ForumGarden

Some friends and I have been wondering this for a while. Making one's own forum. Why do it? If you're going to invest that much time into making your own forum great, then why not just put more effort into making the current one just as good? What's the appeal? Especially when you get mostly the same people from Forum #1?

I made my own with a friend...just to have a place ot be able to talk uncensored...an adult forum...



quite frankly red that is like asking why get cable when you could watch reg.tv...people like to have choices...and the internet world is open to all..

HI angel..how are you?:)

guppy;665185 wrote: I made my own with a friend...just to have a place ot be able to talk uncensored...an adult forum...



quite frankly red that is like asking why get cable when you could watch reg.tv...people like to have choices...and the internet world is open to all..


I get a feeling you took offense to my question, Guppy? I used to run my own forums too some years back and just reactivated one at Care2 this week. Choice is great. But a lot of us weren't understanding why so many people go and make another forum with basically the same people and topics and stuff as the forum they came from.

I wasn't directing my question to any one of you guys specifically but to anyone who's done this.

no offense..red..just answering your question from my point of view...

guppy;665195 wrote: no offense..red..just answering your question from my point of view...


Oh, good deal then. Thanks.

I dont think its just the same people at their forums. New people will come across it eventually, just like they do here, and they'll have something new to contribute.

I see what you're saying from whatever forums you're referencing... people from Fg creating their own forum and there's nothing but members from here joining, right? That typically occurs when an admin doesn't put the effort, time or have the knowledge to get more members from sources other than an established forum such as this, that isn't going anywhere else, anytime soon.

I've set up maybe a dozen or so forums of my own over a course of about as many years... and maintain a handful still, and from my experiences members from a well-established forum are great for getting it up and running, but they generally won't stick around to remain active. As an admin, if you want the forum to grow

you'll have to take the time and spread the word to the type of people that will want to join and before you do you'd better learn all you can and set it up well.

There's much to learn about the right recipe for a successful forum, however... and there are plenty of variables to consider. Very few work and millions never really get off the ground for various reasons... some that I mentioned above. It's always a lot of work, but listen to someone such as myself and anyone else who knows, a forum needs to have it's own loyal following to succeed. If that's actually even your intent.

I personally believe it's great to start up your own forum, if you love to spend time on them. Even if it's merely to see how they're set up and what goes into creating your own. Along with the learning experience, it gives them a new-found respect for those that have done it well, if nothing else. I thoroughly enjoy setting up my own forums, helping others set theirs up, and encouraging others to do the same. I believe it's very rewarding, even if you're not very good at it and it doesn't really take off. If there's ever any friend of mine wanting to set their own up, I won't hesitate to at least join and make a few posts to help get them hitting the ground running.

Here's a suggestion as a way to cross-fertilize sites. Set up a shared area X on two forums, A and B. Export/Import the messages in X in realtime. User1 only has an account on A but his posts to X show up on B as from A:User1 and vice versa. X can end up shared with other forums as well. I can see that being a powerful way of adding interesting content to new startups, it costs very little (in resources, I don't mean payment is involved) and it would introduce variance to what otherwise might be a static webspace where there's few members to begin with. The effect would be much the same Fido had, which was pretty major. It would be a lot simpler to achieve since there's no message routing involved.

It all depends what you want one for. What is missing from the garden? Someone said earlier they wanted somewhere uncensored, that seems a fair enough reason to go find or build one to me, i would rather here stayed as it is so i'm glad they do that. I toyed with my own for a while, it was fun building it, i learned a lot. Ive since helped others build theirs but i dont hang around as a posting member.

The problem with most forums is not how many members you have its do they post. Given that you can only expect 20% of members to be regular posters. If you see only a few people online each day, there's not much chance of it being active, busy or fun, you get bored & move on or back to where you came from. Add to that 'only people you like invited to your forum' = you dont have any diversity, be as well just having a chat room to meet up in, why bother with a forum?

The garden is pretty slow just now but ive seen that happen before, it always picks up, i see no need to join another for general topics & chit chat. If i joined somewhere else it would be a forum specifically about my line of work. Only 1 other member here is in my trade so there's little point in Tombstone making a section for it, which i'm sure he would if sufficient numbers were interested in it. What surprises me is 'why members dont ask for sections they feel the garden lacks in?

