How to start a new forum?

Hi,

I'd like to make my own forum. Anyone could help me what are the first steps I need to do to make quite a huge forum?

Thanks,

axlarry

 

think of a niche
buy the domain
install the script
customize your forum
hire forum posters
advertise
advertise
advertise
make a contest
advertise
advertise
advertise

 

yup,

u need to buy domain and hosting for your forum. Then u need script to setup the forum (try http://www.vbulletin.com) and manager it. DONE! Ads it to have alot of visitors.

 

I'd say you have to start with a popular website. Then make sure you want to invest the time to not only make the forum, but also manage the community. If you aren't the type of person that normally posts in forums - I would advise against starting your own. The most active people in a forum set the tone. You want a good atmosphere in your forum, so you should be willing to invest in creating a good atmosphere, by being there and responding and telling people when they cross the line (etc).

 

Thanks for the reply guys. Say I already have a niche, a domain, script, the site is up and running.... what should I do to get ppl to sign up? Is hiring forum posters a good idea?

 

At first make it very easy for people to post, perhaps don't even require them to sign up. Make some interesting threads on your subject.

 

Don't hire forum posters unless you are really short on time. Do the shill posting yourself since you are closer to the pulse of the site than some random paid-per-post writer would be. If you are not sure just buy a package, let them run their process and then just copy what they did with new accounts you make.

 

You can get a forum up and running by getting friends to post questions and you answer them. If you don't have any friends, you could even make up some identities and post common questions as these fake identities and then answer them as your real identity.

Obviously you can run a site forever like this, but to get the first 25 posts and responses, this can be a quite and cheap way to get started. People are unlikely to sign up for a forum that only has 1 or 2 posts.

 

Pick a good niche that is not over populated by other people and find out where all the people who are interested in this particular niche hang out, and then advertise.
Eg.: Articles related to your niche
Every directory you can find
Buy banner adverting from related sites
Seo your site for organic search traffic
Google adword

 

i think I mentioned this on another thread but a good way to get people (after you have some initial posts) is to hunt out good members in rival forums and PM them with a friendly invite to your forum. You WILL get banned (at some point) from a few forums so if need be, make up a few disposable accounts on their forum

Worked for me and a friend...

Good luck!

 

making forum is one of the most difficult to do. i dont suggest you. start your own article site:

 

Hmm so article sites monetize better always?

 

Should you eventually switch over to sign up? If so, what about the people who have been posting awhile without sign up?

 

Make a teen webmaster website, as there are a lot more of em about now.

 

its gona be lot of hard work for sure
dedicated members will be a task to get 1st
proper planning will be important to ensure that the forum flows full fledge, and there is constant activity and traffic.