Best ways to grow a forum?

Hello, I am wanting to get the forum http://illyo.net a bit of growth.

It's where you can post what you'v done today, yesterday, or whatever day you want. You can also chat about pretty much everything else you want.

Does anyone have any ideas?

I was thinking to ask some friends to sign up, post a bit each day, then they might tell their friends, then it might keep going. Maybe

 

Umm, I dont know why this was moved to reviews.

Maybe because I gave the description of the forum?
That was for people to know what kind of a forum it was, so they would have a better idea of how to promote it.

 

I think you're right with the whole word of mouth thing..
Growth of forums are always slow at first unless it's something really different.

 

I wrote something on forum marketing

 

Very nice infos on your link: mattUK. if you know another ways to promote a forum please post it here. i will be happy to read about this marketing strategy.
thanks

 

hey nice article on the marketing. thanks for the info!

 

usually forums grows behind other websites, for example, if you have a tech related website, with tools and news posted every day, in the forum your users will ask you what they don't understand, or discuss, say their opinion about an article posted on the website. etc.

 

I second the dark... and aside from that from what I have noticed games produce very popular forums... Every forum must have something unique to it that will make people come back again and again

 

Yes agreed, it's much easier to start a forum when you add one to an exiting site that has a lot of traffic.

 

word of mouth and dp seems to work pretty good.

 

Having good content is the key.

if you can keep the one ever visit your site then you are OK.

If one comes to the site and never comes back then there is an issue.

Thanks

 

Usually forums grow when you have a strong community base sharing common ideas. It took 4 to 5 years before my forum booms as it did today.

- MENJ

 

Exactly, forums take much longer to be a real success than a 'normal' site.

 

I'd also try comments on blogs with related content - slow and hard-work but focussed, which I feel is important.

 

create good posts yourself until others will do it.

 

forum grows a bit slower.. but u put some gifts or reward for posting , your forum will grow like hell fire..