Niche forums...

[X Q mano]

Hi,

I have a forum that is quite niche, if you know what I mean.

Do niche forums work, or is there simply not enough people interested to get a decent user-base?

What do you think?

I realize of course that some niches are bigger than others, but in a general sort of way. Is it just a matter of making it known, and the people will come?

[Heinrich]

what kind of niche? if too narrow than hard to get
alot of posters/members

[X Q mano]

Well.. It's poetry...

The site is mostly about one poet, but there is work in progress to expand it.

The forums is kind of where "everybody else" can show their poetry, and communicate...

But the question is if niches are difficult altogether or if it's just a matter of good promotion and hard work...

[Patrick]

Niche forums do work. You should start with the core group of people that you know with that interest and it will expand from there.

[Jeremy W.]

Yup, there is one forum for a single town in New Hampshire, about pottery. 3000 members, because everyone in the community that's interested is there, and anyone who wants to visit the community is there as well.

Very vibrant

Niche forums do work, but often do require effort and patience.

J

[I, Brian]

Nowadays niche forums aer the only way.

General poetry is not actually that niche a niche. Specialised poetry interests would be - ie, Elizabethan, Enlightenment, or Modernism, etc

[X Q mano]

Hey guys...

Thanks for the input!

I guess you're right Chronicles... It's easy to lose perspective sometimes...

[Heinrich]

personnaly i would suggest u to start
non niche forums, so get some members
around

niche forums is pretty hard to develop
except u have huge number of friends offline
that share same interest, and they join there.

[mhalbrook]

Do niche forums work, or is there simply not enough people interested to get a decent user-base

Well, it does depend greatly upon what that niche is, but over-all, I think niche marketing in several areas from on-line communities to design & hosting. By targeting a niche, you can focus your advertising to the most effective areas to get clients/members.

The problem is finding enough people who are interested in the topic to help get things going and bring life to the site.

[hotnuts21]

I have a niche forum, you can see it in my sig the one with the beeps
It is quite slow at the moment, but im sure it would pick up if i spent more time on it. It started off quite well, but it might need a bit of work doing to it to keep it alive.

As someone has already said its just perserverance and hard work!