What type of forum should I open?

[Raven]

To be honest, I was not thinking of the topic when i made one. I made one because a friend referred me to ProBoards and I got excited. Then later on, after I realized I wasn't getting very far, I started thinking about what I like and stuff like that. I started researching stuff and then I started to really get into anime. Thus why my URL isn't exactly a best choice, I didn't plan before hand. I did it to mess around and my forum started growing a lot and now I don't want to move because I can't transfer members and posts, plus my members say don't move, so yeah....
But to get a good board going, you're going to need great content.
Not only good content, but good colors and graphics a like.
Everything has to flow together just right.
So open a board on a topic you like, something popular, yet not over done. Unless you have the ability to beat competition, your chance of success is low to begin with. But then again there's nothing like determination. Good luck all!

[JB3]

I hope this is an okay place to post this but anyway i have owned several successful efed boards but just recently i gave it to one of my good staff members because like you all said all those RPG boards are getting quite boring. So again i opened up another one that i really took some time before hand to work on the coding and the overall look of the place. But anyways i did all this without the thought of the forum's theme. I really like forums who have maybe one board for debates but i think it would be fun to make an entire forum just for debating on several different subjects. I guess that falls in the general theme and i am sure there are some similiar to my idea out there but i dont think there are too many so i could attract a lot of members. But then again ive always wanted to start a "overlay Layout" myspace help site because i love making overlays on myspace for people and i havnt seen ANY forums with that subject. But then again a layout site may attract people to join but i dont think any of them would stay active and i dont blame them because whats the point. Of course theres the thought of combining the two ideas but that would be a complete clash and would take away from the website.

Any help on maybe starting this debate board idea of mine?

[sleepylazy2006]

My forum is a place for conversations, I have diffrent sub forums for diffrent interests. Mine is basically a general disscussion forum, for people of all interests. I think a general discussion forum is a good forum for people to socialize with others.

[SpaWn]

Well i sometimes think of what boards i am going to make, I've had 2 harry potter's, 3 footy ones, and an efed one which is going quite well, but the footy and harry potter ones just went downhill. I think you have to make something unique thats totally different to other peoples board, Ive seen some of these that have done really well and so succesful. I have opened another rpg site which is all about a gangsters life which i think is different and unique, but then again how many people want to join a gangsters site, you have to have been on many people sites to see what people like to make a succesful site. I've been trying for a while now and i haven't got one. So to pick what type of forum you should open 1st join some other peoples to see what people like, Or open one that your friends like.

[universedaily]

Its true that the most popular subjects get too many copycats and only a handful of the biggest boards gain anything but its easy to go to the other extreme too. If you choose a topic that's just too specialised then its unlikely anyone will find it without some serious advertising.

I started a board on atomic bomb powered rocketry. Extremely specialised. While everyone was welcome and we tried to cater to newcomers to the subject it was clear from the get go that there wasn't many people in the world who even knew this subject existed. So I collected the emails of every engineer who had written an article about it. Soon I had some vibrant discussions going on. This drew in curious science fiction writers and websurfers who thought we were all nuts. Eventually it became the largest science group at Yahoo. Atleast until the egroups merger which wrecked many forums there.

Now I try to provide a broader base of topics for visitors to look over. I've seen this happening everywhere and it seems to be the new trend. Even the most specialised space and astronomy sites are widening their interests to accomodate everything from general science to ufology. It keeps things from getting stale because people posting in one forum frequently look in on others they wouldn't normally be interested in and this can provide the members with thoughtful responses from outsiders that are completely out of the box as well as help educate the public.

[Rhiannon]

I absolutely agree with the point that creating a board about a subject that already has hundreds of other boards based on it is repititous and unoriginal. Sometimes, merely bringing a few common subjects together into one site, in my opinion, can help to prevent from looking like just another trend-follower.
I believe my board would be considered a general discussion board, becasue although I have several specific interests on my board, I also have several "off topic" areas. Places for random rambling, games, quizzes, polls, and that sort of thing. Also, like I said, I chose to deal with several specific points of interest, not just one. This should make my site appealing to more people, expanding my "demographic" from just one group of people, to just about anybody.

[Molly Weasley]

I created a forum about something I'm intrested in and that I like. I love going on to the site and I can meet people who, like me, love the Everton FC. I created a simple blue and white skin as there are the everton colours and then used the everton badge as a banner and it looks simple yet good and enjoy the site too.

I recommendcreating a site on one of your intrests as it makes it more enjoyable for you. Don't however make it on a number of intrests as a person might join to post in just one board which means most of your boards will be empty.

So yes, an original, yetsimple forum that hasn't been done too many times or a completely different idea!

Best of Luck with All Your Boards,

Missy X

[kelendria]

I decided to open a board on a music group.
Now that group has since disbanded & I'm left with an empty board.
I've tried to make it into a music & general board to gain wider interest, but trying to change a well established board is hard.
I even deleted it then brought it back!
It's hard to have boards with alot of the same subjects (eg: Harry Potter) but you've got to make yours stand out & unique I guess!

[racinfan88]

Well I thought my NASCAR forum would be more popular since there arent that many NASCAR forums but I havent had any luck. I dont understand why General talk, gaming forums and harry potter forums are so much better than say my forum. There are so many of those forums and so few of forums like mine, yet almost all of those forums get more active members and become huge forums. This is very frustrating for me and probably everyone else who made a decent or better forum yet hasnt had any luck with members. I guess GD, HP and GF will the main forums for now. I hope no more HP or GD forums are made and very few more gaming forums are made. I hope more originally forums will be made.


