InMyOpinion

Amazing post as always [mention=1]Cedric[/mention], I find having a community pre-launch checklist necessary for success. If you don't really know exactly what you need to work on then you may forget to do a few key things whereas if you have a thorough checklist you can go through the list and see what there still needs to get done. Here's my little pre-launch list if ever I were to create another community. The first step for me would be to define the forums purpose & audience such as what's the forums main purpose, who is the target audience and what kind of discussions and interactions do I want to encourage. Next would be to find the right platform & setup such as a software that fits my needs & the forums needs. I would then set up hosting, domain etc. as well as customize the design to reflect the forums branding as well to make the navigation easy. The third thing that would be on the checklist would be set up key categories & content as well as sub-categories/sub-forums, writing clear welcoming guidelines so new members can get the feel and vibe of the forum and then to post some engaging discussions so it doesn't feel empty on launch day. The fourth thing on list would be to implement any features & gamification I would decide to have on my forum. Features such as likes, reactions, ranks or badges to encourage participation. I'd also add gamification elements like points, leadership & contests to boost engagement. Then I would set up essential plug-ins or integrations for security, spam protection as well as moderation. The fifth thing on my list would be to build a small core group to help create posts, start discussions and help create a welcoming environment. The sixth thing would be to plan a launch strategy so I can have a solid marketing plan whether it be on social media, partnerships, email lists etc. I'd also plan an initial event, giveaway and/or contest to draw people in. I'd want to make it as easy as possible for people to join the forum. Make sure there are no complicated signups or unnecessary barriers. The seventh and last thing on the list would be to prepare for moderation & growth by setting clear rules and appoint moderators as necessary. I'd be ready to engage, reply and keep the community active and well as to monitor analytics to see what's working and what needs to be adjusted or changed. Creating a forum from scratch is A LOT of work but can be extremely rewarding. It is definitely a lot easier when you have a checklist and know exactly what needs to get done before launching the forum. If done incorrectly it can harm the forums growth and deter people from wanting to sign up. I'd definitely encourage anyone who is thinking of opening their own forum to have they own to do or checklist to ensure the best possible outcome. Thanks again Cedric for creating this thread because this is a very important step to creating a successful forum.

I think gamification can definitely play a big role in building an engaged and loyal community, but it really depends on the type of forum and the audience. Features like points, gambling, and interactive games add an extra layer of fun and keep people coming back, especially if they create friendly competition or give users a sense of achievement. That being said, I think the key is balance. If the gamification features feel too forced or take away from the core discussions, they might not have the intended effect. For my own forum, I’d want to make sure that any added features genuinely enhance interaction rather than just being a novelty. I have seen gamifications work really well and get great feedback from members however, I have seen it were the gamification was overwhelming and didn't really make any sense for the type of forum I was on. Sometimes it felt almost like I was bombarded by it and there was more game playing than posts/threads on the forum which I would think would be the opposite of what the forum owner would want. Either way, if done correctly it can add a lot to the forum and make people want to stay on the forum longer.

Hahahaha I'll take a bit awkward over being asked if they can buy my eggs any day. :ROFLMAO:

I really appreciate you posting this because I had no idea that duplicate posting had any negative effects. Back in the day I was on a few forums that were similar so I would repost the same thread or reply to the different forums not knowing that there was a negative effect of impact on doing so. I haven't posted duplicates in years but I'm glad I know now that it's bad to do so and it doesn't have any benefits. I will never double post now knowing what I know now.

"Your skin looks so soft and delightful" Yup someone actually told me that and it made me fear that maybe they were cannibals. The way the said it to was very off putting and alarming. My friends and I were at a restaurant about to enjoy a meal and a male came up to me and told me that my skin looked soft and delightful. Even the waitress gave us a worried look. Not a compliment I wanted or was looking for at all.

The most awkward question I got was someone asking me if they can buy my eggs from me because they liked my genes and the way I looked. It caught me off guard and made me feel awkward as all hell. I did not know the person, nor have I spoken to them before so you can imagine how confused and off putting it was.

May I ask what genre of game it is? I am no good at shooter games to be honest haha

These are all amazing questions that I'd love to find answers to, I myself have never sold or purchased a forum so I would have no idea what is legal or not. However, I have seen forum owners sell their forums and your questions are really interesting and good ones to ask. I would think it would probably differ from country to country, state to state or even province to province. I agree with what [mention=55]Shawn Gossman[/mention] had said that you should always offer a way out in case a member no longer wants to be part of the forum once the new forum owner has come along. I also don't think you should delete their posts but the account itself you can delete. Really good questions [mention=2]Al[/mention]

Word of mouth can be an awesome way to grow a forum, but it works best when it’s paired with other marketing strategies. Word of mouth works because people trust recommendations when it's coming from someone whom they also trust. It also helps build a strong community because when people feel connected they naturally invite others. It also works because it attracts the right crowd and will bring in like-minded people. However, there is a catch to only advertising through word of mouth. For example, it can take forever to grow if you're only relying on word of mouth. Also, if the people you are recruiting to your forum aren't really big into forums or posting your forum growth can stall. Some of my favourite ways to get more people talking would be to make it easy to share, give members a reason to want to invite others, maybe create referral perks or exclusive content to those who refer your forum/website. Team up with influencers in your niche so you can attract the right people and help spread the word. The last way is of course using your SEO to your advantage. Make your posts/threads searchable so people can find your community when they're looking for answers. At the end of the day, word of mouth is great, but you've got to give people a reason to talk as well as make it easy for new members to find you. I don't think word of mouth alone will work to create an active forum, however it is a very good strategy to use to get some people to join.

