I Want To Start A Forum

[Squilly]

Originally Posted by Puevlo

It took several decades for MacRumors to become the moneymaking machine that it is.

it's a money making machine?

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Originally Posted by jlevitsk

True. I don't think many sites will simply take off and make money. Many times sites need to ignore trying to make money until they have a good following. I think the sites that do best are the ones who have people who love the topic like TUAW for example. Their love of the Apple platform and constant coverage keeps me coming back. I have tried to start forums in the past. I used to run linadmin.org which was pretty successful at Linux stuff for me but it was mostly for my Apache Frontpage extension work which dried up when Microsoft abandoned Frontpage extensions.

For right now I've been working on www.enterpriseadmin.org as a completely not for profit project. I do desktop engineering for a living and there aren't that many central places to discuss things. I'm hoping it takes off, not to get rich, but to help me also have a single place to access info I need every day. So for me that site is something I'm passionate about. Maybe it'll become something. Not sure. I can dream.

So for the person wanting to start a forum.. Just look at your hobbies... What you know and want to talk about... And see if there are not that many popular places to talk about it or maybe you can handle the topic better than anyone else ... Make a forum about that. And find a friend to help you so they are posting too and you'll have more momentum.

When I have time I'm thinking of a Hazardous Materials team website. I'm on a team and having a place to go for info would be great. If that sounds interesting and you want to take that idea feel free. Send the link if you do and I'll join.

What is TUAW? Another upcoming topic I've been thinking about starting a forum on was 3D printing, since its the next big thing. I don't know much about it though.

[simsaladimbamba]

Originally Posted by Puevlo

It took several decades for MacRumors to become the moneymaking machine that it is.

Several decades? It has been online for only almost 13 years.

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Originally Posted by Squilly

What is TUAW?

The Unofficial Apple Weblog.

[jlevitsk]

Originally Posted by Squilly

it's a money making machine?

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What is TUAW? Another upcoming topic I've been thinking about starting a forum on was 3D printing, since its the next big thing. I don't know much about it though.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog. It's a great resource for Apple news.

[rdowns]

Originally Posted by Squilly

it's a money making machine?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/te...gger.html?_r=0

[Squilly]

Originally Posted by rdowns

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/te...gger.html?_r=0

That's intriguing. And from '08 nonetheless.

[mobilehaathi]

Originally Posted by Squilly

What is TUAW?

Dude, you want to start an Apple forum/site and don't know what TUAW is? Man I don't think you've done your homework at all.

[dma550]

In the golden ages of forums, I had two car forums that earned about $140/month on good months with click thorughs on adverts. Nowadays, nobody does, and the cost per click has plummeted. The hosting and admin hassle almost isn't worth it unless you love the topic and volunteer to be the admin.

Also, the war that is waged with spammers is incredible. We shut off new membership except for certain times, a "membership drive". Once on, there are 20-30 robotic registrations almost immediately - they're trying to bash their way in at all times. It's maddening.

[725032]

Another Apple forum!... Do you seriously think thats a good idea?

[Squilly]

Originally Posted by SiPi

Another Apple forum!... Do you seriously think thats a good idea?

I wish it was
It's the main thing I'm interested in.

[mobilehaathi]

Originally Posted by Squilly

I wish it was
It's the main thing I'm interested in.

Hey man that's not true at all!

You're also interested in flipping computers on ebay, 3D printing, wireless charging, and
the stock market!

[Squilly]

Originally Posted by mobilehaathi

Hey man that's not true at all!

You're also interested in flipping computers on ebay, 3D printing, wireless charging, and
the stock market!

I mean discussing. I enjoy discussing Apple-related topics.

[Kissaragi]

Originally Posted by mobilehaathi

Hey man that's not true at all!

You're also interested in flipping computers on ebay, 3D printing, wireless charging, and
the stock market!

There you have it! The worlds first wireless charging forum!

[mobilehaathi]

Originally Posted by Kissaragi

There you have it! The worlds first wireless charging forum!

How could it fail? Insta-$ just waiting to be grabbed. Squilly buddy are you listening?

[184550]

Originally Posted by SiPi

Another Apple forum!... Do you seriously think thats a good idea?

Other popular Apple sites had/ have come of age before and after MR. As I said earlier, you don't have to be first, you just have to be the best.

[Squilly]

Originally Posted by NathanMuir

Other popular Apple sites had/ have come of age before and after MR. As I said earlier, you don't have to be first, you just have to be the best.

But the current ones have already adapted to be the best of the best.

[184550]

Originally Posted by Squilly

But the current ones have already adapted to be the best of the best.

...until the next big thing comes along.

[Squilly]

Originally Posted by NathanMuir

...until the next big thing comes along.

Apple-based? Or the next big niche?

[nilk]

If you're talking about building a forum as a "source of income" and don't even know what the intended audience/subject matter would be, you're doing it for the wrong reason. You create a forum for the purpose of building a community around something you care about, are interested in, or is directly related to something you are doing (e.g. forums for a product that you produce). You're doing it to bring people together to share ideas and information.

That said, if I was starting a forum today, I would try using Discourse: http://www.discourse.org/

Discourse was announced only a few days ago, but it looks to blow away all the current forum software. And it's open source, too.

[Squilly]

I don't know what to think of. I really want to start an attractive forum with an attractive domain to attract people but everything I think of is already taken.

[mobilehaathi]

Originally Posted by Squilly

I don't know what to think of. I really want to start an attractive forum with an attractive domain to attract people but everything I think of is already taken.

I hesitate to suggest (because it will sound pretty harsh) that you're not actually thinking at all but rather grasping at ideas that have already proven to be successful. Then you adopt all the superficialities, claim you've thought of an idea, and sulk about how it has already been taken. This isn't limited to your forum "idea" but also your wireless charging "idea."

[Squilly]

Originally Posted by mobilehaathi

I hesitate to suggest (because it will sound pretty harsh) that you're not actually thinking at all but rather grasping at ideas that have already proven to be successful. Then you adopt all the superficialities, claim you've thought of an idea, and sulk about how it has already been taken. This isn't limited to your forum "idea" but also your wireless charging "idea."

Yeah but I'm trying to create a forum on something that I'm passionate about. Not something that I can't discuss easily, or get viewers of.

[SilentPanda]

Originally Posted by Squilly

Yeah but I'm trying to create a forum on something that I'm passionate about. Not something that I can't discuss easily, or get viewers of.

Make a forum for making ideas. You seem to enjoy having ideas...

[mobilehaathi]

Originally Posted by Squilly

Yeah but I'm trying to create a forum on something that I'm passionate about. Not something that I can't discuss easily, or get viewers of.

So start thinking about how to differentiate your forum. You know these things (thinking, planning, refining) take more than 60 seconds, right?

[Phil A.]

I can't see how you can make insta money on a forum - it takes time to build up a loyal user base and if you don't achieve "critical mass" it will just wither and die.

I'm one of the admins on an electronic cigarette forum which was launched last year. We've now got nearly 6,000 members and have grown to one of the biggest in the UK. However, we don't have advertising on it (it was a conscious decision to have it non commercial) so it actually costs us money (hosting costs, etc) rather than making any!

It's become a hobby to run the forum and give something back to the community, and I think that had to be the mindset when starting a forum - if you set out just looking for the $$ you'll find it tough.

If you start a forum about something you love it may well evolve into something that makes money but even if it doesn't, you'll have a great time running it

[Squilly]

Originally Posted by mobilehaathi

So start thinking about how to differentiate your forum. You know these things (thinking, planning, refining) take more than 60 seconds, right?

Yeah, I know. I've had the idea of starting a forum for a while.