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Forums: any use?

Discussion in 'General Marketing' started by JennyFine, Jul 23, 2004.

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  1. #1
    I’ve been thinking about the role of forums on websites. Do they contribute to anything? What website developers aim at most often when they make a forum? Can it function as a marketing tool?
    I work in a software development company and I've come up with the idea of making a forum at our website. But I'm not really sure if it's worth the efforts and time. Can anyone share his/her experience on this?
     
    JennyFine, Jul 23, 2004 IP
  2. Foxy

    Foxy Chief Natural Foodie

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    #2
    In a word, yes, we subscribe to the theory of "new" material and info assisting with the "attraction" for Google - but there are others here who can be more specific as they have a greater volume on their Forums. However I would not just add a Forum for that alone - it needs to have a purpose. :)
     
    Foxy, Jul 23, 2004 IP
  3. disgust

    disgust Guest

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    #3
    there are a lot of benefits.

    personally, our primary reason for creating (and keeping) our forums was just that it really created a sense of community that the site wouldn't have had otherwise.

    but there are other benefits:

    search engine optimizaiton (you can have each page link to specific pages with anchor text, plus users might stumble on the forums and view your site later).

    and then there are companies that use forums as a form of support- sometimes it reduces the amount of time they need to spend on things. a prime example would be ev1-server's forums
     
    disgust, Jul 23, 2004 IP
  4. Old Welsh Guy

    Old Welsh Guy Notable Member

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    #4
    If you are working in software development, then a forum can be agreat help. For one thing, it will help in your r&d path. People will be able to tell you what they like, dislike about the product. They will discuss and brainstorm with you along the way.

    As already mentioned, it can function as a support arena, cutting down the load on the telephone support staff. Make this area mebers only, and you have yourself a nice little mailing list to work with of existing users.

    BIG caveat though, an empty forum is worse than no forum. Unlike in the Costner film, if you build it, they might not come.

    OWG
     
    Old Welsh Guy, Jul 23, 2004 IP
  5. schlottke

    schlottke Peon

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    #5
    Forums are excellent for e-commerce sites also. Building a secure feeling among your buyers and helping answer any of their questions in a timely mannor.
     
    schlottke, Jul 23, 2004 IP
  6. digitalpoint

    digitalpoint Overlord of no one Staff

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    #6
    Agreed, I didn't start this forum until the keyword tracker had 7,500 active users... that way I had a existing user base to draw upon.

    Without that existing traffic, it's not something I would have wanted to put enough effort into to kick-start it.
     
    digitalpoint, Jul 23, 2004 IP
  7. nohaber

    nohaber Well-Known Member

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    #7
    A forum makes visitors come back. More visitors = more traffic = more revenue :D
     
    nohaber, Jul 23, 2004 IP
  8. TwisterMc

    TwisterMc Mac Guru

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    #8
    forums are good for learning things too. If i post it, someone knows the answer somewhere. :D
     
    TwisterMc, Jul 23, 2004 IP
  9. vprp

    vprp Peon

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    #9
    I agree that forums build a great sense of community (that brings visitors back again and again) and will help a great deal with your search engine efforts. Your users make tons of content for you and people who do some obscure searches can find your site from a post in your forum.

    With that said, forums are extremely difficult to get off the ground. If you have an established user base, it's a little easier. Just plan well on how you will market your forum to your users so it will be fairly prominent the next time they come back to your site. If you're starting a forum from scratch, be prepared to invest a lot of time and effort to see the success of your forum through.

    If you do invest the time and the effort, you will definitely benefit from it in the long run.
     
    vprp, Jul 23, 2004 IP
  10. nacho45

    nacho45 Peon

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    #10
    Just the fact that forum can build huge amounts of content can be huge if you make your forums crawlable and cacheable with the proper Mods.

    Then internally linking the forum pages can really help for focusing anchor text.
     
    nacho45, Aug 1, 2004 IP
  11. photo_shooter

    photo_shooter Guest

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    #11
    Would you recommend using phpbb?
     
    photo_shooter, Aug 3, 2004 IP
  12. digitalpoint

    digitalpoint Overlord of no one Staff

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    #12
    phpBB is definitely the best free option. I think vBulletin is the best forum software, but you have to pay for it (although it's relatively cheap). vBulletin has a phpBB conversion option too, so you could always start with phpBB, and if you ever wanted to move to vB later, you could.
     
    digitalpoint, Aug 3, 2004 IP
  13. Dominic

    Dominic Well-Known Member

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    #13
    does phpbb put ads in your forum or anything like that because its free?
     
    Dominic, Aug 3, 2004 IP
  14. digitalpoint

    digitalpoint Overlord of no one Staff

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    #14
    No, it doesn't...
     
    digitalpoint, Aug 3, 2004 IP
  15. Redleg

    Redleg Raider

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    #15
    Yes.. :)

    I use PHPbb on a couple of sites, and it's real easy to modify it almost any way you want it, as long as you have a little knowledge in PHP and HTML..
    There are also tonnes of premade modifications to it.
    check out www.phpbbhacks.com
     
    Redleg, Aug 3, 2004 IP
  16. david_sakh

    david_sakh Peon

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    #16
    I'm using forums to increase traffic of loyal users. I don't know if the befits extend far beyound that tho....
     
    david_sakh, Sep 8, 2004 IP
  17. leeds1

    leeds1 Peon

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    #17
    VB is pretty flexible and easy (I am a non programmer) and only costs I think $80 a year - so spend that, see how it goes - you can easily deleted it after a year. It makes you a BIG site as well.
     
    leeds1, Sep 8, 2004 IP
  18. disgust

    disgust Guest

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    #18
    disgust, Sep 8, 2004 IP
  19. GuyFromChicago

    GuyFromChicago Permanent Peon

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    #19
    I think forums are a giant waste of time ;)
     
    GuyFromChicago, Sep 8, 2004 IP
  20. david_sakh

    david_sakh Peon

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    #20
    you could also try partnering with invsion power board - but I don't know how or if they support HUGE operations. It's good for small business.
     
    david_sakh, Sep 8, 2004 IP