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[:~:Sarapha:~:]

Feb 12, 2015 17:31:34 GMT -8 Will said:

definitely not polar bear rp's

I'm totally making an RP based on the Err Bear. *srsface*

I'll have to agree with whoever said above me (most likely a red text techniwizard), that the forum really only is as popular as the people who run it through administration and advertising. My board, 8 years old and running, is a HPRPG, which the genre had a boom of popularity when I started the board. Like, seriously, thousands of boards. Over time, though, lack of moderation, advertising, I've come to find that only a small percentage of Harry Potter Role Plays exist from that time period.

The trick is not to find something popular, as fads come and go with the tide. The trick is to offer something unique, evolutionary, and appealing, no matter what is popular. Plus, to stay entirely active as administration. If you can't handle it all on your own, recruit members who have done good on the board to be staff members to help out. Otherwise, you can't just hit a million dollar idea and leave it to marinate, it doesn't work like that for anything except meat. (maybe veggies? You'll have to ask Seppy)

[mmhmm]

I think general forums do better if they have a focal point. Then, you can add in other areas but there should be, to me, some subject on which the forum focuses. Our forum focuses on money management, investments, etc. We also have areas for discussion of current events, politics, games to play, and just plain chatting. We have active moderators and a good, core group of posters. It's worked very well for us. 

[Former Member]

I would like to thank all those who replied.

I am still interested in this topic.



I do not like gimmicks.
I dislike a lot of gadgets.
I dislike a lot of decorative images.
I do not like an abundance of repetitive topics/categories.
I agree that a good administrator is important.

[Former Member]

Feb 12, 2015 13:02:22 GMT -8 Brian said:

The most popular ones tend to be topical.

The success comes from good advertising and administration.

Too much over advertising isn't always helpful.

I think the forum should speak for itself.

A good administrator is helpful.

[User 180565 is taking donation]

Feb 12, 2015 13:02:22 GMT -8 Brian said:

The most popular ones tend to be topical.

The success comes from good advertising and administration.

The worst kind are when forums get so big and mods start befriending members and side with them.

[Mid]

Feb 13, 2015 9:31:45 GMT -8 @womenonly said:

Feb 12, 2015 13:02:22 GMT -8 Brian said:

The most popular ones tend to be topical.

The success comes from good advertising and administration.

Too much over advertising isn't always helpful.

I think the forum should speak for itself.

A good administrator is helpful.

Over-advertising? The thing is that one should always keep advertising to keep fresh members coming in. I wouldn't say there's such a thing as "over advertising" unless one is repeatedly using the exact same source, such as posting an advertisement on the same forum 5 times.

Feb 13, 2015 9:47:02 GMT -8 User 180565 is taking donation said:

Feb 12, 2015 13:02:22 GMT -8 Brian said:

The most popular ones tend to be topical.

The success comes from good advertising and administration.

The worst kind are when forums get so big and mods start befriending members and side with them.

Siding with members on what grounds? In arguments, trolling, flaming, err?

[User 180565 is taking donation]

Feb 13, 2015 21:20:04 GMT -8 Mid said:

Feb 13, 2015 9:31:45 GMT -8 @womenonly said:

Too much over advertising isn't always helpful.

I think the forum should speak for itself.

A good administrator is helpful.

Over-advertising? The thing is that one should always keep advertising to keep fresh members coming in. I wouldn't say there's such a thing as "over advertising" unless one is repeatedly using the exact same source, such as posting an advertisement on the same forum 5 times.

Feb 13, 2015 9:47:02 GMT -8 User 180565 is taking donation said:

The worst kind are when forums get so big and mods start befriending members and side with them.

Siding with members on what grounds? In arguments, trolling, flaming, err?

Alot of times forums get so big users think that befriending mods will help them win an argument, I've seen forums where mods allowed other users to say abusive things just because they were friends with each other.

[Mid]

Feb 13, 2015 21:23:00 GMT -8 User 180565 is taking donation said:

Feb 13, 2015 21:20:04 GMT -8 Mid said:

Over-advertising? The thing is that one should always keep advertising to keep fresh members coming in. I wouldn't say there's such a thing as "over advertising" unless one is repeatedly using the exact same source, such as posting an advertisement on the same forum 5 times.

