Lack Of Ambition
Many forum owners have no ambition at all, they set out to open their project on a whim, they have very little if any idea of what it is they want to achieve or what steps it is they need to follow to achieve them.
To be successful you have to set out a list of objectives or goals and then work towards each one individually, as you reach the first, move on to the second and so on and so on, but do not try to achieve more than one goal at a time!
You have to be ambitious and set your goals high, "a man with a goal gets close to his objectives" and a man with none, gets nowhere!, aim for the stars and be determined to reach them.
Lack of Content
It may seem obvious to you and it certainly is to me, but content is the key to success and that is a fact, some members are just prolific forum registrants and will join any new forum that sprouts, but how do you keep them, again the answer is content.
Let me explain a few seemingly obvious points, if you run a forum dedicated to gaming, why would you offer "posting packages" or a "review section" it may seem ridiculous but i have seen it, and then they go buying posts to help with content and allow the poster to post in a "general chat" area leaving the niche topics bare. Your content is what sets you aside from the rest, so treasure it and treat it with the respect it deserves.
Why do you join a forum, i join forums for a few reason or at least one of a few reasons and they are;
To be educated and learn a certain topic
To be entertained and have fun
Purchase services offered by the forum
Every one of the reason listed above are valid reasons to join a forum or website and every one of them need content, how can you learn of there are no educational topics, how can you have fun without any posting games and finally how do you buy services that are not advertised, please understand and i cannot say this enough, content is king, keep your content relevant, ensure grammar and spelling are at a high level and above all other, plenty of it and try to make it unique content, posted by yourself and not something anyone can find on trusty Google.
Lack Of Authority
To be a successful forum owner you have to be able to show authority, you have to set out a steadfast selection of rules and you need to stick to them, anyone breaking the rules need to be swiftly picked up on and punished according to site policy. Your rules should be short, precise, too the point and should cover all aspects of your board.
Favoritism is also a problem that comes to mind when discussing Authority, too many forum owners have their favorites and even though these people may break the rules no action is ever taken, which in turn leads to the management losing credibility and the respect of the members, if someone breaks rules regarding posting, he/she should lose their posting rights, regardless of who they are and who they know.
Once a management team or owner loses credibility you may as well close down your forum or hand it to someone else to continue on your behalf because members are going to come and go and do as they wish, when they wish, Do not be lead into thinking your credibility can be won back because it can not, so start as you mean to go on, have your rules, ensure they are visible and stick to them, be firm but fair, be fair but firm. act quickly and precisely and keep your credibility i promise you you will be more respected for it than being every ones friend and your forum will blossom because of it.
One last piece of advice, place your forum rules on your index page if possible or create a thread that must read before members can continue onto the main index page, by doing you KNOW all your members have had every opportunity to read and understand your rules and no excuses or reason can be given or accepted regarding rule breaking.
Lack Of Dedication
To run a busy website or forum takes time and effort, it doesn't just come together at the drop of a hat and to be fair anything that is worth doing it is worth taking your time on and doing correctly, the question you have to ask yourself as a potential forum owner is, Am I Dedicated Enough?
Too many forum owners are dedicated in the beginning and they work hard to make the project a success, but once they are getting regular posts and decent activity they take their foot of the peddle and begin to look at other projects. Guess what happens? Correct the forum will fall and activity will decline.
Forum owners need to realise that members join their websites as a result of advertising, word of mouth or forum promotion, however the reason they stay there is what you put in to it! as soon as they think you have slowed they will slow, the minuet you stop, they will stop and your forum or website is now worth nothing and it will be very difficult to breathe life back into it.
So seriously ask yourself are you dedicated, if you have any doubts on your dedication or time available for your project, then forget it on the other hand if you are a very determined and dedicated person you have two of the major tools to be successful.
All credit of this guide goes to
Many forum owners have no ambition at all, they set out to open their project on a whim, they have very little if any idea of what it is they want to achieve or what steps it is they need to follow to achieve them.
To be successful you have to set out a list of objectives or goals and then work towards each one individually, as you reach the first, move on to the second and so on and so on, but do not try to achieve more than one goal at a time!
You have to be ambitious and set your goals high, "a man with a goal gets close to his objectives" and a man with none, gets nowhere!, aim for the stars and be determined to reach them.
Lack of Content
It may seem obvious to you and it certainly is to me, but content is the key to success and that is a fact, some members are just prolific forum registrants and will join any new forum that sprouts, but how do you keep them, again the answer is content.
Let me explain a few seemingly obvious points, if you run a forum dedicated to gaming, why would you offer "posting packages" or a "review section" it may seem ridiculous but i have seen it, and then they go buying posts to help with content and allow the poster to post in a "general chat" area leaving the niche topics bare. Your content is what sets you aside from the rest, so treasure it and treat it with the respect it deserves.
Why do you join a forum, i join forums for a few reason or at least one of a few reasons and they are;
To be educated and learn a certain topic
To be entertained and have fun
Purchase services offered by the forum
Every one of the reason listed above are valid reasons to join a forum or website and every one of them need content, how can you learn of there are no educational topics, how can you have fun without any posting games and finally how do you buy services that are not advertised, please understand and i cannot say this enough, content is king, keep your content relevant, ensure grammar and spelling are at a high level and above all other, plenty of it and try to make it unique content, posted by yourself and not something anyone can find on trusty Google.
Lack Of Authority
To be a successful forum owner you have to be able to show authority, you have to set out a steadfast selection of rules and you need to stick to them, anyone breaking the rules need to be swiftly picked up on and punished according to site policy. Your rules should be short, precise, too the point and should cover all aspects of your board.
Favoritism is also a problem that comes to mind when discussing Authority, too many forum owners have their favorites and even though these people may break the rules no action is ever taken, which in turn leads to the management losing credibility and the respect of the members, if someone breaks rules regarding posting, he/she should lose their posting rights, regardless of who they are and who they know.
Once a management team or owner loses credibility you may as well close down your forum or hand it to someone else to continue on your behalf because members are going to come and go and do as they wish, when they wish, Do not be lead into thinking your credibility can be won back because it can not, so start as you mean to go on, have your rules, ensure they are visible and stick to them, be firm but fair, be fair but firm. act quickly and precisely and keep your credibility i promise you you will be more respected for it than being every ones friend and your forum will blossom because of it.
One last piece of advice, place your forum rules on your index page if possible or create a thread that must read before members can continue onto the main index page, by doing you KNOW all your members have had every opportunity to read and understand your rules and no excuses or reason can be given or accepted regarding rule breaking.
Lack Of Dedication
To run a busy website or forum takes time and effort, it doesn't just come together at the drop of a hat and to be fair anything that is worth doing it is worth taking your time on and doing correctly, the question you have to ask yourself as a potential forum owner is, Am I Dedicated Enough?
Too many forum owners are dedicated in the beginning and they work hard to make the project a success, but once they are getting regular posts and decent activity they take their foot of the peddle and begin to look at other projects. Guess what happens? Correct the forum will fall and activity will decline.
Forum owners need to realise that members join their websites as a result of advertising, word of mouth or forum promotion, however the reason they stay there is what you put in to it! as soon as they think you have slowed they will slow, the minuet you stop, they will stop and your forum or website is now worth nothing and it will be very difficult to breathe life back into it.
So seriously ask yourself are you dedicated, if you have any doubts on your dedication or time available for your project, then forget it on the other hand if you are a very determined and dedicated person you have two of the major tools to be successful.
All credit of this guide goes to
AlkHolic!©
Thanks for sharing AlkHolic!
Thanks for sharing AlkHolic!
