Originally Posted by ark

what is that??

It's when forum owners post in each others forums to help get things going. Check the link in my sig (to The Forum Zone) for more detailed info.

I have heard that a good way to incorage posting in a new forum is to create a few ghost users and start a few threads and answer them using the ghost users. This should help a new forum get over that ghost town feel.

As for getting traffic I would think high search engine rankings would be best for popular topics but Niche topics are always going to be an up hill strugle. I spose it would be time to start thinking outside of the box, for example a forum on a local type of ale could be promoted on another forum that focuses on ale in general. Just an idea.

Originally Posted by Jamesanderson

I have heard that a good way to incorage posting in a new forum is to create a few ghost users and start a few threads and answer them using the ghost users. This should help a new forum get over that ghost town feel.

You have to be good at it though - if it's obvious it's the same person actually making the posts it won't help, and could actually discourage people from signing up.

Hey. I just remembered that i wrote something about forum promotion some time ago.

Its a bit simple but answers some common questions

Might as well post it here


For everyone who has/is going to/wants to set up a forum, here are a few tips to help attract the members…

1. Create new users yourself.
Right, you've set up your forums, made some posts, made a skin. But there is one thing missing :bawling: members.
Sometimes a forum needs a kick start to get it going, creating a double identity can help. You register yourself several times under different usernames, and then you post under each username. Also don’t forget to post under the admin username as well; a guest likes to see an active admin. To a guest, it seems as if there is a small community going so they have a reason for joining.

Note: Some people are against this....


2. Submit to search engines
Simple! Use a free submission service like Addme – http://www.addme.com

3. Submit to forum directories
See the links section; try to find directories with a high PR to help your PR. Don’t bother with services that submit your site to directories for a fee, its easier (and cheaper) to do it yourself.

4. Make your forum stand out
Try to find a good skin to fit your forum to make it stand out from the rest and so the forum does not look like a 'stock board', make your logo stand out and unique. If in doubt find some help on the many forum helper sites. Also find some smiles, remember, everyone likes smiles


5. Get a domain name
It will make your forums look more professional and also boost your traffic. 1and1.co.uk offer cheap domain names (starting at 2 quid a year for a .co.uk )

6. Links
Try to find link exchanges and set up a links page. More links = Higher PR = more members/traffic! A link exchange with a site that is related to yours but not direct competition is the best. Ask around!

7. Join a post exchange
Read about post exchanges at http://www.theforumzone.com, these can be a usefull way of starting of your community.

8.Run some competitions

This will give guests an incentive to register as they may win something. Popular competitions are:

• Site of the month
• Most posts by {Date here}
• Member of the month
• Thread if the month

Prizes are a must!

9. Post yourself

The admin plays a vital role in starting a community. Just because you are the 'boss' doesn't mean you can just sit back and watch. Guests want to see the admin playing a part in community discussion



Links


Directories

http://www.forumshowcase.com/
http://www.forumzilla.com/
http://www.forum-search.com/
http://www.forum-search.com/
http://www.boardreader.com/

Forum Skinning Help/Free skins

IPB

http://www.ipbhelpers.com
http://www.invisionize.com/
http://www.invisionskins.com/
http://www.nbsdesignz.com/
http://www.ipb-graphics.com/

vB

http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/
http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/
http://www.vbulletin.nl


More Info

http://www.theadminzone.com
http://www.theforumzone.com

Remember that your forum will never become an instant success, don't expect floods of members joining within hours of it being set up. Patience is needed when starting a community.

Hey there,

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get more forum members especially active ones?

How can I make my forum differen't so that it attracts people who will post questions and give answers?

Appreciate your help

Ben

http://www.webmaster-talk.com/social-network-marketing-tycoon/7543-all-discussion-on-getting-traffic-forums.html

Heey you all

I'm trying to start a new forum:
http://www.top-download.net/forum/
My site already has the traffic, 2000 uniques yesterday.
But so far i only got 15 members in my forum. The smilies and avatars are set the forum is costumized. All it needs is to bring in members.

For me this will be a learning experience since it will be my first time.
Promotion is something i'm quite good at so it should work.
Still i would like some advice from the more experienced webmasters out there.
If you feel like learning how to start of a forum or sharing you knowledge with others
then please join the forums. And discuss the development of the forum in the forum promotion thread.

In the end we should end up with a great deal of experience and knowledge in forum building.
Which i then offcourse will post in this forum.

Greetz
Thierry Schellenbach

http://www.theadminzone.com is a good resource for community admins and owners....

Hi, been following your topic on forum promotion for a while now. I have the same problem with my forum www.musicdiscussion.co.uk (not getting enougth traffic)

I have submitted my forum to most of the links that you guys recomended "200 or so free non-reciprocal directories you can list in"

I really need traffic, where do I go from here, I was thinking about going for the link exchange idea with other websites. So if anyones intrested let me know it would be a great help.

I have looked around on the internet where you can pay for traffic, does that work well?

Any Input would be a great help.

Thanks Richard

I've been looking into many different mods for our forum:
http://www.newworldproducts.org/forum/ . The problem I am running into is installing the new mod once its been downloaded.. Anyone have any info?

Thank you very much for your input

Hi I think I can help you all. There are websites that will have real writers go to your forum and do posts for you. It doesn't cot much and you can get a lot of action from it. A good one is www.communityboost.com

Give it a shot if you need traffic to your forums.

Also add some content to forums such as news updates, weather info, etc.

Originally Posted by smartguy

no matter the trafic you bring, the quality is that matters. so,
for start you have to get a team of good topic admins that
will answer any question so people get some benefint from
wasting their time on your forum.

you should also post some starting topics, like some tips and
interesting information

it's not that true :-/ my forum has pretty much many of the good topics, but just need more marketing :-/ >.< I'm marketing newbie la.. hehe.. need help plz thx

Originally Posted by Montero

VW Jetta Forums

i've made this forum long time ago, but i have only 50 members
I tried advertising on other VW sites, but it didnt do any good.

any info

Laksmono.com
I have total 32 members I think :-/ but the people those are active are only around 3 - 5 :-/ sad... yeah... hmm.. I'm pretty new in marketing knowledge hehe but my forum is still pretty new forum though..

this site is great....

SEO is the key

I'll trade forum posts with anyone wanting to promote their forum. Send me a PM or Email.

Exchange can be similar to
5 topics - 10 posts for each forum.

Let me know

Ok so I started a forum on my site, but how or what is a good way to spread the word about it and to get people to join?
Do I use adsense or something to promote it?

Any help would be great

There are several ways to promote it. The first being your site itself, while surfing your site, I noticed that I had to dig in order to find the link to the forum. I would suggest placing it on the front page. Also, have you tried any SEO? Your site could become extremely popular with a few tricks done here and there. PM me, and I can go into detail more.

First take initiative yourself by making some posts and threads alongwith help of your friends and family to make your forum look busy with activity. Register in similar high traffic forums and add your forum's URL in your sig. Introduce a referral program and run a few contests to attract new members.