best way to launch your own forum

full list of categories or just popular ones?

[mack]

I have recently been working on a new site, The entire site is basicaly a forum about UK issues. My question is. When launching such a site should I create all forums or start with a shortened list of popular categories.

I am thinking along the lines of a user coming to the site and seeing loads of forums and very few posts, how do you seed a new forum? Would someone post to an almost empty forum?

[crash]

IMHO it's a turn off to see tons of *forums* and no posting.. I always recommend starting with some popular - condensed - forums and then breaking them apart as needed down the line.

[john316]

You pretty much have to seed them...it's the "who goes first" syndrome. Maybe you could get some friends or colleagues to help it along...start small.

[choster]

I would agree with starting with a few, more general boards and then adding new ones as called for. A new forum needs critical mass from the pioneers before newcomers invest the time and energy to register; if you don't achieve that critical mass, the form will stagnate.

Hosting an online forum is like throwing a party. Twenty people in a living room can be a fun party, but twenty people spread out in the living room, dining room, kitchen, and the upstairs parlor will feel a little sparse. Wait till you have the twenty in the living room, and then when it's clear that one group's very loud conversation is becoming distracting, move them into the den.

[mack]

Thanks for your comments. I was thinking the same just wanted some feedback...

glad we all had the same views.

I will be starting with a few forums and see how it goes from there.

[crash]

Make sure you have an *off topic* forum - those always do well and promote a more relaxed feeling while enabling you to keep the other forums 'On Topic'. It's also a great way for folks to kinda bond online - if they become comfortable there then there is a great chance they will not only book mark you but they will actually visit you again :)

[rogerd]

I'd start with the most obvious major topics, and see what subtopics get a lot of traffic. On one fairly active forum I manage, after a year of operation I've added perhaps three or four new top-level topics and folded one or two unpopular ones into bigger topics.

One key thing, I'd say, is to give the appearance of activity in the forum. You definitely should enlist a couple of other people, and in the early days you might want to adopt an alter ego or two so that you aren't 90% of the discussion. Turn on e-mail notification so that you (or someone) can engage anyone who stumbles in and posts. If people see that questions are answered quickly, it will encourage them to post, too. Starting a forum is kind of like building a fire - it needs tinder and TLC at first, but eventually the flames will take hold and be self-sustaining. (Brett probably figures he needs a fire truck these days... :))