Getting pre-launch feedback

[Cedric]

We all know how important it is to get feedback from our users to make our forums successful. But have you ever considered getting feedback before you even launch your forum? Getting pre-launch feedback can help you ensure that your forum is set up for success from day one. You could easily request feedback for your site in our Feedback & Reviews section.

Let's discuss the benefits of pre-launch feedback and how to get it. What kind of feedback should you ask for? What are the best ways to get that feedback? How do you know when you've received enough feedback to launch your forum?

And once you've received feedback, what should you do with it? How do you incorporate that feedback into your forum design and content? Do you make changes based on the feedback, or do you stick with your original plan?

Let's share our experiences and best practices for getting pre-launch feedback and using it to create successful forums!

 

[John]

I would always send it to friends first. A friend would look at me and say “John you’re being an idiot, this is dumb” in a nice way. Once my friends gave me good feedback, I’d try to share it as a potential beta with people that I would want to be initial members or even initial staff so they could test the bugs and actual functionality before a full blown public grand opening.

 

[Cory]

If I have an old board of a similar niche as my upcoming board, whether online or offline, I think it would be a good way to use the bulk email feature to reach out to those that are/were a part of the forum to tell them something new and exciting is coming to town and I would greatly appreciate their feedback.

Having maybe a select few openly beta-test your forum when you put it all together is another thought that could be helpful for gathering feedback.

 

[Reverie]

I remember sending it to friends and getting their opinions before I opened it to the public. Got them to post around a bit as well, so it was kinda like a beta. I've also had a "pre-opening" and let people check it out and make suggestions. It also hyped people up a lot which brought a lot of fun to it.

Regardless I think feedback is important. If there was a place to ask for a review/feedback before opening I think that would be cool because perhaps some big bugs/mistakes can be found or some suggestions for some better ways to do something could be stated.

 

[Shortie]

When it comes to opening a new forum, I always like to get either friends' or family's feedback on it before we launch it for everyone. It is always nice to be able to get ideas or opinions from others to add the finishing touches to the forum before its official launch.

 

[Ravenfreak]

I wish I did this, I think getting feedback from others before launching a community can really help. It's always a good idea to get at least a second pair of eyes to look at your community, and browse it before you make it public. There can be something out of place, a theme that doesn't work well for the community, etc and you'd want to get these problems taken care of as soon as possible.