I have just launched some forums http://www.forums.anotherwebdirectory.com These are an extension of the very successful web directory. How can I promote and increase the number of members in this forum?
Inbound links! You may want to write articles to submit as press releases, post on forums (like you are doing), link trades, etc. Referrals are good in most any business and inbound links are referrals on the web. IMHO.
DO you think by submitting and posting decent posts in other forums will help me a lot to build a community?
i provide promotional services for forums http://www.communitstarters.com have a look at the site....or pm me if you're interested
One thing I've done is trade forum posting with another forum owner. I post five on their site and they post five on mine. Of course, that was back when I had tons of time. I've also seen people post on rentacoder asking for forum posters. They pay something like 25 to 50 cents per post. The theory is that people are attracted to busy forums. Katelyn
I am offering free advertising at the forum. have a look at my general forum if you are interested! www.forums.anotherwebdirectory.com I am getting good feedback! ;-)
I have a phpbb forum myself, so perhaps some of my own experiences will be helpful for you as well: - Customize your forum to match your site. Use your green color scheme, and even the same layout. It helps people to remember your forum as more than "just another forum"... and is more inviting to new visitors. - What is your forum about? In the title bar and the page header, give your visitors some idea what the forum is about (compel them to join!). Unless someone takes the time to read your category topics, they wouldnt know by scanning the page. Get a good tagline that will get people's attention. - Get inbound links, good advice from above. Do a search for "forums", "forum directory", "forum links" - and get your link on those lists. Do a search on your keyword, and get your link on their resource pages. Do a search for other forums on the same topic as yours, and get involved with those communities (using a keyword rich, compelling signature with every post). - Do you have a mailing list? If so, tie that in with the forum to make it more interactive. Point them to the place on the forum where they can post feedback, questions, or discuss the topic of that particular issue. - Put a prominent link on all pages of your website. - Get VERY involved in your own forum... post current information, keep categories "active", welcome *every* new member, encourage discussions, etc. ... and of course dont forget your basic SEO
I'd add to those excellent comments above..get yourself a logo, and do a search on google for SEO PhPBB, there's an excellent thread at "able2know" and a download which if you follow all the details (takes an hour or 2) will make it very seo friendly
great comments thanks loads guys you are very helpful! I have installed some mods to make my forums seo friendly (mod_rewrite links etcetc) I will continue to work on the above advices! Thanks again! cheers