Redesigning my community content

Nick · Posted: 9/14/2005, 2:34 pm Post subject: Redesigning my community content

I am going to be redesigning my community's content. Right now, my boards lack any central focus - something to draw certain users toward it. It's very broad, which I thought at first would be a good thing, but it is in fact too broad. Spread too thinly. I have many interests, but none of them seem good enough to base an entire board on just one thing. If I had more than one database (I can't buy another one because of the weird hosting/payment situation I'm in), I would simply create multiple forums. If you know of any way I can get some more databases for free, please let my know immediately. If not, then forget I said anything.

Basically, I'm posting this in here to see if I can get any help with my endeavor. (If this belongs in the offers/requests forum, I'm sorry.) I need just a brainstormed list of ideas for forum content - a list of specific focuses a forum could have. I want to see what you guys think are some cool forum ideas. I already have a vague list in my head, but since I can only make one forum (without going to some cheapo "phpbbforfree.com" type of forum), I don't want to start something when there may be another idea out there I would have liked better.

Any input will be appreciated. If you are still unsure of what I'm asking, please notify me.
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Triumvirate · Posted: 9/14/2005, 2:39 pm Post subject:

I've found a lot of times that "general" boards tend to be a bad thing for the reason that you don't have a target audience to go for. I've always felt making a community was like marketing any product, you figure out who your target audience is and then you can correctly "advertise" your "product" for them.

Not sure how much I can give you as far as a list goes. Try giving us a list of the interests you have, you may be surprised how many could be easily turned into full fledged communities by themselves.
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MMO Gaming

Nick · Posted: 9/14/2005, 2:47 pm Post subject:

Triumvirate · Posted: 9/14/2005, 3:05 pm Post subject:

Alright well let's see if we can narrow that down a bit, personally I wouldn't go with general video games, there are so many out there it will be hard to be recognized no matter how great your community may be.

Zelda we may be able to work with, it's been done true, but if you can get a strong base you may be able to get somewhere with it (I feel at least, maybe I'm dead wrong).

Guitar also seems to be a fairly viable option, assuming once again of course that you have something new and unique that makes people join your community over others.

Personally I would shy away from Christian Rock, Christianity and Sports just based on the fact that the latter 2 are havens for flamers/trolls/morons to post mocking/degrading comments (unless you are prepared to moderate it as well as it may need to be). The first for similar reasons.

Web design/HTML/phpBB, etc. could all be done but once again you must have something that others do not have. phpBB I wouldn't personally recommend because it would be difficult to do, there's not much that can be done that hasn't already been done. Various aspects of web design/development could also be done but I may try to focus on a specific area within that broad topic even.

With literature you can possibly have the best chance. I wouldn't personally go for Harry Potter because there are so many others available on that topic.

Fantasy books in general could work but may be difficult.

Shannara series or C.S Lewis would appear to be your best bets on the topic of literature. Using that you have a definite target audience to go off of and getting a great community on one of those subjects along with word of mouth to friends/family from even a small member base could make the site blossom in a decent amount of time.

Of course the most important thing is making a community about something you really love. If you think that you would rather do a community on Sports over Zelda or anything like that, go for it. Work hard and develop a great site and community and people will come even if there are other options available.
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MMO Gaming

Nick · Posted: 9/14/2005, 3:13 pm Post subject:

Thoul · Posted: 9/14/2005, 3:17 pm Post subject:

I'd avoid Zelda - and I'm speaking as someone that once tried to build his own site on the subject - because almost everything you could do there has been done at least three times now. Unless you can come up with some really brillant, underused approach, you'll be "just another Zelda site."

Shannara series caught my eye, as a long time reader of that series. I don't know of any medium to large communities for it. (Or small ones for that matter, but I'd expect there are one or two.) You might be able to build something with that, maybe then build up into other fantasy books.
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Phantasy Star: The Fringes of Algo | phpBB Smith

Triumvirate · Posted: 9/14/2005, 6:48 pm Post subject:

Was just watching a DVD and one of the previews caught my eye, they are making a movie based on the Chronicles of Narnia books, setting up a community for C.S Lewis basically gives you an added forum just about the movies. Also will agree with the Shannara series as Thoul mentioned, never read the books but I know a lot of my friends have and love it so I'm sure there is a decent base to work with.
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MMO Gaming

Elbethil · Posted: 9/20/2005, 7:52 pm Post subject:

Wow, you have a lot of forums - I would recommend chopping & merging a few. I would say that five forum info forums is too much and somewhat daunting to newbies.

Fantasy communities can be hard to build up unless they're about Tolkien, Harry Potter and Robert Jordan - all are overdone. Having administrated both a Tolkien and a WOT board, trust me when I say it's not worth it. If you're going to do fantasy, I would say pick a not-too-obscure author that doesn't already have +3 messageboards... Robin Hobb, Elizabeth Haydon and Sara Douglass come to mind. Of course, none of these are on your list, so I'll stop rambling here.
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- Elbie

Cited · Posted: 9/27/2005, 3:29 am Post subject:

If you want to run more boards on the one database its actually pretty easy.........

Just do a new install with a different prefix.

Ie. Master board tables are phpbb_
so phpbb_config, phpbb_posts etc

So make secondary board prefix blah_
so blah_config, blah_posts etc

then you can make third board prefix gossip_
so gossip_config, gossip_posts etc

Once the boards get busy you will have to look at seperate databases to speed things up as this will run slower than you ideally want....but it works.