Where can I find a free forum creator? I'd like one that doesn't have many ads all over that looks bad although I realize there will probably have to be some ads. What is the best free forum creator that you know?
Over the past year or so, I've done forum posting gigs on numerous forums (from gigs obtained on SEOClerks.com) and it's been really fun and easy work. I love doing this type of gig as I get to socialize and talk with ot...
Is it better to have a forum partner for brainstorming and ideas or would you prefer to be in charge with no one else to consult?
Do you restrict guests to read only posts or do you let guests post? How do you moderate guests?
Do you advertise your site on promotion forums? Are these very effective or do they just attract spammers who want to drop links?
Do you check the moderator logs on a regular basis or do you simply assume they are doing their job?
What if a staff or forum member does something that you don't like or is harmful to your forum or members but it's not specifically against your current rules? How can you prepare for this contingency?
A very good source of admins/mods are other forum owners as they have first hand knowledge of how to run a forum and are not coming to the job as a novice. However, some forum owners might protest, thinking they won't d...
Is there a way to stop a former staff member or admin from establishing and running a competing forum? This might not seem like a big deal, until they use their connections on your forum to steal your forum members and ...
Would you accept it if you found out a staff member or admin was working on your biggest competitor's site? Would you make them choose between the sites or outright strip that person of their forum position?
How do you deal with a situation where a forum argument escalates to the point of threats and potential violence? Do you outright ban? Also, what if the forum member or staffer who made the threat has access to you thr...
What's the worst mistake you have made on your own forum; whether deleting the wrong reply to accidentally banning yourself. Talk about how you recovered. As for myself, i seriously messed up my forum theme about two ...
Guest area can be a good feature for any forum IMO. As it can give them a chance to have the feel and idea of your forum, and where the potential member can clear their doubts or ask for any information before register...
For me, a forum is just a hobby, and there is no money in my personal budget to promote the forum. That means, I'm not buying ad space or paying for backlinking services. It's always been this way. I like promoting m...
Do you ban by IP or email or username? What ban triggers do you use when banning a spammer?
What would you do if one of your best forum members (who had contributed many discussions/responses), suddenly started spamming links/ads or added too many links in their signature line? Would you ban that person? What...
Sometimes this is called necroposting, where you bump a really old thread (usually older than a year). Is bumping of old threads allowed on your forum?
Or, do you restrict avatars to the ones available in your database?
Is it possible to earn money from a forum? Have you earned any money yet, from Adsense or selling ad space?
Was there a specific reason you chose your current forum software? Did you make the choice after careful review? Did you ask opinions of other forum owners before choosing a forum software?
Do forums need a site map as you might find on a traditional HTML based forum?
Have you tried a portal for your forum? Does this help your forum? Or, does it provide a distraction?
When a guest is signing up to be a forum member, do you require that they confirm their email address? And, does this cut down on spammers and automatic registrations?
More well established forums have the advantage of many thousands more posts than newer forums. But then again, some older forums are very inactive, even with all that content. Who has the advantage, a very new forum w...
For instance, do you have member only forums (for posting videos and photos) that is hidden to guests? Do you tell your guests what they are missing? For instance, 'register to see our video gallery!' What's your idea...
Have you ever been so desperate for new posts on your forum (as forum owner) that you opened fake accounts and posted discussions/responses just to stimulate forum activity and get forum members involved? Did this idea ...
Some forums offer revenue sharing with members, such as splitting Adsense or even paying members who post. Have you tried this option?
What could a forum member do to justify being banned? Is spamming enough justification to ban a member?
Does your staff get a special avatar on your forum?
Do you ever find that new members use fake signatures on your forum? If so, how do you deal with this? Do you ban the member?
What should you do about a staff member who is perpetually disrespectful to forum management/ownership or rude to forum members?
Can you earn a decent income from a forum just using Adsense? Or, are there other clever and creative ways to earn money off a forum?
Is it worthwhile to buy a forum that has many thousands of posts already up? Or, do you prefer to start a forum and build your own community? Which is easier or more worthwhile, from a financial point of view?
Do you let forum members link to sites using their affiliate link?
Do you put the advertising on the home page, above the menu links? Or, do you place ads in the footer? Where do ads go on your forum? And, which place works best for ad placement?
Some forum members rush around posting one or two word responses to boost their post count so they can earn signature line privileges. Do you you tolerate this type of activity on your forum? How do you deal with low q...
What are the attributes of a quality forum post? For instance, do you consider length of the forum post or just content when judging the forum post quality?
What's the best kind of forum contest that you can run? Also, how can you ensure the forum contest is fair so there are no cheaters?
I love visiting a forum where Youtube videos are allowed to be posted. It's always fun to share Youtube music and tutorials. But some forums don't allow this. Does your forum allow Youtube videos to be shared?
If you were going to hire a forum moderator, what traits would you look for?
