General Your #1 Priority when launching a new Forum, Website, or Blog?

[Cedric]

What's the FIRST thing you do when you’re about to bring a new online platform to life? I'm not just talking about choosing a domain name or finding the right hosting (though those are crucial steps too!). I mean, what's the one action or decision you prioritize to set the stage for success?

For me, it's all about laying down a clear vision. I like to map out what I want to achieve with the platform, the audience I aim to engage, and the unique value I plan to provide. This vision becomes the guiding star for every decision that follows. Admittedly, it wasn't like this before. In the past, I've always went into a project with no vision, no goals and a wrong mindset.

But what about you? Do you focus on design, content strategy, or perhaps SEO? Or maybe there’s something else that you’ve found to be the key to a strong start?

So, let us know what your #1 priority is when launching a new forum, website or blog!

Can't wait to read your insights!

 

[Aussie]

I guess it has to be a little bit of everything at once? I mean I like writing lists, so I will write a list and prioritize and just work my way through, and then as I think of ideas I will add to the list so I don't forget. In the past I have also had a special admin access only section of the forum where I post new topics and thoughts on things that I want to get done, and then update that topic as more information comes in hand, then close the topic when its completed. Ill even set up thread prefix/tags and use them like "priority", "completed", "later" etc.

You can also use this method to prioritize work out to other people..

Also this is great for say when you want to add a mod to your forum but don't have the time you can just create a topic link to the mod you want then continue doing what you want to do and revisit it later when you have time. Or maybe you've seen a great theme or style you want but don't have the time... create a topic and chuck the link in there and tag how important it is.

Sorry slightly off topic to your original question!!

 

[Cedric]

I guess it has to be a little bit of everything at once? I mean I like writing lists, so I will write a list and prioritize and just work my way through, and then as I think of ideas I will add to the list so I don't forget. In the past I have also had a special admin access only section of the forum where I post new topics and thoughts on things that I want to get done, and then update that topic as more information comes in hand, then close the topic when its completed. Ill even set up thread prefix/tags and use them like "priority", "completed", "later" etc.

You can also use this method to prioritize work out to other people..

Also this is great for say when you want to add a mod to your forum but don't have the time you can just create a topic link to the mod you want then continue doing what you want to do and revisit it later when you have time. Or maybe you've seen a great theme or style you want but don't have the time... create a topic and chuck the link in there and tag how important it is.

Sorry slightly off topic to your original question!!

Great approach. I usually had 1 thread listing things down, but things easily got overlooked or buried down. So a list per thread is something to remember!

 

[Arantor]

The roadmap: where am I going, how am I going to get there, what does success/completion look like and more important what is *off* the table for now at least so I don't burn time on things that don't matter (yet/if at all)

 

[Jason]

I don't really have a plan. In fact, I want to set up a place like this. It's in the works, just gotta pay a domain name. Anyway, I don't really need a plan, I can just look at this forum and Forum Promotion, Forum Advertiser, and Bizdustry.

 

[Cory]

I try and think about what content I can create to attract the rightful audience and especially try to think about how I can go about attracting that audience.

Anyone can throw up a forum in a short matter of time, but whether it becomes a success or not highly depends on your strategies and consistency in all aspects of running the forum. People give up too easily nowadays because they generally have no clear path as to how they want to gain an audience, they think they can throw up a forum with a nice selection of areas to attend to, a pleasant theme, and maybe hire a few staff members and have near immediate success, but there's so much more to the picture than the initial stages of a forum. You have to be dedicated and consistent with the happenings of your forum.

Creating the right content can sometimes be hard to do because the internet is so repetitive that it's hard to create unique content to cater to the interests of your audience. Taking my forum as an example, I have a resource board, and a lot of resources are unique to my board and not posted elsewhere, so it attracts an audience that wants to enhance its board and the fact that my primary resources are behind a registration wall, it makes it much easier to gain member traction. That's my primary strategy.

 

[Kennysplash]

For me that is the thought of promoting the forum so that it can get enough exposure. I should have plans ready on how to advertise on other platforms so that I can get as many members as possible.
As long as there are great contents I have ready on the forum then I’m good to go.