RF88

[pcdude]

racinfan88 said:

Well I thought my NASCAR forum would be more popular since there arent that many NASCAR forums but I havent had any luck. I dont understand why General talk, gaming forums and harry potter forums are so much better than say my forum. There are so many of those forums and so few of forums like mine, yet almost all of those forums get more active members and become huge forums. This is very frustrating for me and probably everyone else who made a decent or better forum yet hasnt had any luck with members. I guess GD, HP and GF will the main forums for now. I hope no more HP or GD forums are made and very few more gaming forums are made. I hope more originally forums will be made.


RF88

I beg to differ. I opened my computer forum a month ago, and it's doing really well right now. True, there aren't many (if any) other similar forums on Proboards, but just because there aren't wasn't a guarantee that mine was going to do well. It's all about how much effort you put into it. Myself, I spend hours each day promoting my forum, in a variety of ways. And when it comes to promoting, you really have to think outside the box. Those Harry Potter and gaming forums take off because both are extremely popular topics. But that probably isn't the only reason. The people who start these forums probably are or were members of other, larger forums of the same topic. Or they may know other people who are. When it comes to being successful, its all about networking and promoting. If you really work hard at it, your forum will succeed.

[racinfan88]

I beg to differ. I opened my computer forum a month ago, and it's doing really well right now. True, there aren't many (if any) other similar forums on Proboards, but just because there aren't wasn't a guarantee that mine was going to do well. It's all about how much effort you put into it. Myself, I spend hours each day promoting my forum, in a variety of ways. And when it comes to promoting, you really have to think outside the box. Those Harry Potter and gaming forums take off because both are extremely popular topics. But that probably isn't the only reason. The people who start these forums probably are or were members of other, larger forums of the same topic. Or they may know other people who are. When it comes to being successful, its all about networking and promoting. If you really work hard at it, your forum will succeed.

I disagree. I have put A LOT of effort making and promoting my site and I have had absolutely no luck. I dont know what else I could do for promoting and advertising. I put it on google and many BIG proboards. I think your topic is just more popular than mine.

[pcdude]

racinfan88 said:

I beg to differ. I opened my computer forum a month ago, and it's doing really well right now. True, there aren't many (if any) other similar forums on Proboards, but just because there aren't wasn't a guarantee that mine was going to do well. It's all about how much effort you put into it. Myself, I spend hours each day promoting my forum, in a variety of ways. And when it comes to promoting, you really have to think outside the box. Those Harry Potter and gaming forums take off because both are extremely popular topics. But that probably isn't the only reason. The people who start these forums probably are or were members of other, larger forums of the same topic. Or they may know other people who are. When it comes to being successful, its all about networking and promoting. If you really work hard at it, your forum will succeed.

I disagree. I have put A LOT of effort making and promoting my site and I have had absolutely no luck. I dont know what else I could do for promoting and advertising. I put it on google and many BIG proboards. I think your topic is just more popular than mine.

Yo've got to do more than that. Much more. There are many, many ways of advertising. Those are only two of those ways.

[racinfan88]

I cannot believe there would be more effective ways than those two. I did just add mine on like 200 search engines on one of the previously posted, but what else could I do. This is ridiculous! Maybe I will try something new but what. Maybe affiliates? I might try those!

[Lou]

I have thought about this when making message boards. Before, when I had a few message boards, there was one that was just a general role playing board. We had the shop code in use and members could buy items to help them in the "world" they were roleplaying in. Just think of something interesting is my suggestion. Something you like though. If you are really into Harry Potter, join a Harry Potter board, since there are tons of those already out there.

[pluckyclown]

conqueringwolf said:

I consider this to be one of the main points for whether or not a board is going to be successful or not on Proboards. What kind of a topic can you make a board around that is at least semi-unique and what will you offer people to make them want to join your board instead of someone else's?

A good example of this is the amount of Graphics Design and Harry Potter boards that have been opened in the past and even currently. While these are great topics to build a board around I do not consider them practical to open unless you are going to be able to offer your members something the other boards do not already have.

Another big problem is the lack of effort that people are putting into these types of boards and they expect to compete against the established successful boards. They expect they can throw on a monochrome grey template with designs that have been used a million times already and *Poof* they magically have a great design board...I don't think so. Why would someone join a board that is either templated or looks like it took 5 minutes to make when there are other boards already established they can go to. Or the Harry Potter boards that are bland and don't even look like HP except for the fact they have 1001 boards made you can post in.

The subject of your board is something that needs to be thought of if you seriously want to have a successful board. Making one that is just another also ran with 1000 others is not going to give you a very high success chance.

Now what do you think?

First post in a long time for me, so here goes let's see if I still have the nack of making a good post lol.

First of all, I think that there is way too manty of basically any Forum. People think up of a semi unique idea and then someone see it and says: "Hey, that's a pretty good topic, I'll see if I can make one like that." They then go off and try and outdo that Forum. I know because I have done that many a time and so has a lot of other people.

I agree with you on the Graphics front. There is way to many premade templates been used, it is just lazy and to tell the truth isn't really going to get you a whole lot of members, your Graphics are like your topic; they have to be unique. Don't just think that people are going to love it when they have seen that design many a times and are going to think, "wow this is unique." They aren't.

I think that if you really want to own a board nowadays you really have to make it unique as you possibly can, otherwise there is basically no chance, they have been done before so the topic isn't really unique, so you have to make the content and they graphics make up for it, you have to make people think wow, I've never seen this type of board before, and wow I've never seen that feature used before. Not oh, not this again I've seen it so many times.

If you want to have loads of members, make a unique front, and ADVERTISE.