How to start a Forum?

Friday, 02 April 2010

Many people want to play the forum field, and what I mean is they want to start a new forum. Whether it is in a new niche, or one already covered. There is something they want to talk with other people about, and they think there should be a new forum about it. So they decide to create their own. So now you have decided you want to create a forum, you’re probably wondering what the steps to create a good successful forum are. Every step I include can be costly, so always be prepared with a budget for what you want to spend on your forums.

Tips on how to start building a forum

Domain & Hosting – Probably the simplest step, pick your favorite domain registrar and pick a good domain for the topic. Then check web hosting reviews to find a site that will suit your hosting needs. Then you can get to setting up the forum software.

Forum Software – There are many options for software to power your forums. There are free options like MyBB and SMF which (some would say) are as good, but others would disagree and say that paid software is the way to go. Depending on how serious you are with your new forum, you may want paid software like IPB or vBulletin so that people know you’re serious. These types of software, can cost hundreds of dollars, but also have a better reputation, and style-sheet for users.

Forum Design – Every forum needs a unique design, nobody wants to visit a forum with a boring old design that they have seen on every site on the net, they want something new, something unique, something they will only get on your site. There are two options to do this, you can find themes available free around the net, which look like what you want, and are not commonly used, or you can pay to get one made for yourself. The last option being the best because it creates a unique look for your forum, which only your forum will have.

Categories – Once you have your forum set up, you need to setup a category base for the forums, at this point you need to think, how you will categorize the post that each user makes on your forum. Some things to think about are the topics the forum will cover, and whether you would like an announcements section, an off topic section etc.

Nobody wants to visit an empty forum – I admit it, when I visit a forum and there is a small amount of members, I leave, especially if it’s an empty forum. So you need to fill that void, hiring forum posters is the best way to do so. You will get quality posts that fill those gaps. The best way to get forum posters is to use freelancers, because they will charge you the cheapest rates.

Advertise – Buy Link spaces, ad spaces on forums/sites of the same niche so people can now find your forum, and sign up.

I hope this article helps you out with your latest forum projects.