UBB.Developers Forums Community Development Promoting Your Community Promotion

Promoting web forums is a long and time consuming process if you want to do it right. I am convinced that there is not a one size fits all promotion strategy that works for all sites. Here are the key points in my experience:

1. An empty forum stays empty... If your forum is not seeded with interesting posts and content it may well stay empty much longer. People want to see what a forum is like BEFORE they post. If its empty they may not return.

2. Search engines matter but they are not the be all and end all of promotion
AND forget paying high rates for one time search engine splashed in 35000 Search engines. Each engine has its own set of rules. The top engines should always be hand submitted and this should be done AFTER you have set up your site properly for submission. If anyone guarantees you a top ranking for some amount of money--run the other way. They will not be of any help to you

3. In addition to search engines think about where people who would be most interested in your forums hang out--THAT is where you want to be see:)
So get out there and make interesting posts on related sites message boards etc

4. your members word of month will be the least time consuming and most effective promotion tool...Find ways to help them feel ownership

5. Promotion must be done again and again and again ..its not a one time job but continuous work

Well thats a start...i hope I raised some eyebrows with my search engine comments...hinm and perhaps some fingers have begun typing a response ;)