How to Start and Make it with a Social Networking Community and Forum Site

I have a few things that I have learned in making my own social networking site and forum that I see are key to be able to succeed at it.

1. It has to be a subject that you know about and can write your own articles about to get it started. Depending on others to write your content for you is a shortcut approach that also places too much dependence on others to write content for you. There are enough topics that you probably know plenty about, make sure to choose one of those.
2. Search engine optimization on all of your pages is key, you cannot get anywhere without doing that. A simple Google search on search engine optimization can get you started in the right direction. (This is a basic one but very important.
3. Content - while trying to build traffic there has to be quality content. If you are making a community, make a functioning community and if you have a forum, just start writing many articles. People do not want to go to a community or forum that has no content.
4. Tell your friends and family - word of mouth advertising is the most powerful and cost effective method of advertising and not utilizing it will limit your performance, especially in the beginning.
5. Submit your site to the search engines after optimizing it for search engine effectiveness, not before.
6. Submit quality content from the blog or community whenever possible to places such as Digg, Mixx, Furl and the social networking sites without overdoing it. These sites work both ways as it is a win-win if you play by their rules by submitting quality, non-spam content.
7. Update the site regularly, no one wants to list a site that is not monitored and updated because it then just becomes a place that is not exciting.
8. If your site has an rss feed, submit that to all of the free rss submission services. If you do not know how to make an rss feed for your site, learn, you can learn free on the Internet like I did and it is well worth your time.
9. Start your own blog and submit it to the blog listing places if your site itself does not qualify as a blog.
10. Most importantly, if you are not excited about the content of your site (ie your niche) you are not going to be able to transmit that excitement.

For example, me, I love baseball cards. I know more about it than many people and it shows when I write about them. It is simple, but if you do not know a subject well, it will not get easier over the long term and that is the point. The first months of the site should be the toughest, it should then get easier. If you do not know your subject it will not be as fun. Happy blogging and social networking.

 

Absolutely agree!Thanks for the points. May be one addition: if you start from scratch look at ready-made software solution to launch your site.

 

I found this post really interesting - thank you.

 

There are some really great tips here, thanks for taking the time to write them down

I for one would like to see your actual site, any chance of getting a link?