This post was last updated on July 27, It's safe to say that forums have existed since the beginning of time.
Well, more like the beginning of the internet which is basically the same. Online forums allow virtual communities to come together to share knowledge and enthusiasm. By adding an online forum to your website, you can greatly increase user engagement and grow your online community.
Like other features in the Wix website builder , setting up your forum is simple, intuitive and free of charge. After adding the Wix Forum app to your website in the Wix Editor, you can easily customize the layout, set up admin capabilities and define the content and interests of your community.
Here are some of the highlights that make Wix Forum so good:. Users sign up, log in and participation is easy and intuitive. You can choose a classic forum layout or a fancy cards display — both layouts are customizable.
A rich text editor allows you and your forum members to add beautiful posts, including images. Managing the forum is simple, so being an admin requires minimal effort.
Each member gets a profile page that documents their forum activity. There are many reasons to create a forum or a forum website. Believe it or not, forum members are not strictly identified with Justin Bieber fans or Minecraft enthusiasts. If you search the web, you will find flourishing forums dedicated to almost every theme or niche, from military history to interior design.
The primary benefit of creating a forum is to build a community around a shared interest. Your forum will be providing this community with a space to exchange ideas, compare experiences and also enjoy a conversation with people who share a particular profession, hobby or worldview.
An online forum also opens a new channel of communication between the site owner and site visitors. Newsletters and site comments are excellent for engaging with visitors, but both tend to place an emphasis on one side of the discussion. It uses cloud hosting to ensure your forum loads quickly. For example, you can install a plugin to let users mention other members on other social media platforms, like on Twitter. Automatic daily backups, and unlimited staff and community members also come with all plans.
There you have it: Not only are these the best forum software, but some of them are the best free forum software options as well. Your next steps for building a forum would be:.
Were you able to choose the forum software best suited for your needs? What are you looking for in forum software? What do you consider to be the best forum software or the best free forum software? Share your thoughts in the comments below. Jenni McKinnon Staff Writer. Twitter Facebook. Last updated: Dec 7, 3 Comments. It also has an AI-powered user engagement feature to help your community grow organically.
Discourse Free Discourse is certainly one of the best free forum software out there. Not only that, but it also has built-in security, anti-spam, and caching capabilities. Its user interface UI is clean and simple, making it look quite professional. MyBB Free MyBB is an open-source, self-hosted forum software best fit for businesses that need an elegant, but cost-effective forum program. Its interface is straightforward and this also includes administration pages. All the above makes it one of the best free forum software for businesses and individuals alike.
Flarum Free Flarum is a new contender in the forum software market. It really makes a great all-around user experience for everyone. Wrapping Up There you have it: Not only are these the best forum software, but some of them are the best free forum software options as well. We hope you found the most suitable software that befits your needs. Your next steps for building a forum would be: Setting up your chosen forum software on a hosting plan.
Choosing a domain name , and connecting it with your forum program. Also keep in mind that social networks have their momentum of glory but in time that fades.. As you could see, you should be creative and outline the benefits and risks and then decides if it will work for you. Need more help? Let me know, I will gladly help. Hello Rick, Thank you for stopping by. I totally agree with you. People will always want to share knowledge about the passions or common problems.
I read it practically every day. I am also happy that I could find methods that allowed me to earn the first pretty good money on the internet. I hope you will succeed too! Thank you for your nice words and for reading our digital magazine.
Pingback: Top 10 Monetize Blog Posts of Like to watch a video instead of reading? Contents 1. Before starting a forum 3. How to start a forum 4.
How To Promote your Forum 5. How to manage your forum 6. Tips from forum admins 7. Examples of Excellent Forums 8. Conclusion on how to start a forum. The amount of information available can snowball. Subjects are archived, allowing newer generations to learn. Active users are very loyal, at least for some time. You can grow an active member base and monetize it properly. Offer a simple way to answer reader questions quickly. You create a way for your members to interact with each other.
You get fresh content generated by your members. People tend to leave social media networks wondering about privacy and security issues. Discussion Forums CONs: You need substantial traffic, or your forum will remain quiet and will slowly die. You need good antispam tools to keep the forum clean. If your forum becomes popular, your traffic could spike during hot topic discussions and use a lot of bandwidth. Just look into your Facebook profile, or politely ask your friends to help out.
Offer an incentive, if you must. Hiring someone or ask for volunteers: If you have little to no money, places like Craigslist allow you to place unpaid gig listings. Staying active: Getting the forum off the ground means being there to answer questions and starting new topics every day, especially toward the beginning. So for an hour or two every day, check your forum and answer questions from members, delete spam and post engaging content or ask questions that encourage your members to engage.
Offer incentives and organize contests. When you have very few members is crucial to encourage people to register and make posts. I got good results by offering incentives for registering money, amazon cards, trophies, the member of the month contest, etc. Places to Research Forum Topics Reddit: Browse through the thousands of subreddits and see how many years they have existed for, how many subscribers they have, and pay attention to their level of interaction.
Facebook and Linkedin Groups Quora, Yahoo Answers, and Similar: Look into new, trending, and all-time popular questions on these websites. What questions keep consistently popping up? What do you think you can offer to your members if you start a forum based on said topic? Google trends: Set up email alerts about your chosen topic on Google trends. You can turn virtually any trend into a forum topic by asking questions about it. This is a goldmine. You can use Google Alerts to set up notices for your niche.
Competitive intelligence tools: Using tools like Semrush , ahrefs, SpyFu, and iSpionage can give you a complete overview of what people search online. Browse similar forums: What subjects are they covering? What are they missing? How are those members treated there? Can you bring something new to the table, or at least improve upon their existing methods? What forum software you use or plan to use?
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Before launching, there are several things you need to take care of: Create the necessary pages: About us , Disclaimer, Terms and Conditions , Privacy Policy , and Contact us. Later on, when you have a solid base of members, you may start selling advertising and add an a dvertise with us page. Set up categories. Spend enough time to research the most active categories on other forums and create them on yours.
Also, add categories that are relevant to your forum. Do not forget to add several categories like Introduce yourself , General discussions , Announcements , and Advertisements. Create a page with forum rules or create a post into the announcements forum and make sure everyone reads them. Make sure you are strict enough with the rules you impose.
Otherwise, your community will be spammed, and your legit members will leave. Setup member groups for admins, moderators, and regular members. Guests should not be able to post till they register an account. Write some interesting posts, both informative and controversial, that will encourage your first members to engage in discussions.
Check our article on Expert Roundup Creation Guide. If you notice a member posting thoughtful, smart responses, invite that member to write an article or give him a special contributor status. Keep track of the birthdays of prominent members by featuring their names and a birthday wish. Make your members feel special. Do contests and giveaways regularly. You can offer prizes in cash, gift cards, or special memberships. Add an area where business owners can promote their businesses or services.
People love to share or self-promote. Create regular events in the form of webinars or gatherings for your members. Appoint community moderators to enforce the rules, keep the peace and get discussions going. You should start with a warning and go from there. Respect the privacy of your members. Remind the community rules from time to time to your members. Do you want to monetize your website better?
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