Bulliten Boards

Are they worth the time for the average site?

[aaronjf]

I am thinking about putting up message board areas on a couple of my sites. I wanted to get feed back on this. Granted we all love WebMasterWorld.com, but for the average site, is it worth the time and energy?

Any thoughts...

[rogerd]

Aaronjf, I recall a discussion a few weeks ago about the time required to run a forum. I couldn't locate that discussion, perhaps because "forum" is a pretty common word around here!

In any case, a BBS/forum can be a great way to build a community at your site, but it can also be very time consuming. Initially, it will require attention to keep posts going, encourage new posters, etc. If it starts to get more popular, then the need for moderation will go up dramatically. You have to decide how useful this community is vs. your site's objectives, and whether you can justify the time & cost.

Certainly, there is something very rewarding in the mere act of creating a vibrant community that didn't exist before. It may not pay the bills, though.

[Jenstar]

A lot will depend on the amount of traffic your site currently sees. There is nothing worse that site with one or two discussions, and all from months previous. I think I remember reading somewhere that you should have a minimum of 1000 unique visitors per day before your site could potentially support a somewhat active community.

You also have to keep in mind that you will need moderators (or be prepared to do it yourself) to prevent spamming - a lot of spam will send visitors running from your message boards in a hurry, as well as for potential flame wars or sensitive topic issues. And a TOS to address issues such as spamming, flames, etc.

On the upside, it can build a great sense of community, and can drive more people to your site because of it.

[Chuma]

I would recommend checking out this thead. [webmasterworld.com]

Thanks.

[pleeker]

There is nothing worse that site with one or two discussions, and all from months previous.

Amen. It's better to not have a message board on your site than to have a dead one. A dead one gives the impression of cobwebs growing on the walls and ceiling, of tumbleweed rolling quietly down a deserted highway. :)

You don't want your site being associated with that imagery. You have to have a crowd first. Kind of a catch-22 -- you have to have a crowd before you can install a message board which you hope helps grow a crowd. One solution is to work on creating valuable content on a regular basis (daily, weekly, whatever). Get people to keep coming back for your content -- get them to link to it from their blogs or wherever.

As the traffic grows, the need for a board grows. You can even ask the users if they want a tool like that -- just post on the site that you're considering adding it, and request feedback.

Good luck.