necessarily. The interview can be a great way to get them in the door. Having great topics of conversation set up and ready to go will make them stay. Plus, if you can make the interviews a regular thing then people will hang around to see who is next.

Originally Posted by trizzypballr

I know the groups are possible, im an admin of a Rams group on facebook that has about 350 members, at least 50 post every day. Not many were interested in the forum though, because facebook is so much easier to participate in for most people. Even though facebooks group layout overall is pretty crappy.

Yeah, the layout is crap; but I'm noticing that sports fans like this type of setup because of the more instant response. When there is a Jets fan trolling the ESPNBoston blog, you have to be quick to get your jabs in.

Thanks

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John Romaine

12 years ago

This has been covered to death.

Putting a forum together, then expecting people to join and participate is a failed strategy.

The answer is to build a list of people that are all passionate about the same subject matter.

Once you have a sufficient number of people, then launch your forum.

Paying for posts, or creating fake accounts is ridiculous.

Question : How passionate are you really about fuel economy? Enough to build an entire forum around it? Or are you just out for the money?

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1 reply

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trizzypballr

12 years ago

Originally Posted by John Romaine

This has been covered to death.

Putting a forum together, then expecting people to join and participate is a failed strategy.

The answer is to build a list of people that are all passionate about the same subject matter.

Once you have a sufficient number of people, then launch your forum.

Paying for posts, or creating fake accounts is ridiculous.

Question : How passionate are you really about fuel economy? Enough to build an entire forum around it? Or are you just out for the money?

Very good point, as dumb as this sounds, I never thought of it from that angle....

Thanks
1 reply

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trackon 12 years ago

Fake user and fake account can't help to promote forum but in start you have to post some information related to subject it's help to create public interest.
- Thanks
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