Four Tips to Revive your Community

Discussion in 'Member Articles & Tutorials' started by Nick, Jun 4, 2009.

  1. Nick

    Nick Regular Member

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    In this article we will go over four easy ways to revive your dormant community; this means, a community that was once active but has since died out and is collecting dust with no activity. These four tips are to realize, publish, promote, and update.

    • Realize your mistakes and the causes of failure.

      Your community didn’t just die out for no reason. Something must have gone wrong, or a crucial aspect of forum management simply wasn’t being done. You must realize how you got yourself into this dormancy in the first place. What did you do wrong? Why did people stop visiting the forum?
      Invite your community members to share their what they dislike about the community and be sure to address the concerns that are expressed.

    • Publish Content and Posts

      Now that you have discovered and corrected the flaws of your community, it’s time to get content going. Content and discussions are the foundation of forums - it’s what forums and discussion boards are meant for.
      You need to post several new threads/topics per day and several more posts per day. Create discussions that will spark member interactions - polls, debates, questionnaires - you name it.
      Without fresh and new content, your users have nothing to look forward to and therefore no reason to stick around.

    • Promote your Community

      Once you have some active discussions going on throughout your forum, it’s time to promote the community. There are several different ways to promote your community, but the most effective in the beginning will be word-of-mouth.
      Signature links on other discussion forums do fairly well, too. If members enjoy your content on other websites, they will be inclined to check out whatever links you may have in your signature.

    • Upgrade your Forum and add new Features

      Be sure your forum software is running the latest stable release so you can have the greatest feature-set to-date. Consider any hacks or plug-ins as well as any premium add-ons that you think will make great additions to the community. This is another time when consulting your community for feedback, suggestions and recommendations is a very good idea. Ask what they want to see and be able to do on the forum - and be sure to fulfill all reasonable requests.

    These tips should get you well on your way to reviving your community and maximizing your potential activity levels. Feel free to share your experiences with reviving communities in the discussion thread.

    This post has been promoted to an article
     
  2. Tyler

    Tyler The Badministrator

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    This was a great read, Nick. Well-written, too. I like the format you used and the tips given.
     
  3. cqinzx

    cqinzx Newcomer

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    Those are sme very ice tips. A couple of them can also be used for new forums too.
     
  4. John

    John Regular Member

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    Nice guide/tips you have there Nick, it can be very helpful for thoose that want to revive their communitys.
     
  5. Gaz

    Gaz Regular Member

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    Good read, I might use it when Gamers Forum goes down.
     
  6. Nick

    Nick Regular Member

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    Thanks for the comments, guys. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the article.

    Is it already going down or are you anticipating its death? :shifty:
     
  7. Tyler

    Tyler The Badministrator

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    I chuckled at what Nick said because I was thinking the same thing. But hey, I guess it doesn't hurt to do a little planning in advance. :p

    (I also chuckle at the thought of someone saying this about a real life person.)
     
  8. evo

    evo Newcomer

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    Good stuff there, interesting about the upgrading forums.
     
  9. Tom

    Tom Regular Member

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    Wonderful article.

    I wish I had this handy when my very first forum died.

    I had invested lots of money, and only three months later, it was hacked and later died. :(
     
  10. Soliloquy

    Soliloquy Regular Member

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    I would add that it might be a good idea to post in old threads after you've added new content, in hopes some old members still have email notifications turned on.
     
  11. Nick

    Nick Regular Member

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    That's a very good idea, Michelle! Thanks for sharing. :)
     
  12. FullMetalBabe

    FullMetalBabe Zealot

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    I am SO reading this, I need to revive Pisoga.
     
  13. tech

    tech Regular Member

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    Its easier said then done.
     
  14. Tyler

    Tyler The Badministrator

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    :thumbup:
     
  15. Nick

    Nick Regular Member

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    Nobody said it was easy. But if you were lost, this article should help you get on the right track to success.
     

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