Would you rather buy or build a community?

[Cedric]

If you wanted to run a successful online community, would you rather start from scratch or buy an existing one?

Building a community from the ground up gives you full control over its vision, rules, and vibe - but it also takes time, effort, and patience to grow an active user base. On the other hand, buying an established community means skipping the early struggle, but it comes with challenges like adapting to an existing user base and maintaining engagement. But the existing user base might not be the easiest to work with or might not like you being their new community leader.

Which path do you think is better? Would you rather build something from the ground up or take over an existing forum and shape it into your own?

 

[Cory]

I would rather start afresh than take over someone else's work. I've always been more fond of creation than duplication, in which you create your vision, not duplicating someone else's. Patience has gotten me 2,000+ members and 18,000+ posts in the past 5+ years. I think my dedication and work have paid off in the long run. Besides, I've mostly run resource boards for specific forum software where I would rather be the primary visionary behind the resources released.

 

[Ravenfreak]

I personally would love to start from scratch. There's nothing wrong with purchasing a well established forum, but something about building my own community from the ground up just feels more rewarding.