Hey its been awhile guys, hows it going? So as some of you know, Im Editor In Chief over at Loud Mouthed Gamers, and we're pretty successful but the one area we cant seem to keep going is the forums. What do you guys think is the best way to jump start a forum?
Archived: How to keep a forum active
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How to keep a forum active
06/24/11 3:38 pm | #1
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Re: How to keep a forum active
06/24/11 3:46 pm | #2
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Give them a reason to come to the forums, good discussions mostly, give it something unique other sites don't have, contests will help as well but surprisingly it's the little things that help, profile set up, a rank system, reward systems, posting interface the usual. But if your community isn't willing to put thought into the forums with discussions it's going to flounder.
Re: How to keep a forum active
06/24/11 3:53 pm | #3
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All good ideas, but getting a solid base for a large amount of time is the hardest thing to do.
And of course I return here to get ideas, this of course where I started and one of the most active forums Ive seen.
And of course I return here to get ideas, this of course where I started and one of the most active forums Ive seen.
Re: How to keep a forum active
06/24/11 3:54 pm | #4
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Quote by Kamikaze8:
Hey its been awhile guys, hows it going? So as some of you know, Im Editor In Chief over at Loud Mouthed Gamers, and we're pretty successful but the one area we cant seem to keep going is the forums. What do you guys think is the best way to jump start a forum?
1.) It helps to have a constant influx of members (xba's special signatures and state leaderboards do the trick here)
2.) Good moderators are a must. Someone who knows when to let the flames die out and when to run in with a fire extinguisher.
3.) An extra reason to post whether its to get Titles, Badges, etc. people like to earn invisible rewards.
4.) Advertisement of forums, many members here have www.xboxamerica.com in their signature on the xbox dashboard because doing so gives a badge, things like this go a long way.
5.) Articles to comment on don't hurt as well
Re: How to keep a forum active
06/24/11 3:57 pm | #5
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See I know thats what helped here, articles are posted in the forums so users can just comment below. With our site a Wordpress account allows them to comment on the articles but they arnt on the forums.
I really appreciate the help guys. Making "my" site successful is important to me, and a forum is something we've never been successful at.
I really appreciate the help guys. Making "my" site successful is important to me, and a forum is something we've never been successful at.
Re: Re: How to keep a forum active
06/24/11 3:58 pm | #6
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Quote by Zombie Yakuza:
Quote by Kamikaze8:
Hey its been awhile guys, hows it going? So as some of you know, Im Editor In Chief over at Loud Mouthed Gamers, and we're pretty successful but the one area we cant seem to keep going is the forums. What do you guys think is the best way to jump start a forum?
4.) Advertisement of forums, many members here have www.xboxamerica.com in their signature on the xbox dashboard because doing so gives a badge, things like this go a long way.
Having advertising IN your forums will turn people away though, keep your forum pages as streamlined as possible.
Re: How to keep a forum active
06/24/11 4:00 pm | #7
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Yeah, we dont have any advertising at all anywhere on the site, thats not a problem.
Re: How to keep a forum active
06/24/11 4:41 pm | #8
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Leaderboards are always going to be a big draw.
MYGAMERCARD.NET - which no longer exists - was a well known place for leaderboards.
Xbox.com doesn't have any, but they are the source of all of this madness.
Sites like XBA or TA are highly successful because of the leaderboadrs but some people stick around and venture into the forums.
A site which is going down in flames is A360P didn't have any leaderboards but they had/have a forum section dedicated just to each game.
Just my 2 coppers.
MYGAMERCARD.NET - which no longer exists - was a well known place for leaderboards.
Xbox.com doesn't have any, but they are the source of all of this madness.
Sites like XBA or TA are highly successful because of the leaderboadrs but some people stick around and venture into the forums.
A site which is going down in flames is A360P didn't have any leaderboards but they had/have a forum section dedicated just to each game.
Just my 2 coppers.
Re: How to keep a forum active
06/24/11 4:46 pm | #9
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What I like to do around here to get people active and enthusiastic about participating in the community is asking specific questions about games they are in to, and occasionally stoking the fires by making a loud pronouncement that is against popular opinion.
For instance, if someone new joins your site and says they are in to Halo, take it upon yourself to ask them what they like about it, how they feel about recent changes, aren't they sick of getting shot in the face with a DMR, stuff like that.
Creating a new thread in a public forum with a title like "Halo 4 is going to be complete garbage" or "Modern Warfare 3 is the best game ever, I love paying for online service" will almost guarantee a number of responses, and can lead to some fun debates.
When you or other staff members take the time to post news or articles, make sure they cater specifically to the interests of your site and community--there are lots of other gaming sites out there, and some of them have way more people and resources and can consistently and constantly post news and have access to inside info sources you don't.
What you do is leverage your site's smaller size and stricter focus by posting things that you specifically are interested in. Find a sort of niche for Loud Mouthed Gamers to fit in, and focus on that when creating articles or discussions.
For instance, if someone new joins your site and says they are in to Halo, take it upon yourself to ask them what they like about it, how they feel about recent changes, aren't they sick of getting shot in the face with a DMR, stuff like that.
Creating a new thread in a public forum with a title like "Halo 4 is going to be complete garbage" or "Modern Warfare 3 is the best game ever, I love paying for online service" will almost guarantee a number of responses, and can lead to some fun debates.
