Hi, i have decided to have ago at creating a Hardware forum. I am thinking of starting off with just main help for hardware, software etc.., then build up into consoles etc.. A freind will be helping out, but he thinks, us 2 should just start setting it up, but i dont think this would be a good approach, was i was thinking of is finding some people and giving these people mod privilages for the below: Graphics Mod: We have a mod for taking charge of graphics on the forum, someone who is quite able with graphics, maybe even 2 mods. Prmoting: We have one mod that is responsible for promoting the forum, advertising etc.. Forum Managment: We have 2-4 mods for this, responsible for arranging the forums, keeping it tidy, simple not too many boards (a mistake i made on my first forum), so have a Mod for consoles, mod for software, mod for hardware etc.. I should of kept my last forum up as a reminder of failure, the forum had about 76 members of which 5 were active, 6000 posts, of which 2 threads known as Word game and Word game 2 dominated Also, from the admins, i am intrested to know how HWF started up, how many people started? what was the forum like at first, how did you start off? just hardware or software etc..? I am wanting to have a real try at making the forum, because i want to help people, i am not jsut setting this up for abit of fun, i would like to try to set my own support forum up as if it works i think it would be nice, and it would be a really nice feel setting up a forum and helping others
I tried creating a forum, and without a strong common interest it goes nowhere. Sorry, but I don't think you'll find many/if any members from here. One forums to check is enough for me, if its a forum for a different purpose maybe. E.g. Talk Coding - Programming Forums - Powered by vBulletin I helped out because its for a different purpose. Surely we have a good forum here especially for the purpose. Why would a member go to 2 forums for essentially the same purpose, when this one is larger and already has knowledgeable staff.
Ummmm, maybe because i want to try and see if i am capable of running a forum? Obviously HWF is a good forum, its awsome, i will always be on HWF, if i dident like HWF i dont think i would of done 3613 posts if i did not like it.
In that case, you should have said. If you want to know how to run a forum, buy web hosting and install phpbb, or buy vbulletin.
As far as mods go, I'd just wait and see who comes along. I've seen forums with very childish so-called "moderators". It's not the only bad thing, but it does make potential forum members think twice about wanting to deal with that crap. Don't have a moderator just to have a moderator. I can't remember if we've had more than 4-5 moderators at any given time. I've seen other places that need 5 mods for a single forum. I'd probably just run the show myself, or with your partner(s) and offer mod positions as need be and to who has desired qualifications. Good people will come, just wait it out. As for HWF, we've gone through a few changes. I've been here a little over 5 years, and we might've had one new post per week that wasn't myself, and sometimes including myself. I don't think it had been up very long when I got an e-mail from Sniper inviting me onboard. There are some forums that started up around the same time I joined HWF, but for whatever reason, they don't have the traffic we do. I did have my own website on Geocities back then (it's not there, so don't ask), but I'd started preparing a few articles for another website. When Sniper dropped a line, I thought about it and then went with them. The site I was going to work with folded. It just didn't fly very well, and the admin didn't really know that much about computers...keep in mind, I didn't know nearly as much as I know now either. Don't expect instant traffic. It's going to be slow for awhile, but that's with any website that starts from the ground up. Hell, I think Anandtech started off on Geocities by Anand Lal Shimpi...and look where it is now.
on that, if your looking to make a forum, computer hardware forums are good, but man there are so many its crazy. When i starting looking around for a good one, i went through like 4 other ones before here. They were just the top forums out of a search engine. So i think its also important to pick a really large topic, so you might want to do some brain storming for some big topics. Just my thoughts
We started TAZForum just over a year ago on Dec 2005 and now have over 700 members ( we delete all spam accounts or that would be much higher )...and over 50,000 posts... most forums go no-place fast..why??? because the people who start them don't realize the amount of work in getting them started... I can see from your post you don't know either...that means you have a very good chance at failure. Promotion itself takes a huge commitment and tons of drueling, boring, tedious, and brain wrenching hours...and you expect one volunteer mod to do that??? Good freakin' luck! The fact is...if you want a successful forum you have to be prepared...and willing to spend all of your free time developing and promoting it...no more parties, no more going to the bars, your life will be temporarily put on hold. 90% of new forums are lucky if they have 5000 posts their first year...and that's with moderate promotion. My advice...if you're serious about doing this...don't do it half-way...dive right in...or you're just wasting your time. Eg OH...and...even though BigB and Sniper are wayyyyyyy too polite to say so themselves...it's probably very bad form to come here and post you're starting a ' hardware ' forum ' IN ' a hardware forum...specifying you want mods, presumably as an enticement for people to join your community. It may be very innocent on your part...but very bad form.
