Hi. I'm just getting into forums and I would appreciate the suggestions/tips I could get from forum veterans and BBO's. I don't know much but from just lurking the showcase section I usually leave directly after noticing the design then the content.
Thanks everyone.
1. Good Logo + Theme
2. Content + Niche
3. # of Forums
4. Admins + Rules
5. Avg. Range of members and age
Basically, you want a nice community that follow the rules without any issues. On top of that, don't have empty forums sitting around and make a forum with a niche(like graphics, gaming, basically a forum with a specific purpose). Also, what you and your members post is critical. A forum without any useful content at start renders it useless. Give a reason to the guest to why they should register. Lastly, logo and theme can be a essential element. A good theme attracts the user and Logo gives meaning behind the forum.
Thanks for the help Hydra.
1. Bad attitude towards users.
2. Non-Easy to use design/theme.
3. Hiding the threads/posts from non-registered/guests.
4. Long domain, bad TLD.
5. Imposing the rules where not necessary.
1. Content
2. Content
3. Content
4. Content
5. Content
1) Lack of content
2) No new posts /topics
3) Empty forum sections
4) Not enough members
5) Admin not watching to see what members want.
Admins asking for donations on a new site is annoying.
I can agree with what other members are saying.
1. Lack of interesting content
2. You started a general forum with no proper niche
3. Administrators and moderation team being abusive, and not listening to members
4. No unique content.
5. Number of sections, categories and tabs
1. Not enough interesting content
2. Not enough activity
Everything else is really irrelevant IMO if you miss on either of the first two.