Any tips for a beginner forum runner?

[Jimbob]

Hey. I'm using SMF and i was wondering if anyone had any tips to having a great forum that people will love .. Also some good ways to get members

you can check out what i have so far by going to

jimbob.x10hosting.com/index
then clicking on forum..

Thanks in advance
-Mike

 

[Neuromancer]

Best thing is to have a unique idea.

Either by associating yourself with a new software perhaps, or by something completely unrelated to computers.

 

[Jimbob]

Well.. It's to suppliment my site, which at the moment is based around me trying to be good at flash.. Then i'm planning on doing webtoons. I've already got some content on, but i have one question

Should i get / make a new layout >? or is the smf default fine?

 

[Neuromancer]

Personally I dont like the default.. .there are PLENTY of themes available though...
Depending on how you created your website and how much css html/xhtml you know you can implement your exsisting theme into SMF

I only have one post on their forum so if you do a search for nueromancer you will find the thread Istarted and in it is a link on how to implement your exsisting site theme into the forum...

 

[limelight]

Have a direction for your site. I know that I personally have tried to do too much on my site and ended up doing nothing. Have a direction, is your forum going to be resource based, music bases, topic based, pointless. What is your forum about?

 

[n4tec]

Tips:

No 1: I have a uptodate forum version.. i believe there 1.05 was released sometime back..
No 2: submit to directories like DMOZ, cratory which is my directory , forum_search and others..
No 3: motivate members...

that is all

 

[chaganlal1]

Well I dont know how you got that template sorry to say man thats a pretty bad one its hideous sorry to say, but the forums dotn look too bad but i dotn liek the frame sorry man.

 

[Jimbob]

Man, the template is the default.. and don't you be touchin my frames >=(

 

[funindia]

If your forum based on any special interest then you can go to e-groups & search groups related to your interest, join these groups. Now you can send mails to all the group members who have interest on that topic.

Most Used Group Services:

Yahoo! groups http://groups.yahoo.com
MSN groups http://groups.msn.com
Google Groups http://groups.google.com

 

[Jimbob]

Thanks for all the advice guys! If you have anything else please do share =)

 

[n4tec]

i would recommend and entertainment template if there since your forum is about entertainment... And for submiting to directories try to look for the directory connected to our forum... I also recommend forum_search once again and there was another directory which needed only sites with 100 members and above to submit ...

 

[NewFuture]

i am new to forum making, which is the best forum you would recommend, where can i get SMF?

 

[chaganlal1]

Hey jimbob if ya want i could be a mod or somthing in your forums get it a lil boost also if you want me to install a template or anything im here to do it anytime just drop PM.

 

[n4tec]

i am new to forum making, which is the best forum you would recommend, where can i get SMF?

Really!! you can get SMF preferably from the official webiste since the one via Fanstico <= wrong spelling... is not up to date..

 

[Jimbob]

I got mine of fantastico.. I think i should update :| But not here. I'm at my grandma's trying to get her some hosting for her gallery ... But it would be good to have a helping hand.. I'll pm you later.. I'm showing grandma ways to work on the site when/if she gets it

 

[MicrotechXP]

The people that have Fantastico from January or Febuary have IPB, phpbb, and yabbb. The people after that get only SMF, and phpbb...

 

[raynor]

Only posting this since I saw no one else cared to touch the topic.

Don't give just ANYONE mod or admin powers. Especially if they threaten to leave unless you give them the powers. Watch out for tricky wordplay and the such in this area.

And whoever you do give it to keep the powers simple at first and then gradually expand them as needed. The number one way people get their boards messed up is by someone that isn't supposed to giving powers to someone else who REALLY doesn't need them. Also set up a hierarchy for your mods so they know who to ask questions if your not around : ).

 

[MicrotechXP]

That is one nice tip...I just learned somthing that I will do in my new forum...

 

[Jimbob]

Yeah! Thanks raynor I don't intend to give random people mod. But i'm going to have many ranks and moderation ranks...