Is there anything you do for Forum SEO?

[Naiwen]

Yet if there’s no useful content, there’s nothing to market and isn’t that the end dream, to make money from it, or at least to cover running costs? Without that content there’s no interest on social media and no high quality backlinks either. Isn’t that what everybody is complaining about? What kind of quality backlinks would you expect from a forum where the hot topic of the week is what someone had for their breakfast? So what you end up with is a community forum without a community, which shouldn’t come as a surprise.

I completely agree with this.

 

[Kris P. Bacon]

To continue: You’re not going to even begin to monetize anything if you have nothing to say. My question is this: What is the point of having a forum about nothing? Do people expect others to come along and post about nothing, or occasionally leave a single line reply because they’ve nothing to say either? Spamming your forums on each other’s same as ‘community’ forums is a waste of time.

Is it going to snow tomorrow and why someone prefers KFC over MacDonald’s is about as useless as it gets.

Contrast that against this free hosted forum (gasps of horror ) that isn’t visually appealing, but has something to say. Agree or not on the content, this is what one of the few successful forums looks like. This is the level of knowledge you’d need in anything to beat the competition and get to the top of page one based solely on a search for subject matter and not the title.

I suppose my expertise would be in criminology and the British Criminal Justice System, but at my age the level of time and effort in starting such a project wouldn’t be worth it. So, what you have to ask yourselves is what level of knowledge or experience do you have to bring to your forum? If it’s nothing, what is it you expect to happen?

 

[Dilip]

All I am saying is that you are underestimating the power of silly topics. They are very high in demand when compared to useful content. When I search Google Trends, look what the landing page has

 

[Dilip]

This is for the UK

 

[Dilip]

I am sure Wordle is a very important topic

 

[Kris P. Bacon]

I am sure Wordle is a very important topic

No Dilip, you’re wrong and if you go through this forum and the Admin Zone Forum what you’ll find is a whole lot of dead ‘community’ forums that thought just having a forum would make them popular and content is a missing after thought.

Google trends is what is currently being searched for. They’re changing trends, not forum subjects. Currently it might be the world cup, six months ago the Ukraine conflict and this time last year, Covid. You could have a forum on current affairs, but you’d need to know what’s going on to be able to comment on them in an informative manner. Who do you think will win the world cup isn’t enough and its tomorrow’s history. Is the world really still searching for American football and Kim Kardashian? Kim who? She was history a few years ago. It's now Mumbo Jumbo ft. Whoever.

Your reference to the UK is what WAS trending on google throughout 2022.

Among the cost of living crisis, the energy shortage, the recession … Wordle is a current trending topic? Really? Try starting a forum on wordle and see what happens.

 

[Kris P. Bacon]

Here’s an example. About three hundred words on a forum size topic about the Ukraine and took around five minutes. Now go and write a dozen more like this on various current topics and you’ve got yourself the beginnings of a current affairs forum.

As NATO not only approaches Russia’s borders, but attempts to surround it, what is happening now was obvious as far back as 2014. The US having failed to control the Middle-East oil supply, is it just a coincidence that Russia is also a major oil and gas supplier and the intention is regime change? Back to the 1990’s Yeltsin years of western inspired laissez faire capitalism as Wall Street and the oligarchs took over Russia?

"… [sanctions] we are introducing, that large parts of the world are introducing, are to bring down the Putin regime" – British PM Johnson, 2022.

Currently, US President Biden, then a US Senator speaking as a member of the US Foreign Relations Committee also knew what was coming when he said as far back as 1997:

"The only thing that can provoke Russia into a hostile and vigorous response is the expansion of NATO to the Baltic states"

More recently, US Diplomat George Kennan said at the 2007 Munich Security Conference: "I think it is the beginning of a new cold war. I think the Russians will gradually react quite adversely and it will affect their policies. I think it is a tragic mistake. There was no reason for this whatsoever. No one was threatening anybody else. This expansion would make the founding fathers of this country turn over in their graves."

Similarly, the recent propaganda behind the Covid scamdemic and climate change cult also echoes that behind the current events in the Ukraine. Russia isn’t a third-world country and neither attempting a regime change of a nuclear power or sanctioning the west’s energy supply was a good idea and we’re now beginning to experience the results of those decisions.

If you can’t knock out this sort of thing off the top of your head about for instance a forum topic you’re supposed to have an interest in, there’s no point in having a forum about it.

 

[Dilip]

I understand what you are saying. But silly topics are a huge money spinner as well

This just one Wordle community

 

[Shawn Gossman1]

Spamming your forums on each other’s same as ‘community’ forums is a waste of time.

Before this gets toxic, which I WILL stop, I allow people to showcase their forums here.

It isn't spamming.

 

[Kris P. Bacon]

I understand what you are saying. But silly topics are a huge money spinner as well

This just one Wordle community

View attachment 23

As I suggested, try it yourself. Start a wordle forum and see what happens.

I visited the site. It’s not a forum, what comes up is a six letter word game. That’s it, nothing else. This is the site ‘Wordle – A Daily Word Game’ leads to.
Wordle - A daily word game

 

[Kris P. Bacon]

Before this gets toxic, which I WILL stop, I allow people to showcase their forums here.

