Full Version: How are NON COMMERCIAL forums born?
Can anybody explain me how forums are born? How many people must visit the new forum per minute to make begin a chain reaction? I am interested in NON commercial forums, such as HA, which cannot afford large investments. Any advice is appreciated.
Thats an interesting yet very difficult topic.
The point where the "critical mass" is reached is different and depends on the scope and type of forum.
I dont know a perfect template to make it work out, but over time i learned the following things:
* already having a clique - a bunch of buddies - which are interested in the forum-theme, is a huge plus. The problem is that if you start from zero, then people constantly miss each other. So, optimally you should only start a project in public, when the minimum live-support does already exist.
* In the beginnings, "producers" are everything and "consumers" are worth almost nothing. Unfortunatelly, producers - active and productive people - are rare.
* Be prepared that it may take a lot of patience and energy to reach the critical mass. The first steps are often also the most difficult ones. However, on the other hand, dont be overly involved and productive, because that may give others the impression, that you will do all the work anyways.
* When the critical mass is reached, dont grow faster than the community-spirit can handle.
* When it becomes obvious that it will not work out, dont waste energy for it but instead save it for something different. Burning oneself out for a sinking ship is one of the most demotivating things you can do - future projects may suffer from it.
- Lyx
The point where the "critical mass" is reached is different and depends on the scope and type of forum.
I dont know a perfect template to make it work out, but over time i learned the following things:
* already having a clique - a bunch of buddies - which are interested in the forum-theme, is a huge plus. The problem is that if you start from zero, then people constantly miss each other. So, optimally you should only start a project in public, when the minimum live-support does already exist.
* In the beginnings, "producers" are everything and "consumers" are worth almost nothing. Unfortunatelly, producers - active and productive people - are rare.
* Be prepared that it may take a lot of patience and energy to reach the critical mass. The first steps are often also the most difficult ones. However, on the other hand, dont be overly involved and productive, because that may give others the impression, that you will do all the work anyways.
* When the critical mass is reached, dont grow faster than the community-spirit can handle.
* When it becomes obvious that it will not work out, dont waste energy for it but instead save it for something different. Burning oneself out for a sinking ship is one of the most demotivating things you can do - future projects may suffer from it.
- Lyx
QUOTE(de Mon @ Jun 3 2005, 04:37 PM)
Can anybody explain me how forums are born?
Black Magic
Don't forget the liberal use of voodoo dolls. Without voodoo, there wouldn't be an internet, much less such a thing as an internet forum.
We have a cellar with about 100 monkeys on typewriters randomly typing and making posts. This creates the appearance of an active forum, so real people start posting, too. After a while, you can't spot the difference any more.
QUOTE
Don't forget the liberal use of voodoo dolls. Without voodoo, there wouldn't be an internet, much less such a thing as an internet forum.
I thought Al Gore invented the internet
QUOTE
We have a cellar with about 100 monkeys on typewriters randomly typing and making posts. This creates the appearance of an active forum, so real people start posting, too. After a while, you can't spot the difference any more.
Finally, I have the explanation for the crap that passes for journalism in the USA.
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