Siding with members on what grounds? In arguments, trolling, flaming, err?

Alot of times forums get so big users think that befriending mods will help them win an argument, I've seen forums where mods allowed other users to say abusive things just because they were friends with each other.

Ahh, okay, gotcha. That does sound pretty rough.

[:~:Sarapha:~:]

Feb 13, 2015 21:23:00 GMT -8 User 180565 is taking donation said:

Feb 13, 2015 21:20:04 GMT -8 Mid said:

Over-advertising? The thing is that one should always keep advertising to keep fresh members coming in. I wouldn't say there's such a thing as "over advertising" unless one is repeatedly using the exact same source, such as posting an advertisement on the same forum 5 times.

Siding with members on what grounds? In arguments, trolling, flaming, err?

Alot of times forums get so big users think that befriending mods will help them win an argument, I've seen forums where mods allowed other users to say abusive things just because they were friends with each other.

I had a similar case with this exact thing last year. A group of members formed their own fun little clique, hellbent on turning the forum into their own personal playground. One of my moderators, having been a member for 3 years, I figured I could trust. They got her into the clique, and she was pretty much torn between us. I would punish a member of the clique for breaking rules, they would guilt trip the mod, and I'd suddenly have 6 people pming me to say how unfair I was being.

It only went on as long as it did because I did not want to lose that mod, but I eventually ended up getting rid of all of them, and she left with them to rid herself off the stress.

[Brian]

Feb 13, 2015 9:31:45 GMT -8 @womenonly said:

Feb 12, 2015 13:02:22 GMT -8 Brian said:

The most popular ones tend to be topical.

The success comes from good advertising and administration.

Too much over advertising isn't always helpful.

I think the forum should speak for itself.

A good administrator is helpful.

I dunno if there's such a thing as advertising too excessively.

Feb 13, 2015 9:47:02 GMT -8 User 180565 is taking donation said:

Feb 12, 2015 13:02:22 GMT -8 Brian said:

The most popular ones tend to be topical.

The success comes from good advertising and administration.

The worst kind are when forums get so big and mods start befriending members and side with them.

There's nothing wrong with befriending members. There is something wrong with favoritism.

I've had to pass judgement on plenty of my friends here as a mod in the past.

[User 180565 is taking donation]

Feb 15, 2015 9:33:07 GMT -8 Brian said:

Feb 13, 2015 9:31:45 GMT -8 @womenonly said:

Too much over advertising isn't always helpful.

I think the forum should speak for itself.

A good administrator is helpful.

I dunno if there's such a thing as advertising too excessively.

Feb 13, 2015 9:47:02 GMT -8 User 180565 is taking donation said:

The worst kind are when forums get so big and mods start befriending members and side with them.

There's nothing wrong with befriending members. There is something wrong with favoritism.

I've had to pass judgement on plenty of my friends here as a mod in the past.

Thats the downer of being in charge some times you hurt feelings towards people you care about.

[The Maniac On Wheels (The MOW)]

Feb 13, 2015 9:47:02 GMT -8 User 180565 is taking donation said:

Feb 12, 2015 13:02:22 GMT -8 Brian said:

The most popular ones tend to be topical.

The success comes from good advertising and administration.

The worst kind are when forums get so big and mods start befriending members and side with them.

I left a forum, in a not-so-nice way, because the mods/admins did just that. A clique was formed by longtime members and staff, and they focused mainly on the General board and putting random topics together in boards that don't go together (I think one board was for school AND fashion).

I left it after I was told to stop posting music videos that featured professional wrestling because the admin created a professional wrestling board after my posts on the subject was taking over the Sports section (pro wrestling is covered by mainstream media in the sports section/segment) which was on life support because the clique wasn't scrolling past the General board. I was the one who created the music video thread after ProBoards added a YouTube button in the Reply page of threads (formerly with a YouTube logo on the button, now the movie clapboard button).