All of these sound like amazing ways to not only keep members but to encourage members to be active and encourage new users to become members. It's a lot of time, dedication and hard work to build an engaging community and really your work never ends as you should be upgrading the forum regularly, posting regularly and encourage members to participate in posting as well as joining contests. Thanks for posting these points [mention=55]Shawn Gossman[/mention], very helpful and true!

I'm excited to hear how your project is coming along [mention=55]Shawn Gossman[/mention]! Like I've posted previously I've never had my own wiki page but I would love to hear how your project has taken off =)

I'd love to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day filled with love and happiness. I know Valentine's day was made up by the businesses to create more profit and business but I love to use this day as a reminder of all of the things I love and appreciate. Almost like a second Thanksgiving :P My boyfriend and I don't really celebrate Valentine's day both because we don't need to do anything special to know that we love and appreciate each other and because it is so close to our anniversary date things would get expensive if we celebrated Valentine's day. That's not to say I don't get him a little something but we don't go all out or go out for dinner or anything. This will be our second year together and both years I've just cooked us a special meal and after we talk about our future goals as aouple and where we would like to be in a year, 5 years etc. What do you usually do on Valentine's day? I'd love to hear =)

I honestly don't see why necroposting would be a bad thing. The user is still adding value to the forum and in my eyes keeping the forum current and active. It doesn't matter what thread they reply to as long as it is on topic and adds value. I myself am someone who does a lot of necroposting, I like to bring the old threads back to life and sometimes people forget that the old posts even exists so I like to go to old threads that haven't been active in a while and post so I can give them another chance to flourish. I've never gotten any negative feedback for doing this and to be honest I've had forum owners encourage me to do so. Sometimes it's sad to see a good quality thread go dead so it's nice when a member brings it back to life and gives it another chance to be active and popular again. In my mind if a forum were to ban necroposting it could make the forum look dead and abandoned. Until I get asked to stop, I will continue being a necroposter and help the forum threads re-circulate.

This is an amazing opportunity! If I had a forum/website I'd definitely be in, unfortunately for now all I have is a business Facebook page :P I hope a lot of people sign up though cause it's an easy way to win free advertising.

Ahh well that's amazing! I'm sure members appreciate the free skins, it can definitely be difficult to find a good free theme/skin

To be honest the subforum part is always one of the most difficult parts for me. I'm bad at coming up with original/creative names. I do agree with you though that putting the news, rules and introduction section at the top of the forum since that's the first thing members or guests will see.

I mean I would prefer if a user uses an avatar but I completely understand if they don't. Sometimes people like to remain a little anonymous and don't really know what to put as an avatar which is fine. For a while I didn't really use an avatar and it was simply because I was too lazy to think of what picture I wanted to use and I also didn't want to have to change anything.

It's okay to be biased, I mean after all it is a gift and if you just gave it to everyone it wouldn't feel as special. I'll admit I only sent out about 5 of them, would I like to shower everyone with gifts, of course! But then the people who received them wouldn't feel so special. I mean after all it is up to you because you are the one sending the gift, but don't feel guilty or bad if you only select a few to receive the Valentine's day gift. I'm sure they would appreciate it regardless =). P.S. don't waste one on me if you do decide to send them out because I am not staff on any forums so I wouldn't be able to use it either way. 😜

Oh wow, I am sooo sorry to hear that! That must have been soul crushing and devastating! I've made that mistake before too to not back anything up and though it did affect me and the forum it didn't have such a major effect as it did on you. I'm glad you've learned from the mistake though.

7. It creates a sense of belonging. In a world that can sometimes feel isolating, a community provides a space where people feel seen, heard, and valued. It’s a place where friendships grow, support is always available, and no one has to feel alone.

Honestly, what excites me the most about building a forum is seeing members come back and stay active. I've worked so hard to create a space where people feel welcomed, valued, and excited to engage. There's something so rewarding about seeing real conversations spark, connections form, and people feeling comfortable enough to share their thoughts. It’s not just about creating a platform—it’s about building a community where everyone has a voice. Seeing that come to life? That’s what kept me going. 💛

YES! Thank you! I'll get to the notifications when I get to them but I don't need them bombarding my email and then I've got to delete so many emails. I'm glad someone agrees with me ;)

Forum growth to me would be the process of increasing both the size of the and engagement of a forum community. This would include attracting new members, encouraging active participation, and fostering a supportive, interactive environment where people feel motivated to contribute regularly.

I no longer have a forum but the longest I've run a forum was about 2 years

Honestly, I always turn off the notifications myself when a forum does this and it's solely because I am someone who will check the forum when I check the forum. I don't like having email after email about someone who replied or reacted to one of my posts. I can be a busy person so getting these emails can be a little annoying. However, I do enjoy having the notifications on the forum itself so when I log into the forum I can get an update on what's been going on since the last time I've logged on. As far as email goes though, I tend to turn that off just because I am not one to reply right away or feel like I have to rush to reply.