New Gaming Forum - New Moderator - 1 Member

[HomeComputerGames]

Forums have got to be one of the hardest type of websites to get started.
They are easy enough to set up and get ready for promoting but there is the fact that no one likes to be the first person to sign up for a forum.

I just recently opened up a gaming and digital entertainment forum to diversify HCG. Video Game Forums - Entertainment Forums • Index page
I also found a moderator to run things.
The problem is after you run out of family and friends to join how do you recruit new members for a forum with under 50 members?
People like to belong to forums that have movement and activity.

One way to get some movement is to create multiple accounts and have conversations with yourself.
You can also hire people to come in and post for a fairly low cost. Though most of the content that they provide is worthless.

Holding contests can get you members but they are not usually active members but just sign up in hopes of getting something for free.

So I wonder, what have some of you done to recruit new forum members?

HCG

[pinkelephants]

Originally Posted by HomeComputerGames

Forums have got to be one of the hardest type of websites to get started.
They are easy enough to set up and get ready for promoting but there is the fact that no one likes to be the first person to sign up for a forum.

I just recently opened up a gaming and digital entertainment forum to diversify HCG. Video Game Forums - Entertainment Forums • Index page
I also found a moderator to run things.
The problem is after you run out of family and friends to join how do you recruit new members for a forum with under 50 members?
People like to belong to forums that have movement and activity.

One way to get some movement is to create multiple accounts and have conversations with yourself.
You can also hire people to come in and post for a fairly low cost. Though most of the content that they provide is worthless.

Holding contests can get you members but they are not usually active members but just sign up in hopes of getting something for free.

So I wonder, what have some of you done to recruit new forum members?

HCG

I read a number of video game sites/forums and I feel that gamers are really big on two things - news on new technology and game guides. In forums, sometimes there's discussion but it's not rapid fire enough for gamers. You're going to need some unique and quality content to distinguish yourself and gain traffic. It think it's a little ambitious to get someone to convert, especially since there are so many GIGANTIC gaming discussion websites.

Maybe if you provided some original content with some unique flair - ala Zero Punctuation - you can draw visitors and thus discussion. However, in my opinion, a forum for a store isn't too great of an idea.

[HomeComputerGames]

Originally Posted by pinkelephants

I read a number of video game sites/forums and I feel that gamers are really big on two things - news on new technology and game guides. In forums, sometimes there's discussion but it's not rapid fire enough for gamers. You're going to need some unique and quality content to distinguish yourself and gain traffic. It think it's a little ambitious to get someone to convert, especially since there are so many GIGANTIC gaming discussion websites.

Maybe if you provided some original content with some unique flair - ala Zero Punctuation - you can draw visitors and thus discussion. However, in my opinion, a forum for a store isn't too great of an idea.

I did quite a bit of research on this before deciding to go ahead with it.
Most online stores now have some sort of forum along with blogs. Amazon is one of these.
My main intention with the forum is for Google reasons and not really to have a giant forum.
But if my new moderator is going to show interest in it I will help him out. So I am looking at tying the Arcade into the forum so he can have high score contests, top scores on the main page, etc...
Also such things as game cheats & walk throughs, video trailers, product reviews and so on.

But even with great content, getting someone that isn't a spammer to first visit seems like it will be a task in the beginning.