Growth How do you decide whether to add a new section to your forum?

[Cedric]

Imagine this: A member suggests adding a new forum or sub-forum to your already extensive list of sections. You’ve got enough discussions and threads that could fit into this new category, but you’re not sure if it’s worth it. The thought of adding it, only for it to sit empty and unused, makes you cringe. Sure, you can always remove it later, but you’d rather get it right the first time.

So, how do you make that decision? What kind of considerations do you weigh before adding a new section? Do you have set criteria or requirements, like a minimum number of existing threads or a clear demand from your community? Or do you take a leap of faith and see how it plays out?

Have you ever added one that turned out to be a huge success - or a total flop?

 

[InMyOpinion]

I definitely overthink this kind of decision because an empty sub-forum just looks bad. If I’m considering adding one, I usually ask myself:

• Are there already enough threads on this topic to justify it?
• Have members actually requested it, or is it just one person’s idea?
• Would it help organize the forum better, or just add clutter?

If I’m on the fence, I might test it out by pinning a megathread first. If that thread gets steady engagement, then I know there’s real interest and it makes sense to expand. But if it flops, I just let it fade instead of having an empty sub-forum sitting there awkwardly.

I’ve definitely had both wins and flops! Sometimes, I thought a section would take off and it just... didn’t. Other times, something I hesitated on ended up being one of the most active parts of the forum.