• From: U.S.A.
  • Registered: 2005-08-26
  • Posts: 1,607

Topic: How do you promote your forums?

More specifically, what are some ways that have worked for you to:
a) get people to visit your forums
b) get people to register
c) get them to come back

See, *technically* my forums are for the cartoons my brother & I make (well, it didn't start out that way, but it doesn't matter), but, as my brother and I are both generally very busy, we haven't made much headway on the toon issue. We probably won't until Thanksgiving or Christmas. Regardless, I would like to get an at least somewhat active community going in the meantime.

Please give me any input you have. Feel free to look at them (click the link in my sig or the website link) and give ANY (you won't hurt my feelings, don't worry) constructive (as in not "ur forum blows i gonna HacK dem") criticism you can offer.

Thanks in advance,
Brian

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  • From: 127.0.0.1
  • Registered: 2001-11-02
  • Posts: 9,167

Re: How do you promote your forums?

It's kind of a cliché, but content really is king.

"Programming is like sex: one mistake and you have to support it for the rest of your life."

Rickard's Website

  • From: U.S.A.
  • Registered: 2005-08-26
  • Posts: 1,607

Re: How do you promote your forums?

Rickard wrote:

It's kind of a cliché, but content really is king.

I agree with you totally Rickard - though I forgot to mention, we do have one cartoon up.

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  • Connorhd
  • Connorhd
  • Former PunBB Developer
  • Offline
  • From: Leeds, UK
  • Registered: 2004-06-13
  • Posts: 4,195

Re: How do you promote your forums?

Well, I promote mypunbb by spamming my signature all over this forum wink

But on a more constructive note, maybe you should rethink the way your site works, feel free  to ignore this, but i much prefer sites with a homepage with maybe news or other content depending on the kind of site (latest comic maybe?) and the forum being part of the site, if the forum is the site then its rather the same as every other forum out there wink basically i'm saying the forum should be part of the site, the site should not be a forum. While i'm here i'm going to blatently suggest the mini portal I made if you don't have time for a more major solution, just create the miniportal, with news on the homepage, create some of your own pages using the template included.

FluxBB.
Connorhd.co.uk.

Connorhd's Website

  • From: U.S.A.
  • Registered: 2005-08-26
  • Posts: 1,607

Re: How do you promote your forums?

Good idea - I was gonna set up Puntal, but got sidetracked. Now that I see your reasoning, I'll put in a little more effort. Thanks Connorhd!

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  • Connorhd
  • Connorhd
  • Former PunBB Developer
  • Offline
  • From: Leeds, UK
  • Registered: 2004-06-13
  • Posts: 4,195

Re: How do you promote your forums?

Its like PunBB.org if you came and all you got was the forums and you have to go into news and find the release for a link to the download (there are alot of sites like that) then half the people would just go "huh?" and leave tongue

FluxBB.
Connorhd.co.uk.

Connorhd's Website

  • From: St.Helens
  • Registered: 2005-10-28
  • Posts: 30

Re: How do you promote your forums?

This messageboard software is good but is missing a lot of things

  • Connorhd
  • Connorhd
  • Former PunBB Developer
  • Offline
  • From: Leeds, UK
  • Registered: 2004-06-13
  • Posts: 4,195

Re: How do you promote your forums?

Errm, that is rather random and offtopic, and yes it is missing a lot of things, however it is intentional and thats what makes it different from other forum software.

FluxBB.
Connorhd.co.uk.

Connorhd's Website

  • From: St.Helens
  • Registered: 2005-10-28
  • Posts: 30

Re: How do you promote your forums?

Thats true and hopefuly ill be making a arcade system for it shortly

10 Reply by pogenwurst (edited by pogenwurst 2006-05-26 18:56)

  • From: U.S.A.
  • Registered: 2005-08-26
  • Posts: 1,607

Re: How do you promote your forums?

Connorhd wrote:

Its like PunBB.org if you came and all you got was the forums and you have to go into news and find the release for a link to the download (there are alot of sites like that) then half the people would just go "huh?" and leave tongue

Ok, I have Puntal mostly set up at:
[link removed]

Besides the fact that I need to un-Frenchify some text and reorder the blocks along the side, any suggestions?

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11 Reply by gezz

  • gezz
  • Senior Member
  • Offline
  • From: Canada (eh?)
  • Registered: 2004-04-16
  • Posts: 142

Re: How do you promote your forums?

punbb isnt really missing anything. there are mods, if you so choose to use them.

who dosent like a raw, well written, secure forum?

-gezz
  • Connorhd
  • Connorhd
  • Former PunBB Developer
  • Offline
  • From: Leeds, UK
  • Registered: 2004-06-13
  • Posts: 4,195

Re: How do you promote your forums?

pogenwurst, well personally i don't like your defaut theme as it is too wide.

FluxBB.
Connorhd.co.uk.

Connorhd's Website

  • From: U.S.A.
  • Registered: 2005-08-26
  • Posts: 1,607

Re: How do you promote your forums?

Connorhd wrote:

pogenwurst, well personally i don't like your defaut theme as it is too wide.

Yes, I'm looking to either make a style of my own or get someone else to make one in the near future. I like the default style (Kontrast), but it is used on too many other forums.

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  • Registered: 2005-10-07
  • Posts: 70

Re: How do you promote your forums?

I just moved my database over from a phpbb board I've been running for the past 3 years, so I've got thousands of posts. My problem is that I've lost a lot of members over time, (nothing to do with the move) for a while I had a real active bunch of regulars that would post everyday (maybe 10 users) and a handful of members that would come and go.

Maybe my problem is that I didn't promote my board more when it was going strong. The board is all but dead now.. I post everyday, and I'll get a few replys a week from one or two people... I do have a handful of lurkers though, that I've seen come back more than once on my site stats tracker. I don't know how to grab them and get them to post... or register if they haven't already...

My site that the board is part of is slowly ramping up in hits though and gaining Google rank, so maybe it's just a matter of time?

15 Reply by Webby

  • Registered: 2005-08-23
  • Posts: 21

Re: How do you promote your forums?

pogenwurst wrote:

Good idea - I was gonna set up Puntal, but got sidetracked. Now that I see your reasoning, I'll put in a little more effort. Thanks Connorhd!

I was thinking of doing the same thing, for the same reason.

One friend also suggested creating a "forum exchange" of sorts, where forum owners commit to posting a certain amount on each other's forum to generate interest.

Webby's Website