Most i have seen that differ from here include rant, rave & flame sections as they think thats what people want, if you actually go & look at these forum sections they have one, possibly two threads in them, so you've gone to all that trouble to build a forum for 1 thread :-2

Rants, raves & flames happen unexpectadly, you cant plan them, unless of course your names Frank :p

buttercup;665284 wrote:

Rants, raves & flames happen unexpectadly, you cant plan them, unless of course your names Frank :p


:wah: :wah: :wah:!!!!

(Spock)

Set up a shared area X on two forums, A and B. Export/Import the messages in X in realtime. User1 only has an account on A but his posts to X show up on B as from A:User1 and vice versa. X can end up shared with other forums as well.





:wah::wah::wah:

Nomad;665511 wrote: :wah::wah::wah:You have a problem with that? I thought I was being cautious, concise and clear. What bit puzzles you?

my forum home is here on fg



i did try 24 hour forum but i found it confusing :wah:





but guppys forum is very good i dont post much as i find pretty much all the people i want to talk to are here





i post on the mixed martial arts forums i have tried to get people on fg interested but no one is :wah::wah:

I had my own before I joined here but gave it up as I had other more important things to do. I recently just restarted it as a few of the old members emailed me asking when I was restarting it and a lot of us used to meet up every month. Two that got together on my forum are getting married in two weeks as well, can't wait!

crazygal;665580 wrote: I had my own before I joined here but gave it up as I had other more important things to do. I recently just restarted it as a few of the old members emailed me asking when I was restarting it and a lot of us used to meet up every month. Two that got together on my forum are getting married in two weeks as well, can't wait!


Why it's Cilla Black in disguse :rolleyes::-4

SuzyB;665582 wrote: Why it's Cilla Black in disguse :rolleyes::-4


LOL No I don't have buck teeth!

I am going too, it'll be great and yes it did make me feel good. They got together after a year of meets at my house.

crazygal;665584 wrote: LOL No I don't have buck teeth!

I am going too, it'll be great and yes it did make me feel good. They got together after a year of meets at my house.


Oh those kind of meets, keys chucked in a bowl....................................................

























Where's my invite :sneaky:

SuzyB;665588 wrote: Oh those kind of meets, keys chucked in a bowl....................................................

























Where's my invite :sneaky:


Ha ha having one in the hols sometime after Kerry's wedding.

crazygal;665590 wrote: Ha ha having one in the hols sometime after Kerry's wedding.


i'm no spelling boff but i think you spelt holes wrong :wah::wah:

jimbo;665591 wrote: i'm no spelling boff but i think you spelt holes wrong :wah::wah:


Was short for holiday. :p

crazygal;665596 wrote: Was short for holiday. :p




weekend is a short holiday

jimbo;665601 wrote: weekend is a short holiday


Argh I need my fish slap smiley, these are so soooooooooo boring. Another reason to do your own forum. You can add more smileys and change them from time to time.

I created my site so I can have my own ,, where NO one can kick me out of it.No haters,no nasty people bashing me and a fun place to chat when im not here.

Hope you all take a look at it

shamelss ploy to get you to take a look lol

http://s11.invisionfree.com/MJJEternity_Forum/

DelicateDominatrix;665612 wrote: I created my site so I can have my own ,, where NO one can kick me out of it.No haters,no nasty people bashing me and a fun place to chat when im not here.

Hope you all take a look at it

shamelss ploy to get you to take a look lol

http://s11.invisionfree.com/MJJEternity_Forum/


A Michael Jackson forum I presume? Will take me about 6 months to remember the URL though. :wah:

DelicateDominatrix;665612 wrote: I created my site so I can have my own ,, where NO one can kick me out of it.No haters,no nasty people bashing me and a fun place to chat when im not here.God, don't tell Tombstone any of that, he expects it.

Fibonacci;665203 wrote: I dont think its just the same people at their forums. New people will come across it eventually, just like they do here, and they'll have something new to contribute.


Yeah, and people to beat high scores in the arcade!!:sneaky::wah::wah:

jimbo;665601 wrote: weekend is a short holiday


No, weak end is a short ****

I started going to a new forum on a suggestion of a member here. Some folks who no longer come here, are there. Plus I have met some great new people. There are also different topics there. Just another place to go.

RedGlitter;665175 wrote: Some friends and I have been wondering this for a while. Making one's own forum. Why do it? If you're going to invest that much time into making your own forum great, then why not just put more effort into making the current one just as good? What's the appeal? Especially when you get mostly the same people from Forum #1?


Prolly an escape, or they have been banned hahahaha:wah: I dunno IMO leaving a forum to create another doesn't really solve the problem in the first forum, however, not all forums are for all people.