Growth Best starter topics on a new forum?

[Cpvr]

What topics do you think are the best to post when you’re first starting a new forum? These topics can cover anything that encourages conversations and helps members get to know each other.


Good topics are key to establishing a brand-new forum, getting it off the ground, and sparking initial conversations.

So, what topics do you usually start with when you first launch a new forum?

 

[InMyOpinion]

Great topics that will help build your forum will be topics that.
1. Has to do with your forum theme/topic. If your forum is about cars but you're posting about Barbies no one will care.
2. That will ask open-ended questions so others will want to reply and be encouraged to add to the post. Don't just "tell" people information. Ask them about their advice or experience so they feel like what they have to say matters and is wanted.
3. Topics that will pique interest and conversation. If you're rude or demeaning members may not want to reply or be a part of the community. If you're friendly, fun and encouraging members will want to be around and will in turn want to be a part of the discussion.
4. It should encourage thought and reflection. If the post doesn't add anything to their lives or if it doesn't appeal to them, they won't be likely to reply or post.
5. The topics should be topics you'd also want to encourage your members to want to post and create threads about. If you just post a thread topic that has 5 words and a question it may not get as many replies as a post that you put more time and effort in. That being said if the post is too long and doesn't flow well it can have the opposite effect, and people may not want to reply or even read through it. Instead write a post that will engage members and be a model post to what you'd want your members to post like. Check for spelling and punctuation, you want it to look professional and easy to read. Knot sometin dat peepole hav 2 rlly thinck n gess wat u r saiing.

Ultimately, the topics that will help build your community will be post that are relevant to what your forum is about, and people will want to discuss. Posts that encourage replies and discussion and posts that are reflecting what type of posts you expect of your members.

A great new community post is "What do you think of our forum?" It's amazing to get feedback, especially when you are starting out and thee community is new. Yes you may get a lot of "The forum isn't as active as I'd like" or "there aren't as many members as I was expecting" and those are things you can work on and can come in time. But sometimes, even if you are a pro at making and creating forums/communities you may have missed a few key features or overlooked something that a new member with fresh eyes to the forum will see. Plus it's always good to get feedback and have goals as to "where do we go from here? What do we want the forum to look like in a year, two years, etc."

Those are my opinions on how you can help build your forum at the early stages of the community. Hope you enjoyed =)

 

[Allan]

I always to try start all new topics at first with questions that will hopefully make member engage more, and I try to never ask another question in the same thread.

 

[Shawn Gossman]

Controversial topics are a good start.

Those are the ones that get people emotionally involved.

 

[Cory]

Controversial topics are a good start.

You have to be careful with them though, because some people take them too seriously and go over the top with the type of responses they give to others.

I sometimes start with basic questions and "list" threads such as "Last film/series you saw" or "What are you listening to". Everyone can generally relate to those types of threads. I don't mind the good old Community Chat thread where everyone is free to offload their thoughts and say their hellos.

It all depends on your niche, of course.

 

[fdk]

It's important to have a good blend of content when launching a new site, but it's also important to ensure that the majority of the content initially posted is in the main areas of the forum. I'm still shocked at how many new forums I visit where they have only 100 posts in their main topic categories but 500+ posts in their off-topic areas. For me, in a way, this is a little off-putting. It signals that there's a lot of members present who aren't interested in the topic of forum, and as a regular member, that makes me question why those people are there in the first place.

 

[Wise Owl]

I open for each subforum at least 2 topic to start it going. I tend to avoid general talk topics because it invites people to write low quality posts. I want people to focus more on the theme of the forum and not on the general topics.

 

[Ravenfreak]

I feel that lots of people enjoy talking about their lives and like to share what's going on. So I suggest adding a section for general life chat and make thought provoking threads. Maybe go beyond a simple "what did you eat last" thread and maybe make a thread like "Is there a dish you would like to try to try someday that you never had?" Go that extra mile, because once you do you will get more engagement. Always try to think outside of the box, and maybe check other forums to get some ideas if you're stumped.

 

[Wise Owl]

I feel that lots of people enjoy talking about their lives and like to share what's going on. So I suggest adding a section for general life chat and make thought provoking threads. Maybe go beyond a simple "what did you eat last" thread and maybe make a thread like "Is there a dish you would like to try to try someday that you never had?" Go that extra mile, because once you do you will get more engagement. Always try to think outside of the box, and maybe check other forums to get some ideas if you're stumped.

Personaly, I am against these topics because there is not much to tell; answers are short. My forum is about Asian culture, so what is the point of discussing what was the last thing you ate if it doesn't contain words that would optimize my SEO. I need people to discuss festivals, music, traditions (history), movies / tv series from asia. Those kind of stuff.

 

[Cedric]

Personaly, I am against these topics because there is not much to tell; answers are short. My forum is about Asian culture, so what is the point of discussing what was the last thing you ate if it doesn't contain words that would optimize my SEO. I need people to discuss festivals, music, traditions (history), movies / tv series from asia. Those kind of stuff.

Yet, there should still be a place for it. Small talk is often how a community bonds. It doesn’t belong in your core focus topics, but an off topic section could easily have those kind of discussions with benefits.