It isn't spamming.

There’s nothing toxic about the comments. No one is suggesting that showcasing forums on a site is spam, but people registering on each other’s forums simply to promote their own forums is spam. Not only is it spam, but google also sees it that way and in recent updates is beginning to crack down on those practices.
My opinion is that trying to promote forums with low quality content on other forums that have low quality content doesn’t work. Am I upsetting people by stating the obvious? I can stop right here if you like.

 

[Papa Bear]

There’s nothing toxic about the comments. No one is suggesting that showcasing forums on a site is spam, but people registering on each other’s forums simply to promote their own forums is spam. Not only is it spam, but google also sees it that way and in recent updates is beginning to crack down on those practices.
My opinion is that trying to promote forums with low quality content on other forums that have low quality content doesn’t work. Am I upsetting people by stating the obvious? I can stop right here if you like.

Your not upsetting me ..Please continue.

 

[Kris P. Bacon]

Your not upsetting me ..Please continue.

But it does seem to be upsetting Shawn who has a host of forum topics here searching for answers and tips (yes, I have noticed) as to what makes forums work, from members whose forums don’t work.

So, what we’re left with is a bunch of people sitting scratching their heads and wondering why their forums aren’t attracting active posters. There seems to be a general consensus that if you spam your forum url on every site that will let you, something magical will happen. It won’t and doesn’t, but when it doesn’t people tend to abandon their current forum and start again and again and are surprised when the same thing keeps happening. What I’m saying goes against the grain, but it isn’t exactly rocket science. If Shawn is against my views I’m happy to sit back and leave the head scratchers to it?

 

[Shawn Gossman1]

Not against your views at all, @Kris P. Bacon

I want everyone to understand that submitting your forum here isn't spam. It's welcome. It's encouraged.

I'm not saying I don't agree with most of what you say.

There seems to be a general consensus that if you spam your forum url on every site that will let you, something magical will happen.

I definitely agree with this. If you join solely to promote your forum on a forum, it will not do any good. You need to be involved in the community. You need to contribute. You need to be liked.

Please continue You're fine.

 

[Dilip]

How many big boards have you built so far? Would be happy to learn how to build one.

 

[Kris P. Bacon]

Not against your views at all, @Kris P. Bacon

I want everyone to understand that submitting your forum here isn't spam. It's welcome. It's encouraged.

I'm not saying I don't agree with most of what you say.


I definitely agree with this. If you join solely to promote your forum on a forum, it will not do any good. You need to be involved in the community. You need to contribute. You need to be liked.

Please continue You're fine.

OK, I realize it’s a morale booster, but do you think the forums being show cased are subconsciously asking a question rather than making a statement? They already know their forums are failing and it’s not praise they need, its alternative thoughts, suggestions and answers. Be different instead of adopting a generalized ‘everyone’s a winner’ approach? Initially, no one will thank you for it, but they probably will when they’ve thought about it or am I alone in thinking this?

To the people showcasing their dead forums in the hope that others will leave the dead forum they’re on and join yours. Wishful thinking?

 

[Kris P. Bacon]

How many big boards have you built so far? Would be happy to learn how to build one.

I don’t build big boards, although I might have done around 2005 when they were all the rage. Have you noticed there's a distinct lack of people here with successful forums? I have a small blog I’ve just started which I haven’t even got round to start promoting yet. You don’t need to have a successful forum to know what an unsuccessful one looks like. I’m not a mechanic either, but I know if I put water in the gas tank it won’t work. It’s called common sense.

In the unlikely possibility I’d start a forum, I’d be looking at the few successful ones and trying to work out the reason for their success, not doing the opposite and hoping for the best. Lawyers, doctors, mechanics, people who’ve travelled … they all have everyday knowledge of interest that we like to read. If on the other hand someone has no knowledge of anything, no one is going to read the little they have to say.

Look at your online resume and everyone should have one. This is what you know about, this is your expertise, your combined knowledge and experience. In amongst the content should be what you’re trying to sell to an employer. You’re asking someone to pay you for your knowledge or experience. Now start a forum about it. Begin by writing a quick 500 words on your specialty or skill(s) and if you can’t do that or don’t have any, you’re probably not going to get the job, but you’re also not going to have a successful forum about anything either. That’s how to start building a forum, it really is that simple.

Personally, I’d find it as difficult to run a forum as others would making a blog, but whatever it is, a forum, blog, academic writing … If you can’t write content the Internet isn’t a place to waste your time, money and effort on. Ask yourself a simple question: What have you got on your forum that the people you're targetting would find interesting?

 

[Dilip]

Ok. Nice to know that you are talking about things in which you have zero experience.

 

[Kris P. Bacon]

Ok. Nice to know that you are talking about things in which you have zero experience.

I’m not a doctor either, but I know what a broken leg looks like. Sometimes common sense beats the experience of having a dead forum and not being able to understand why. You could lead by example and show us how it's done on your forum?

 

[Dilip]

Ok. I am sure experience has no value.