Are forums alone doomed unsuccessful?

[Cedric]

A forum with no other part to the website, such as a blog or information section -- will have a very hard time at succeeding. Do you think that's true ?

Are you considering starting a new forum but wondering if a standalone forum website is enough to succeed? Having other components to your website such as a blog or information section can be crucial for the success of your forum. Why is this the case?

Firstly, having a blog or other content section provides more opportunities for people to find and engage with your website. It can also help establish your forum as an authority in your niche, making it more attractive to potential members. Additionally, having an information section can be a helpful resource for members seeking more information about your community or the topic it revolves around.

So, do you think a forum with no other parts to the website can be successful, or do you agree that it's crucial to have other components? Share your thoughts and experiences with the community!

 

[Cory]

Maybe less successful, but I don't think having a blog or website attached to your forum will make you doomed to be unsuccessful. As long as you have something viewers want, then they're likely to join and perhaps even engage in conversations.

 

[Arantor]

I think it really depends an awful lot on 1) what your niche is and 2) what you consider successful.

 

[Strawberry]

I actually think the opposite - sometimes I think forums integrated with other components are not always the best idea.

I've seen two examples of this in the past. First being a forum I was a moderator on (Sims related), it had a very successful launch and a lot of activity, so after months of being open, admin decided to expand to a 'website' where we could post Sims related news articles, members could get involved and create community articles. Didn't get as much interest, there were already plenty of Sims fan sites out there.

On the flip side, a particular very popular fan site tried to launch a forum and it closed after a few months as it wasn't gaining traction and activity was low, the member base were simply just visiting the website for news and update related purposes, they had no interest in joining a forum.

 

[Shortie]

Not having a blog or website attached to your forum doesn't mean it will be unsuccessful or fail but it may struggle more so than forums that have a website or blog attached to their forum. Not everyone can afford to have a blog or website or has the knowledge to do that so it would be unfair to say that forums without that would fail regardless.

 

[Kale]

I for sure think forums are less successful these days. I have never seen a forum that was popping like back in the old days. Even my own forum has slowed down in activity since it opened. Also yeah, I think I did have a blog for Harvest Moon Universe, but none of the plans came to fruition back then. Discussion Block also doesn't have a blog attached or anything and it is doing ok.

First being a forum I was a moderator on (Sims related), it had a very successful launch and a lot of activity, so after months of being open, admin decided to expand to a 'website' where we could post Sims related news articles, members could get involved and create community articles. Didn't get as much interest, there were already plenty of Sims fan sites out there.

Yes, sort of what I had been thinking over with my first semi successful forum way back. Of course I was just thinking of providing tips, tricks, guides, etc which we never did. We were gonna do the occasional news post if a new game got announced too. I truly do think that could work with The Sims though and other series similar though. I'd likely maybe introduce a forum later down the line, perhaps?

 

[Nomad]

My first few forums were a part of the blogs. The forums did not have members outside the people who used to publish on the blog. I think a forum having a blog section can be helpful to get organic traffic.

 

[GeorgioGalben]

When i visit a community that has a forum at it's main core and have blog (addon / or another platform) i usually don't read those articles.
Also, when i see a blog with "forums" inside there are usually empty or poor traffic.
Simply put, each community will grow or succeed on the foundation where it was created. I think it is important "not to make your users dizzy".
"If I want to read articles, I read blogs." I see it that way.

 

[otis booard]

depends what your aim for having a forum is

 

[Kale]

When i visit a community that has a forum at it's main core and have blog (addon / or another platform) i usually don't read those articles.
Also, when i see a blog with "forums" inside there are usually empty or poor traffic.
Simply put, each community will grow or succeed on the foundation where it was created. I think it is important "not to make your users dizzy".
"If I want to read articles, I read blogs." I see it that way.

I see blogs where there's hardly any comments and they have no forum before too.

 

[Tracy]

Depending on the site niche... a blog could work. But for specialized niches (like mine) articles are usually more appropriate.
Just one of my simple articles has gotten over 2000 views in about 4 months without very much advertising of it.

 

[Heatman]

There's no point in denying that having a blog section in your forum isn't good to help it grow, if not for anything, in the path of getting some organic traffic. But does the entire success of a forum depends on that? No, that's a myth most people have. I have seen some forums that doesn't have any blog section and they are waxing very strong.

 

[Ravenfreak]

It really depends on the niche of the forum. If it's a gaming website, I feel that it will succeed better if there's a front page that shares gaming news, and reviews that goes along with the community. If it's a lifestyle or health forum, it might not necessarily need a front page to succeed.

 

[Jason]

I think the biggest thing is having interesting information and a steady flow of posters. That's what I see with sucessful forums now. However, added stuff can't hurt things, assuming it's good.

 

[veloman]

Like others have said, I would say it depends on the niche. Mine for example has thousands of news sites covering every permutation and area of it - I'd be a fool to even try and attempt to compete!

At the same time, I'm quite happy to post article-sized or information posts within the forum as new threads - there my goal is more to get people to reply and discuss rather then entertain or what not.

 

[Reverie]

I think it depends on the niche. General forums don't really need a blog, but true it might be hard to find active general forums if that's what someone is seeking. I would think it would be difficult to come up with content. I can imagine a video game forum having a blog - perhaps reviews, or a way to advertise streaming channels of members.

I don't think a forum is necessarily doomed without use of a blog of some sort.