Reflect on the niche of your forum for a moment. How well do you know the subject? Would you consider yourself more of a learner or a teacher within your forum's niche?

 

Do you believe it's essential for niche forum owners to be subject matter experts? Can a forum thrive if the owner isn’t seen as an authority in the field? Do you think becoming an expert is something that can be achieved while managing the forum, or is it best to have a solid foundation of knowledge before launching it?

 

Let’s discuss your thoughts on the role of expertise in building a successful niche forum. Do you think knowledge alone is the key to success, or are there other factors that play a role?

I think the forum owner should definetely have a fair amount of knowledge based on their niche. It is the owner's job to set the foundation of the board through supporting by any means possible. Take my board for instance, if I had no coding knowledge I would be dependent on the members or staff I hire to fulfill the objective of the board. That's pretty much seeking benefits for the board, whether it's a popularity contest or monetization. Why create a forum for a specific niche you have no passion/knowledge of?

Why create a forum for a specific niche you have no passion/knowledge of?

Pretty much me when I once had a social science forum... 🤦‍♂️

Yes. I believe they should have some good knowledge of the subject. I don't see myself starting a pharmaceutical website since I literally know zero about it. You wouldn't be able to passionately post or manage the board if you don't know anything about it. On the other hand, you also don't want to get cocky thinking you're a know it all. Stay humble, and know you can learn every day.

Only that for my case, I was a social science student last year and do know certain elements of it... the only problem I just had was being unable to get a target audience.

 

I'll just stick to my wee techy forum :P

I think the forum owner should know about the subject matter but they don't necessarily need to be an expert or a professional. However, if you're going to offer services than I believe you should be an expert, it would be such a horrible thing to offer a service that you know nothing about. So being an administrator, you should have some knowledge but you can learn more as you go. BUT if you're going to be offering services you definitely should be an expert/professional or hire one to complete the services.

If not experts, they should at least have above average knowledge about the niche. Forums are discussion boards where you share your views, if you know nothing about the topic, how would you be able to create topics and reply on the topics. However, this is basically for niche forum, for a general discussion forums, you don't need to be an expert or have special knowledge on anything.

I absolutely don't think that it's necessary for a forum owner to be an "expert" in the subject matter of the forum, but they should probably have at the very minimum a basic understanding of the topic and ideally at least an intermediate level of knowledge and be able to answer/create basic topics on the forum about the subject.

 

It's important also to have some kind of interest in the area... running a forum that caters for a subject you don't have a particular interest in can of course become tedious and feel like a chore, which is not normally conducive to running a prosperous community.

My last forum I would have been considered the SME. But in the process it, well, it just felt like work.

 

My latest forum I am certainly not an SME, but I enjoy the subject and have always.

 

I had to make a choice.

Yes I think the forum owner should have knowledge of the niche they're choosing for their community. I wouldn't make a math forum since I suck at math, or for another example I wouldn't make a forum about sports because I'm not too interested in them. Even if it's just a little knowledge, as long as you're able to contribute to your community it will flourish.

The problem with a little knowledge is that a little knowledge correlates to a much higher estimated confidence level about that knowledge.

 

Dunning and Kruger’s paper on the subject feels relevant.

Ideally yes, but I think what matters most is that they have a passion for their subject area, along with good community management skills.

 

(And of course, if they aren't subject matter experts themselves, then they need to be willing to learn from those who are - because those people are the forum's target audience!)

Being a subject matter expert is a bonus, not a requirement. What’s more important is that you:

 

• Show up consistently.
  
• Foster relationships.
  
• Create a thriving space for discussion.
  

Your success will come from building a loyal community, not from being the most knowledgeable person in the room.