To get this venture began, you'll advantage by having a obvious strategy set out for each phase of the procedure. For this representation, we're going to believe a very restricted price range where most projects, if not all, will be conducted by you. The actions you may consider applying out are as follows;
- Software selection
- Finding a host
- Setup & configuration
- Content creation
- Forum customization
- Forum marketing
- Support
Software
To begin, you'll need to choose a software solution for your forum. While building an online discussion community can be an empowering experience, it can also get unnecessarily complicated. How complicated will depend largely on the software you choose. Assuming we're working with a tight budget, there are basically two options; either use “open-source” forum software that will still require installation, configuring and hosting, or, find a reputable free forum hosting service.
The most popular open-source software applications are probably phpBB and MyBB; SMF also deserves a mention. While these are excellent products with a wide variety of designs and options, the fact remains they must be downloaded, installed, hosted and configured before you can even use them.
Keep in mind, with limited resources, the key to building a successful forum is to stay focused on the most productive tasks. If you're more interested in building a thriving community than sharpening your programming skills, then a reliable, free forum hosting service is the more practical choice.
The primary benefit of using a free forum hosting service is that all the business of managing, updating and securing the forum is done for you. You'll never have to deal with database issues, security issues, debugging issues, hosting fees, etc. Moreover, in choosing a forum hosting service, the “setup & configuration” responsibilities mentioned above will largely be reduced to making a few customization tweaks to your new forum.
Content
With the setup issue addressed, let's talk about content. Content is the life-blood of every forum and, in the beginning, every new forum is a dry lake bed of content. If you've created relevant, original content in the past for other purposes, consider “re-tasking” it and posting it to your new forum. Topical research, blog posts, articles, newsletter contributions are all fair game for re-posting.
Further, any research you've done can be of great interest to others and can also have significant Search Engine Optimization (SEO) value. Consider posting the results of relevant topic-specific research. Any time you spend searching for answers on the web, take note of everything you find (links, facts, statistics, etc), and post that as content. These hard-earned tidbits of information can often be of great value to others. Later, as your forum gains momentum, the solo quest for new content will diminish as your community will naturally thrive.
Customization
Typically, once you've set up your forum, it is easy to customize. If you've created a forum using one of the solutions mentioned above, finding an abundance of free “skins” and themes to personalize it shouldn’t be difficult. Forum themes are easily applied to most popular forum software and installation instructions are usually readily available.
With the latest upgrading of Google's search criteria (Panda/Penguin), material has become symbolic of promotion. Excellent material = good promotion. Keep in mind, to be SEO helpful, material should be keyword and key phrase wealthy. Beyond good material, promotion your new group forum will require attaining out to the group. Deliver invites to everyone you know who might be fascinated (but don't spam!). Also, consider asking professionals in your area to join in appropriate discussions. If timed properly (when line contribution is high), professionals will often leap at the chance to discuss their opinions and enhance themselves. Experts are often a big fascination and you might be amazed by the number of individuals who stop by your group forum to talk with a “celebrity” in your area.
Support
The one essential aid every ambitious group forum manager needs is a helpful, knowledgeable assistance group. In fact, the skills and helpfulness of the assistance group should be one of the key identifying aspects for selecting the right group forum application remedy. Regardless of which application remedy you choose, be sure to check out and invest some time in the assistance group before choosing to your decision. For a example of a well known, well established assistance group, check out http://support.proboards.com, create an account and get around through a few discussions. Remember, even the most knowledgeable group forum directors sometimes have questions!
good blog
ReplyDelete