NEED help with building a forum!

[Johnny Le]

Hello All,

I've been researching a specific niche for about a couple of weeks now and I believe the idea of connecting all of the people interested in this niche is a great way to add value in their lives! Currently, there is no exclusive forum that is offering what I have planned for this niche.

I'm hoping for tips or any kind of help at all! Yes, I have searched the forum to see if there was anything related to this topic. I haven't found one yet. So I was wondering if any of the forum members here have had any experiences with this ordeal! If so, please help!

Thanks for the help,

Johnny

 

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[Ravens_Shadow]

To just start out and test your idea, why not use a basic forum? Literally can get one up and running in less than a day..

After a few seconds of looking at google.

 

[Johnny Le]

To just start out and test your idea, why not use a basic forum? Literally can get one up and running in less than a day..

After a few seconds of looking at google.

I was thinking of doing that at first, but I wanted to create a forum that is visually appealing. One that will attract and retain active members.

I have already watched numerous videos on it. I was wondering if anybody on thefastlaneforum had their 2 cents they would want to put in.

 

[Ravens_Shadow]

To be honest, what's more enticing is the quality of the content on the forum. Other than a nice little banner at the top, not a whole lot you can do to it. There are a number of themes/skins you can get for forums out there. Take for example this forum: http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/

No one really cares what it looks like. Its functional, but there are thousands of members, I just became one today because i'm interested in talking to people who are machining model steam engines. Get Ready to launch, launch, then perfect your methods and make it prettier over time.

 

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[Johnny Le]

I agree with you 100% about the quality of content. I'll keep what you said in mind.

Although in the future in won't just be a forum. I'm looking to build an online retail store when it has a good amount of active members. But, like you said I can always perfect my methods over time!

 

[Scot]

Are you familiar with the concept of an MVP (minimum viable product) where it pertains to a startup? Do some quick research into what an MVP is and the Lean Startup method.

The biggest thing is you want to validate your idea. Start a forum now. Most people are used to using bland tapatalk forums at this point. Get it up and running, get people to join and contribute.

Once you've gotten enough people that you think to yourself "wow people actually care about this topic!" Then you can beef up the forum and then use that forum to move business over to your other services.

On the flip side, if you start your forum now, go hard recruiting for 6 months and only 5 people join, 2 are spammers, 1 never logs in and 2 actually start threads (with no replies), then maybe you should rethink your idea. But hey! You didn't spend any money or waste any time by only doing this.

 

[Andy Black]

You want to "build a forum"?

Be careful.


This post might help you:

• www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/stop-building-stuff.69842

As may this chat:

• www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/andytalks-with-tedm-about-blogging-authority-services-sitting-on-gold.69999

 

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[splok]

The great thing about forums is that you get to rely on your users to make interesting content. The bad thing is that when you have no users, you have no content. Why would anyone visit your empty forum?

Unless you have an otherwise captive audience or want to spend a few months talking to yourself, there are probably better ways to provide value in your niche besides building a forum. Maybe these people really need a place to gather and don't have one, but even so, you're going to have to find a way to provide value in a different way to attract them. The physical act of deploying a visually pleasing forum is literally the least important thing.

 

[minirich]

Niches have a problem, most of the new entries try to sell some thing. If you are into the same as the rest of the niche, get more involved. Reach out to your fellow enthusiasts, and help them, share your knowledge, but don't expect any compensation. And don't start to sell.

While you help and share knowledge you build your knowledge base which will act as your starting point for your next move.
If you are well estabished and respected in this community, you could start to suggest that a more formalized way of communication (forum) could help new commers and reentries to get up to speed with the new development in the niche.
And you could add your accumulated knoweldge in the member are. So if they visit the first time and join they already have a wealth of information they can read, and will come back. They will beome your salesforce to get fellow enthusiasts join the forum.

By the way many of these concepts are decribed in "the book" ,"The Millionaire Fastlane : Crack the Code to Wealth and Live Rich for a Lifetime" book.

 

[ApparentHorizon]

fam...

 

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[Johnny Le]

You want to "build a forum"?

Be careful.


This post might help you:

• www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/stop-building-stuff.69842

As may this chat:

• www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/andytalks-with-tedm-about-blogging-authority-services-sitting-on-gold.69999

My main goal is to connect everyone that is interested in this niche. All the while providing them with valuable information. I will definitely listen to the chat between you two!

 

[miked_d]

Are you already active in your niche? Why would people visit/participate in your new forum?

Perhaps start with a blog. Give to the community. If the comments become active, you know you have traction. Then you transition to your blog.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

idea of connecting all of the people interested in this niche is a great way to add value in their lives!

Before starting a forum, ask yourself, how do you "connect" to these people now?

A big Instagram following? Twitter? A FB page with 500,000 likes?