When you or other staff members take the time to post news or articles, make sure they cater specifically to the interests of your site and community--there are lots of other gaming sites out there, and some of them have way more people and resources and can consistently and constantly post news and have access to inside info sources you don't.
What you do is leverage your site's smaller size and stricter focus by posting things that you specifically are interested in. Find a sort of niche for Loud Mouthed Gamers to fit in, and focus on that when creating articles or discussions.
Re: How to keep a forum active
06/24/11 4:52 pm | #10
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As long as you don't have Meta running around sexually assaulting people, you're probably already in great shape. 
Re: Re: How to keep a forum active
06/24/11 4:55 pm | #11
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Quote by kroberts11:
As long as you don't have Meta running around sexually assaulting people, you're probably already in great shape.
What?! That is the exact reason why I am still a member here.
Re: Re: Re: How to keep a forum active
06/24/11 4:57 pm | #12
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Quote by ShadowMachine X:
Quote by kroberts11:
As long as you don't have Meta running around sexually assaulting people, you're probably already in great shape.
What?! That is the exact reason why I am still a member here.
That's exactly why I'm angry... he has been cheating on me with the rest of you :\
Re: Re: Re: How to keep a forum active
06/24/11 4:57 pm | #13
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Quote by ShadowMachine X:
Quote by kroberts11:
As long as you don't have Meta running around sexually assaulting people, you're probably already in great shape.
What?! That is the exact reason why I am still a member here.
Meta's free candy is a lie.
Re: Re: Re: Re: How to keep a forum active
06/24/11 7:39 pm | #14
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Quote by Revelation1318:
Quote by ShadowMachine X:
What?! That is the exact reason why I am still a member here.
Meta's free candy is a lie.
Re: How to keep a forum active
06/24/11 8:17 pm | #15
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Advertising via the social networking tools is all the rage these days, and seems really effective in many cases.
Maybe offer up badges/awards to current members for referrals. Anything to keep fresh blood flowing.
As far as holding onto new members once they join, as stated above, good moderators are a must. I moderate a couple gaming sites (Seasoned Gamers and my own personal forums) and imo, you shouldn't encourage self-policing. Members can often be over-zealous when pointing out duplicate threads and things of that nature. If someone's early experience is posting a topic and being greeted with "uze da serh feetcher, dooche!!", they're likely going to seek a more friendly atmosphere elsewhere. Patience is required.
Also, having regular game nights is always a good draw. We have tournaments and leagues on a regular basis at SG. Hell, we even hold an 'Olympics' every two years where we draft 4 huge teams and play a multitude of titles/games. It's a SHITLOAD of work to pull this stuff off, especially if you do individual stat tracking and such like we do, but it's well worth it.
Having a niche is helpful. We target adult/mature gamers who just want to have fun without listening to prepubescent racist asshats, other sites look for the elite players regardless of age or maturity level, others are primarily achievement based, etc. It's usually pretty easy to get like-minded people to flock together.
After established, offline meet-ups are an awesome thing to do. We have a Spring Fling every June and a Texas Roundup every Jan/Feb. We all get together, guzzle beers, throw horseshoes, play cornhole, eat good food and sit around bullshitting. It's always a great time. I've been to Jersey, Ohio (x2), North Carolina, and more recently I hosted this year's Fling on my farm in PA. You spend SO much time playing online with people that it's great when you finally get to meet them face to face. This one may be harder to pull off if your membership is young though since they may not have the means to travel very far for such an event. Plane tickets and rental cars can be fairly expensive.
Maybe offer up badges/awards to current members for referrals. Anything to keep fresh blood flowing.
As far as holding onto new members once they join, as stated above, good moderators are a must. I moderate a couple gaming sites (Seasoned Gamers and my own personal forums) and imo, you shouldn't encourage self-policing. Members can often be over-zealous when pointing out duplicate threads and things of that nature. If someone's early experience is posting a topic and being greeted with "uze da serh feetcher, dooche!!", they're likely going to seek a more friendly atmosphere elsewhere. Patience is required.
Also, having regular game nights is always a good draw. We have tournaments and leagues on a regular basis at SG. Hell, we even hold an 'Olympics' every two years where we draft 4 huge teams and play a multitude of titles/games. It's a SHITLOAD of work to pull this stuff off, especially if you do individual stat tracking and such like we do, but it's well worth it.
Having a niche is helpful. We target adult/mature gamers who just want to have fun without listening to prepubescent racist asshats, other sites look for the elite players regardless of age or maturity level, others are primarily achievement based, etc. It's usually pretty easy to get like-minded people to flock together.
After established, offline meet-ups are an awesome thing to do. We have a Spring Fling every June and a Texas Roundup every Jan/Feb. We all get together, guzzle beers, throw horseshoes, play cornhole, eat good food and sit around bullshitting. It's always a great time. I've been to Jersey, Ohio (x2), North Carolina, and more recently I hosted this year's Fling on my farm in PA. You spend SO much time playing online with people that it's great when you finally get to meet them face to face. This one may be harder to pull off if your membership is young though since they may not have the means to travel very far for such an event. Plane tickets and rental cars can be fairly expensive.
