Why do forums die?
Most of the time, it's because of three main issues:
Momentum means more than vanity metrics. Content seeding matters.
Why else do forums die?
Somethings, it's moderation.
That's either over-moderation (being too strict) or under-moderation (letting the forum become a toxic wasteland of abuse and spam).
There needs to be clear but typical rules and consistent enforcement.
A forum will also die when the founder burns out.
This is pretty common. Forum founders typically make the mistake of assuming their forum will be successful overnight. This is especially the case with new forum owners. Of course, that doesn't happen because it's a fairytale and the founder gets burned out in the process because growing a forum often takes time and hard work.
Build a system with organization. Set smaller goals that are easier achieved. Delegate as you're able to.
I also see forum failure from those who chase features instead of community.
Endless add-ons, theme after theme change, and no meaningful discussions.
People join and stay for community, not for some extra feature that will only take attention away from the forum itself.
Bad niche, audience, and vision.
Every website needs a niche. Every website needs a target audience. Every website needs a vision.
If your forum has none of these, it will die.
Believing the "If you build it, they will come!" fairytale!
They won't come. Your forum is one of billions of other websites online. You're a needle in a haystack.
If you want members, you need to go where your target audience is online and poach them.
A few good places to start: other forums, blogs, social media, and other community-platforms like discord servers.
Ignore Member Experience = Dead Forum.
If you ignore member experience and feedback, then your forum will die.
A community is made up of members not just you. Your vision of your forum should be the vision that your members set for it not just your own. A forum will not work today with the "admin only decision making" strategy. Your members need to make your decisions, and you have to seek that feedback out to get it.
Early Monetization Kills Forums
If I visit a brand-new forum with a bunch of ads and no activity, I assume it's there to make money and that's it. I don't join. I don't become active. I usually don't visit again at a later date because I was so annoyed during my first visit.
Why else does a forum die? Let me know in the comments below.
Most of the time, it's because of three main issues:
- Daily activity decreases
- Replies are inconsistent
- Onboarding is a failure
Momentum means more than vanity metrics. Content seeding matters.
Why else do forums die?
Somethings, it's moderation.
That's either over-moderation (being too strict) or under-moderation (letting the forum become a toxic wasteland of abuse and spam).
There needs to be clear but typical rules and consistent enforcement.
A forum will also die when the founder burns out.
This is pretty common. Forum founders typically make the mistake of assuming their forum will be successful overnight. This is especially the case with new forum owners. Of course, that doesn't happen because it's a fairytale and the founder gets burned out in the process because growing a forum often takes time and hard work.
Build a system with organization. Set smaller goals that are easier achieved. Delegate as you're able to.
I also see forum failure from those who chase features instead of community.
Endless add-ons, theme after theme change, and no meaningful discussions.
People join and stay for community, not for some extra feature that will only take attention away from the forum itself.
Bad niche, audience, and vision.
Every website needs a niche. Every website needs a target audience. Every website needs a vision.
If your forum has none of these, it will die.
Believing the "If you build it, they will come!" fairytale!
They won't come. Your forum is one of billions of other websites online. You're a needle in a haystack.
If you want members, you need to go where your target audience is online and poach them.
A few good places to start: other forums, blogs, social media, and other community-platforms like discord servers.
Ignore Member Experience = Dead Forum.
If you ignore member experience and feedback, then your forum will die.
A community is made up of members not just you. Your vision of your forum should be the vision that your members set for it not just your own. A forum will not work today with the "admin only decision making" strategy. Your members need to make your decisions, and you have to seek that feedback out to get it.
Early Monetization Kills Forums
If I visit a brand-new forum with a bunch of ads and no activity, I assume it's there to make money and that's it. I don't join. I don't become active. I usually don't visit again at a later date because I was so annoyed during my first visit.
Why else does a forum die? Let me know in the comments below.