To start a forum you need the ability to CONNECT to your target audience otherwise you build yourself a dead forum.

For instance, when I started this forum, I was an active contributor on ANOTHER forum which was declining and mismanaged -- I connected with that forum's audience to build this one.

 

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[Johnny Le]

Thanks for the input guys! Now I'm starting to have some self-doubt.. I currently don't have a medium that connects with the audience in this niche and I'm not an active contributor in other forums.
But now I know what I must do. I have to be willing put other peoples wants above mine by helping them without the thought of anything in return. Thank goodness I picked up the book How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.

 

[Andy Black]

Before starting a forum, ask yourself, how do you "connect" to these people now?

A big Instagram following? Twitter? A FB page with 500,000 likes?

To start a forum you need the ability to CONNECT to your target audience otherwise you build yourself a dead forum.

For instance, when I started this forum, I was an active contributor on ANOTHER forum which was declining and mismanaged -- I connected with that forum's audience to build this one.

^^^ This. Wow. I didn't know that.

Thanks for the input guys! Now I'm starting to have some self-doubt.. I currently don't have a medium that connects with the audience in this niche and I'm not an active contributor in other forums.
But now I know what I must do. I have to be willing put other peoples wants above mine by helping them without the thought of anything in return. Thank goodness I picked up the book How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.

Listen to the chat I linked to above.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

This. Wow. I didn't know that.

Before starting a forum, ask yourself, how do you "connect" to these people now?

A big Instagram following? Twitter? A FB page with 500,000 likes?

To start a forum you need the ability to CONNECT to your target audience otherwise you build yourself a dead forum.

For instance, when I started this forum, I was an active contributor on ANOTHER forum which was declining and mismanaged -- I connected with that forum's audience to build this one.

Yes, at some point you have to connect to build -- the worst case scenario is you have to advertise a dead forum and talk to yourself.

When this forum started, I pretty much contributed to every thread.

 

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[Andy Black]

@Johnny Le

Listen to that chat and let us know what your takeaways are, and what you plan to do next.

Here it is again:

• www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/andytalks-with-tedm-about-blogging-authority-services-sitting-on-gold.69999

Here was @TedM's takeaways:

@Andy Black - thanks so much for your time and cheerfulness.

It was a great brainstorm session - the amazing idea that I took away - was .... be like Andy

Meaning - don't invest time and energy in setting your own blog, etc.... at least not in the beginning. Find fertile ground in an active existing community and jump in. If you can add real value (based on the feedback) and you enjoy the ride - then you can think about leveraging that to your own independent blog. And, you'll have an instant audience to boot (possibly).

Really, a terrific idea and an important contribution to the "reality testing - fail fast" conundrum we all face.

 

[Ravens_Shadow]

Here's a way to bring people together in your niche: Start a facebook group, get up to a few hundred "or more" members and then sticky a post saying there is now a dedicated forum. Let people chat for a few months and let the activity grow. Then personally message all of the top contributors and ask them if they could start discussing on the forum. Easy? Not really, better than nothing? Absolutely.

 

[Johnny Le]

^^^ This. Wow. I didn't know that.


Listen to the chat I linked to above.

I just finished listening to it and this is what I've learned:

• Find a busy forum specific to that niche and consistently contribute to the best of your ability
• The more you help people, the better you become at it
• The content you contributed in other forums, you could add to your own forum
• Record your content that you put out
• Put yourself in other member's shoes. What do they want to see?
• Watering hole metaphor
• Research how other forums are monetizing

What I plan to do next:

• Actively contribute to the forums I'm currently a member of.
• Set out a goal to help X amount of people each day.
• Start a social media account to build a following.
• Gather/research content to post on my own forum.
• Promote the forum

 

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[TedM]

For instance, when I started this forum, I was an active contributor on ANOTHER forum which was declining and mismanaged -- I connected with that forum's audience to build this one.

interesting.

 

[Champion]

Before starting a forum, ask yourself, how do you "connect" to these people now?

A big Instagram following? Twitter? A FB page with 500,000 likes?

To start a forum you need the ability to CONNECT to your target audience otherwise you build yourself a dead forum.

For instance, when I started this forum, I was an active contributor on ANOTHER forum which was declining and mismanaged -- I connected with that forum's audience to build this one.

This one comment is worth gold MJ. Thanks.

 

[francevalue]

I was thinking of doing that at first, but I wanted to create a forum that is visually appealing. One that will attract and retain active members.

I have already watched numerous videos on it. I was wondering if anybody on thefastlaneforum had their 2 cents they would want to put in.

Have you tried Wix?

 

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[curiousmarketer]

It would also help if this niche has lots of long-tail keyword searches. Organic traffic drives most of the traffic to forums, even though the % has decreased in the past few years.

Invest in SEO activities for the forum is a good idea