It is in no way bad form, it would be if i put, hey guys, i made a hardware forums, all come and join!, i simple was wanting to know the best way to start a forum, nothing wrong with posting that here at all. And the other part that makes it even elss worse is the fact i am decided not to do a forum at all if its gonna take all my free time up. If it was bad form, then i am sorry and wish this thread to be deleted, but if it were bad in anyway i dont think BigB, Sniper or any other admin would hesitate to remove the thread or warn me. I simple just wanted to know about how HWFstarted, and how i could make a go at a forum myself.
My last post got squashed by the server change so we'll try it again... Like I said previously...it may not have been intentional but it still was bad form. For instance...let's say you had an ice cream store and Addis opened an ice cream store beside yours and then asked you if it'd be OK to post some store advertisements in your windows...now...if Addis was selling muffins that would be different...but he's selling the same thing you are...hence... bad form. And I wasn't trying to discourage you...just give you the facts...and the fact is a successful forum IS a lot of work...that's why there's so many virtually empty forums out there. Of course...if you've got $1000's of bucks to invest in promotion you could save yourself a lot of the work...but most don't start with a bank-roll of dough...we didn't. And those people who start forums or websites looking at making mega-bucks off AdSense are in for a big surprise to make any money off of PPC ( CPC ) or CPM ADs requires serious traffic...the best companies won't even touch you unless you're pulling 100.000-500,000+ unique visitors a month. Not exactly what I would call over-night success.
OK, just to clear one thing up. I would never open an ice cream shop. Simply because I would eat it all, and that would be bad for business . While it is possible to create and run a forum with little experience, it will not make it successful. However, if you want to try it out as a learning thing, no matter the end result then it is your choice.
I know i wont make a succesfull forum with little experience, i know this as i have ran one before and it failed. I wanted to know what i should do to start a forum, what i mean is how i should start it, minimal amounts of boards etc...
It's not an exact science. Start with some basic categories, and expand as needed. We didn't have as diverse of a hardware section, but over time, it made sense to add forums for a particular category.
Ok, i am gonna go ahead with the forum, might go with Invision or Proboards, maybe even Vbulliten, i am gonna get the basic things dont, post on some top sites etc.., try abit of patience, i know i have a slim chance, but maybe it could happen, you never know, anything can happen ;P. IceCream = Spew.
How successful it will be will be directly related to how much time and sweat you invest in it. A forum is like any other ' product '...and that's exactly what it is...a ' product '. And your job will be to make a product that people want...then promote it. No one is going to buy your product if they: 1. don't know about it 2. don't want it if you don't have at least 100 members and 5000 posts your first year...you're 1. not doing it right...2. your product isn't good enough...3. not giving enough of an effort....4. all three.
Well, i plan on starting it this way. Hardware board Software Board Games Consoles General Anouncments Maybe just a General board that discuses a range of things, not just stuff to do with techonology. I dont know about a flash skin for it, maybe that could be offputting, most of the time when i am on computer, i either game or post on forums, so i will be trying hard, i remember my last forum, i was on that all the time, but it was rushed and messy, it has more baords than this forum!, too complicated, half of the boards not got anything in them etc...
Are those categories or forums? 1. categories...I would initially suggest 4 2. forums...I would suggest initially a maximum of 12 3. feedback 4. what will set you apart from people offering the same thing? Initially target specific items that you have experience in...so you aren't dependent upon anyone else for content. 5. provide interesting content if I seem blunt I'm not trying to be...I'm just not candy-coating it...if you're serious about this then I shouldn't have to spoon feed you.
