I want to start a gaming and technology community but how should I get started?

[Neomega]

Well I'll try to help.

Back in 2002 I started a gaming news/reviews site called neomega.net, by the end of 2005 it had gotten pretty big and we had about 10 regular staff contributors. If you start something like this, it's important to know that it will consume a lot of your valuable time so you have to make sure it's something you're passionate about and something you won't lose interest in anytime soon!

First you have to decide what visitors you want to attract, and what content are you going to have that people will want to see. That is the hardest part IMO, creating some kind of content that makes your site worth visiting. It really is all about content, that is how the biggest vb sites got so big.

If you're familiar with websites and technology then vbulletin is one of the easier things you will learn. It really is the easiest online software I've ever worked with, and it has a ton of supporters and friendly contributors that will make your life a lot easier.

The last things I'll leave you with are the first things I did when I started my first community. Go around and take notes on the successful sites, don't be afraid to borrow some ideas from the big guys. If you're going to start off alone, you have to become a salesman and unfortunately that means you're going to be advertising and selling your idea to people. Make friends, friends with connections, and your life will become easier. You'll probably fall flat on your face a few times but that's part of the fun of learning something new like this. I will say that vbulletin is one of most fun hobbies you can ever take up, it's like crack!

Edit: Advertising removed