Hey guys, is there an alternative to a forum? Discussion boards haven't changed, so i'm wondering what could be done to get more attention and be more attractive. What are the forum features that attract users from your experiences? what do you guys think?
what makes forum something special? what tools are "wanted"? I see some forums use "Member Reputation System". Pros and cons about this tool?
I hadn't ever really thought about discussion boards not changing much over time. I think most forums can do everything the webmaster needs with the correct modifications installed, for example, one of my forums emails people after 14 days of inactivity automatically to entice them back, doesn't show links to guests, to improve registration rates, and has plenty of other little features which are installed in a matter of seconds. I would say the hardest period of forum management is the start. The only real solution for that has been to pay forum posters. That's something I would like to see a more efficient solution for.
I agree. As long as you have quality content, fun members and a good community feel to your forums, it will stand out from the rest.
Its all about authority of the forum and its existing members. If a particular visitor gets a satisfactory answer to its query, he will visit again. Fundamental approach will help to find more specific answer to this question.