Best way to get a forum started?

I'm trying to start a forum and before I release it I would like to get some pointers. My main problem is due to the nature of the forum I cannot put anything on it to entice people to sign up. I simply took an idea, made it better and now I don't know how to start the opening of the site. Any pointers would be great.

 

Hi, Just reading what little detail you gave, is there any way you can let us in on a little more than what you have already said so maybe we get an idea of what you have and have not got so far?

 

The sites all up, the idea generally speaking is bring people together for a specific reason to help bring people in any specific area together. That being said any information that users of the forum would put up have to be put up by them. i can't stack the forum with any information myself. I need to get the idea out there fully and quickly because anyone passing by seeing an empty forum will lose interest nearly immediately.

 

Create many fake profiles of your own and put up the info...

 

hmm u need expert for them

 

You + 4 Friends each make 10 accounts.. now you have 50 people

each of these 50 people make 10 post, now you have 500 post... growing daily

make sure you use different personalities in each post lol

 

not a good idea,
i would rather hire some real people.

 

The problem with those suggestions is that the content that needs to be on the site is not able to be made up. For instance a forum about html codes, or some sort of support you can do that with. Make up people, make up questions. My forum is going to consist of things more tangible than that, I simply can't fake it and the last thing I'd want to do is start a forum with bad content. I think I would rather start it empty.

Would you be able to gather some information for me about the steps to take to get the word out. I'd like to do as many advertising techniques as possible all at once in order to get the first big boom of people.

 

Worry about your tangible content after this priming period. You're trying to hatch an egg without incubating it.

 

so your saying that you will not share the niche with us.

the niche the site is on's information cannot be made up.

and you don't want/ dont know about the topic?

If I were you, Id hire some posters as well as learn about the topic, and post as much as you can

 

The site is a place for people to go and post about the items they are throwing away. The idea is that instead of throwing away perfectly good items that they have no use for anymore, they can list it and tell people where it will be and when it will be there so that it can be picked up. It's a way to get people together to talk within each state then organized by zipcode to allow members to find cool free stuff around their town. I can't very well go and make fake posts to make the forum look active I don't know what I will do to get the forum started but I guess it will just be telling people it exists and hoping they feel the idea is good enough to sign up and become active.

 

Hi,
I would start by writing and distributing some articles and point people back to the forum.
Andy

 

Make sure the layout is good. Look at this. www.basketballforum.com This layout will simply get people speaking in there. Layout talks and its money.

 

That is the only way I know and use.

 

That actually does work. And put up some controversial topics, thats due to attract people.

Maybe DP has 2 members online lol. Me and Shaun who has 1999 fake IDs online lol.

 

It still (and always will) fall down to content.

Good conversation, questions worth answering, answers worth questioning, debate (heated, but not flaming), and other forms of worthy content are what will pull members in. If there is nothing new to discuss on the topic, then a forum is likely not the right format to base a site on...

Also, check out freecycle.org that would be your MAIN competition from what I understand. You'll be competing with their Yahoo.Groups... which many people can not stand. So make sure that your forum is in a different format then that (like vB, IPB, myBB, or phpBB) and you'll pull in more folks. And if that is your theme, then I can see how generating content would/could be kind of hard. Maybe make stuff up and give it to yourselves?

Articles on recycling used things would be a great start in getting people to the site. Junk art, arts & crafts, practicle uses, etc are all popular topics in some circles, and are also related content to giving junk away.

One mans junk, is another mans treasure!
Q

 

Like a reporter, go out and find related stuff out there that you can post on your board. There are a lot of good shit out there on other boards, content sites, your local newspaper, your monthly magazine, TV....

Next, contact other board members to get their viewpoint on it. Tell them that you have followed their past posts, and you "value" their opinion. Butter them up to get them to make a comment in your board.

A lof of people go to more than one board, so....

Take one hour each day to do just this, and you just may have quite a list of active members.

Also, if you can get your hands on a really popular "news" item, advertise it!

AD:
"Local girl quits high school to do her Internet full time. Was she stupid to do this?"

Also, spread it to all the networking sites out there.

If you can afford it, advertise them in newspapers, and, other sources outside the Net.

These tips will get you going, in a really big way. Just give it time. Perhaps, perhaps, six monhts, if not sooner.

Think outside the box!

EDITED TO SAY:

Do NOT force your visitors to have to sign up so they can read the rest of a thread or your board!

In fact, in the beginning you should make it easy for them. Don't have them sign up at all. Once they get into the grove of things, THEN have them sign up.

Give them, say, 30 days of posting without having to sign up.

Even help them sign up. Go as far as suggesting a really cool username and avatar they can use.

 

What is the link to your forum? If we knew that maybe we could give you some direct suggestions.

 

I'm a forum owner and among the top in my local country. for initial, I create many fake ID. Install online chat and pretend like your forum is busy and hot. Entice visitor to join the chat. Post something hot in your market and force them to free signup to read further.

Until you get some buddies that can be trusted and hyper-active, assign them as a MOD. pay them if you will.

after that, you need contents to attract more organic visitors using SEO. Ahh... don't forget to promote your site on the other highly busy forum. Beg them to visit your site and give comments, but don't spam.

 

Go to a freelance website and pay some indians / fillipinos to post.. assign them cities or something.

Yes, I'm serious. It's cheap and less annoying than doing it yourself. Your idea seems good.