forum makers

[Swede]

wanted to make my own forum, are there any free forum makers that make a website like this?

 

[sumi]

There are some free platforms you can use, but they are a bit limited. Best thing to do would be to do a google search and have a look at your different options and forums using the available platforms to see which one looks the best for your needs. Keep in mind though, there are many, many online forums out there and with FB and their groups online forums have taken a massive hit.

 

[Swede]

There are some free platforms you can use, but they are a bit limited. Best thing to do would be to do a google search and have a look at your different options and forums using the available platforms to see which one looks the best for your needs. Keep in mind though, there are many, many online forums out there and with FB and their groups online forums have taken a massive hit.

Backyardchickens etc.. use https://xenforo.com/ but I don't want to pay, and yes, I've recently noticed that because when I do a google search, the forums are like 2010-2012 area. What would you advise sumi?

 

[baymule]

Facebook has turned into a massive email forward. I used to get upwards of 20 email forwards a day.....drove me nuts. Now people post that crap on Facebook. My opinion is that if you have nothing to say, shut up and stop posting and reposting stupid crap written by somebody else. I have a Facebook account that I rarely check. I'd MUCH rather hang out on SS, BYH, TEG.

I can see how it would be difficult to get people to gravitate to a forum. It takes effort and thought to post on a forum, whereas it is much easier to simply hit forward or like on site for morons with no original thoughts. JMO

 

[sumi]

Backyardchickens etc.. use https://xenforo.com/ but I don't want to pay, and yes, I've recently noticed that because when I do a google search, the forums are like 2010-2012 area. What would you advise sumi?

If I were to start a brand new forum…

1- Do a Google search to see what is out there on the topic forum-wise first. I.e. who will you be competing against for participation, traffic etc.
2- If you find there is a space for a forum on your topic of interest, do another Google search and check out what free platforms are available, but do not dismiss paid for platforms. Some can offer you a MUCH better package with room for future expansion without issues, at a competitive rate.
3- Research some more on the aspects of forum management, maintaining a forum etc, etc. It's a LOT of work and it's not easy… Especially now with FB competing against forums with their groups, which is keeping people in their site, where in the past they'd be visiting different forums, they now have everything in one place, which is making things difficult for forums.

 

[Swede]

If I were to start a brand new forum…

1- Do a Google search to see what is out there on the topic forum-wise first. I.e. who will you be competing against for participation, traffic etc.
2- If you find there is a space for a forum on your topic of interest, do another Google search and check out what free platforms are available, but do not dismiss paid for platforms. Some can offer you a MUCH better package with room for future expansion without issues, at a competitive rate.
3- Research some more on the aspects of forum management, maintaining a forum etc, etc. It's a LOT of work and it's not easy… Especially now with FB competing against forums with their groups, which is keeping people in their site, where in the past they'd be visiting different forums, they now have everything in one place, which is making things difficult for forums.

Um.. ok.
If I make my forum, would you join?

 

[Swede]

Facebook has turned into a massive email forward. I used to get upwards of 20 email forwards a day.....drove me nuts. Now people post that crap on Facebook. My opinion is that if you have nothing to say, shut up and stop posting and reposting stupid crap written by somebody else. I have a Facebook account that I rarely check. I'd MUCH rather hang out on SS, BYH, TEG.

I can see how it would be difficult to get people to gravitate to a forum. It takes effort and thought to post on a forum, whereas it is much easier to simply hit forward or like on site for morons with no original thoughts. JMO

X2

 

[sumi]

Um.. ok.
If I make my forum, would you join?

It depends on the topic

 

[Swede]

It depends on the topic

Ducks and chickens

I don't want you to tire yourself out, it's just a suggestion

 

[sumi]

There are a few forums on poultry already and numerous FB groups. It's a lovely idea, but you are going to have your work cut out making something like that a success… I don't want to rain on your parade, but I'm a realist. I've been working closely with the owner of BackYardChickens.com for a few years and we often discuss online communities and their management and FB and all that comes with it. It's hard to break into a market that is already saturated.