Forum

[Gavb]

Is it a good idea to create a forum to get visitors, with maybe an affiliate marketing section before starting a proper online business? ( That offers a service )

 

[peterbirganza]

Forum is not only to to increase your visitors but also plays an important role in getting best ideas from genius people using the forums. You can post your query over there and find best answers and solutions from different business men. Forum also provides information about all business problems and solutions.

 

[HFE Signs]

Don't forget the maintenance work involved...

 

[Marlin]

Forum website is good for getting traffic and increasing your knowledge as well by getting tips from experts. But it needs proper maintenance.

 

[KeithP]

It's also a bit of a chicken-and-egg. You need to have a decent volume of subscribers to attract new ones - nobody wants to join a forum with 4 other members.

 

[Gavb]

Okay yeah.

Would you recommend that I create the forum or just design my proper idea and try get some Press releases when I come to publishing it?

 

[virtuallysorted]

Having users is key to forum success - I always like this website for people wanting to build comunities:
http://www.communityspark.com/

You need enough users to generate content, answer questions and also so that your forum has enough traffic, otherwise you won't get anyone at all using it. Back when we started the Society of Virtual Assistants forum, we asked a core team of 7 VAs to post questions once a week and log on once per day to get it started... It's sort of mushroomed from there!

 

[Gavb]

I couldnt quote the link

You need enough users to generate content, answer questions and also so that your forum has enough traffic, otherwise you won't get anyone at all using it. Back when we started the Society of Virtual Assistants forum, we asked a core team of 7 VAs to post questions once a week and log on once per day to get it started... It's sort of mushroomed from there!

Thank you, the thing is, I'm not actually wanting the forum to be my final product. I am going to create a website that offers a service. Somebody told me to create a forum first but I wasn't sure if I should or not?

 

[iArtist]

My cartoonist forum has been going a little over a year now, it has nearly 200 members which is only 50 or so less than the 'other' cartoonist forum which presently was dominating the web. So while small it's still competitive.

My forum is now number 1 in Google for 'cartoonist forum'.
http://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=navclient&gfns=1&q=cartoonist+forum

I delete spammers immediately so none of my membership consists of wasters. I'm happy with the way its going.

The forum is not a income source though there are a few affiliate links on it, none of them have ever paid out.

It's mainly just a fun place for cartoony folk to hang out and show their wares and learn new techniques. We have a very active facebook group with over 320 members which is busier as it is easier to post to.

Getting this started has involved contacting cartoonists personally in some cases and inviting them, spreading the word via facebook, twitter and blogs.

You might be better off starting a facebook group..

 

[iArtist]

Meanwhile I also created ecetly a forum for UK skin allergy sufferers called Itchy Scratchy Skin allergy forum, but so far only two members

 

[virtuallysorted]

I couldnt quote the link



Thank you, the thing is, I'm not actually wanting the forum to be my final product. I am going to create a website that offers a service. Somebody told me to create a forum first but I wasn't sure if I should or not?

But if you want a captive audience, what a great way to go about it - but they won't interact with you or your product unless you're offering something of value to them first.

Give to get!

 

[Jason_Fisher]

If creating a forum would it be better to get the forum live, market it and let people sign up in dribs and drabs, or would it be better to have a holding page with a newsletter sign up, and then when you have a certain number of people interested and signed up to the newsletter, then launch the forum to everyone. Would be a better way to get members to the forum all at once and get people talking, as if i went to a live forum that had one or two members i don't know if i would join, no matter what the topic or service!

 

[Gavb]

Hi, good idea but i would recommend that you get a better domain name!