Traffic

[setishock]

While that may be true, you have to have something to hold the gold.

Your forum has to be easy to navigate. Make it too complicated and they won't use it. The KISS method always works best.

Don't over specialize. Too many forums have sections for every little item. Streamline as much as you can. Goes back to the KISS method.

Treat your guests and members as you want to be treated in a forum. Knowing when a hand on the shoulder and a whisper in the ear will work better to defuse a situation, than cracking the whip. That's a tough one. You learn over time what works and what doesn't. Trust me word gets around the circuit either way. I'd rather have them saying I'm fair than I'm a jerk.

Drop in to other forums and inquire about link swaps. Just be on guard for those that don't hold up their end of the deal. Check on them once a week or so. or have your mods keep an eye for you.

Choose your mods carefully. They are acting on your behalf when you are not around. They can be a big help or a major league disaster. You alone should pick your mods. After all it IS your forum.

Sign up for Google and Yahoo. Yahoo says it may be weeks before they send in the bots. It was the same day at my place. And it's been nonstop since. Signing up for other search engines will get the word out also. ASK and Dogpile are a couple of ones I'm dialed in to. It works and well worth the time spent filling out the form. Which is simple in most cases.

Finally a word of caution. Beware of BoardReader. If you have something that is even remotely suggestive in a tag line or a sig advertising your forum, you may find yourself listed among some pretty nasty porn sites. Check that place regular. I had a go round with them for just that reason. But in all fairness they where Johnny on the spot getting it taken care of. BTW the line it picked up on was "It's not all about busty blue haired babes". It took the words busty and babes out of context, and I blew a gasket.

It takes time to get known. Patient grasshopper.
SetiShock
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