I'm new to this forum, quite a different look. I like it. I just started my community for webmasters that goes with my web site yesWebmaster.com, the url of my community is http://www.yeswebmasterforums.com
I'd like to know what everyone thinks about it. What forums should I add? Do you like the colors and buttons? Also, how to get my community to start growing faster.
I wouldn't add any new forums until you build up your membership base. People don't talk at big empty forums.
The color scheme is good.
As for promoting... I would search here for some more details but basically being active in other communities that let you advertise your url in a signature line. If you post helpful things people will visit your site to see what you are all about.
Try talking to yourself. Use a couple of usernames with different email address and ask a question then answer it but answer it wrong or incomplete. Someone will see the mistake and correct them or offer a different solution. Sounds corney but when done effectively does work.
1) in this forum it would be better if you changed the links in your signature to be clickable. You can do this using vb code (ie. [ url]).
2) Maybe have a place for forum members to introduce themselves. I was trying to find a good place to let my precense known and had no idea where to go. Maybe add it to the description of your lounge or something.
BTW, your site and the forums are really nicely designed.
Personally, however, I would think about focusing your site and the forums more around one area - rather than trying to cover everything (scripting/hosting/design/multimeida/promotion) etc.
When you look at most forums there is usually a couple of killer forums that wher a lot of the activity is concentrated. Eg, www.geekvillage.com/forums has the "making money from the internet" forum which is its specialty - ad and affiliate revenue. Yet its webhosting forums are very slow. The users of geekvillage are geek savey enough to know that there are other forums out there that cater to that topic better - such as www.webhostingtalk.com
There are already oodles of web hosting forums out there. In fact, there are already oodles of forums covering most webmaster issues. You are going to have a hard time trying to create a online community around general and broad webmaster issues. I think you need to find a tighter focus and theme for your forums around which to build up a community.
When I look at your backward links with google, most of the incoming links to your site are from other resource and freebie directories. I am sure that you probably know more about your traffic, but it appears you are positioned strongest as a webmaster resources/freebies directory.
Perhaps then, initially at least, you could concentrate your community building more around webmaster resources, tools and freebies. Make the forums a place where people can post and help each other out looking for scripts, tutorial, free service providers.
I don't know - these are just off the top of my head thoughts.
BTW - you never did get back to me after our recent correspondence
Best of luck
Oh - I just wanted to add one more thing. I think another reason why forums tend to specialize around one area is that a certain level of expertese is needed to attract people to the forum and give them confidence in the value of the information there. Without mentioning names, I can think of a few people here at SPF that really were instrimental in building up the quality of the forums because of their expertise and contributions in certain topic areas. webhostingtalk has thrived because there are a group of mods over their that are right into that area. The reason why geekvillage forums has thrived in the area of ad/affiliate revenue is because Steve and a couple of the other mods over there really know this area of the web. IIt shows in the quality of the content of the forum and the way in which the quality of information is maintianted by knowledgable moderation. It is also firmly moderated too, because the mods can sniff a spammer or bull**** artist.
So to kick start a community, you really need a couple of mods who really know their stuff in the chosen area. People will then come to trust the forum as being a place to gain quality information.
Nice attempt. The buttons and colours are nice already.
The only thing I'd suggest is to supplement this forum with a weekly newsletter for webmaster, and publish it in one of the forums itself....That'd help to keep interested visitors.
Thanks guys, I do have a newsletter, but it's not active right now, only like 40 subscribers, I'm just too busy right now (Redoing my site, designing sites for customers) to send it out on a monthly basis.
Originally posted by yesWebmaster I have updated my signature and have created a forum for you to introduce yourself, it's called Meet and Greet, now you can introduce yourself!
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