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My Communities
Too many rules can damage an online community
Almost a year ago I wrote about the importance of having clear site rules for your online community. An online community needs rules as they define the expectations you have for your site and its members, and your members will know exactly what kind of content or behaviour is acceptable. However, just as excessive forum [...]
How to respond if a forum moderator goes crazy!
As a forum grows, it is highly likely you will need additional help when it comes to moderation. Even if your members are fantastically well behaved, moderators are useful to have as they are a reassuring, visible presence in your community. They help encourage conversations and are a reflection of the care and attention you [...]
How your competitors can make you more money
Keeping an eye on your competitors is important. Knowing who they are, what they are doing and what their customers (members) are demanding will help you improve your own website. When considered this way, competitors can be a positive influence on your site - they can even help you make more money.
How online communities make [...]
How much are online forums worth?
As online communities become an ever more important part of the online experience, you might expect the value of forums to be ever-increasing. To investigate just how much Internet forums are worth, I undertook a little research.
Recent online forum sales
By browsing through the SitePoint Marketplace, I collected details of all recent forum sales that were [...]
What is your online community’s added value?
Making a success of a brand new online community is hard work, not least because you are highly likely to be competing against a number of other sites that are already established. The challenge you face is how to attract people to your site when there are others out there that already cater to the [...]
Why are active forum members like gold dust?
Without interaction, you have no community. Your forum may well be attracting visitors and a good number of them may be registering and becoming members, but unless they post and get involved, your site will struggle to be a success. Very often, active forum members are like gold dust - this doesn’t need to be [...]
The best online community: A forum or a blog?
So you have a great idea for a new community, and the subject of your community is something you are passionate about. Your next decision is what kind of community your new site will be: a forum or a blog?
A forum as an online community
For most of us, when we think ‘online community’, we immediately [...]
Do you consider your target audience when exchanging links?
Link exchanges still prove to be a popular way to gain direct traffic, create relationships with other webmasters, improve search engine rankings and create awareness of your site. There is one important factor you should always ensure you consider before exchanging links with another site though: is the site suitable and relevant to your audience?
Untargeted [...]
How trigger levels can help you develop an online community
Online communities need care and attention from their developers. Younger communities, just like younger children, need more help whilst older ones may be less demanding. Regardless of the age or development stage of your community, it is important for you to have what I call ‘trigger levels’ that require you to take action when a [...]