How useful have you found forums?

Dr_Destruction · Post by **Dr_Destruction** » Mon Aug 07, 2006 10:07 am

I had a forum. Back in the days when I didn't have a job and PoF updated three times a week. I got bored with it though. It died a slow and painful death. One that if I were to recount here would get me banned from this forum and all other forums across the web.

Rock_dash · Post by **Rock_dash** » Mon Aug 07, 2006 10:13 am

faub wrote:I get more comments on my tagboard than on my forum.

As soon as you mentioned that, I checked my tagboard, just for shits and giggles, and there was somebody there demanding I make more comics. If only I could...

Biev · Post by **Biev** » Wed Aug 09, 2006 6:56 pm

Killbert-Robby wrote:
Biev wrote:A forum is a big commitment. It will be your job to keep it alive, and to keep hostile people out. Personally I wouldnt put myself through the trouble, mostly cause I'm already admin elsewhere and it's enough work as it is That and a dead forum makes the whole site look abandoned. I'm told some people pull it off, though from what I can see, the members usually know the artist. Even if you do have a little fangroup, it can be intimidating for random readers to join the clique.
Well from when I've owned boards in the past I can say the easiest thing to do is hand out moderator positions to your nearest and dearest. Takes off the work-load a bit.

I have a good mod team, but I'm still left with a lot of shit to sort through - enough to make me not want to spend much time on there. I guess it's different though because the forum I run is HUGE. I mean insanely huge. The mods are overwhelmed, but they're an elitist bunch who won't welcome new help easily. Honestly, I pray that imageshack explodes, killing nearly all the content just so we can start over with a smaller group. I miss knowing who 50% the people on my site are.

Blackaby · Post by **Blackaby** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 12:01 am

Very very frikkin useful, but I use mine for different reasons.

Shishio · Post by **Shishio** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 4:31 am

My forum rarely sees any activity.

Stinkywigfiddle · Post by **Stinkywigfiddle** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 11:58 am

My shoutbox, or saybox, or whatever I have now has been enough for me.

Wadefade · Post by **Wadefade** » Mon Aug 14, 2006 1:09 pm

Forums are user based. You must know your demographics of your readers and specify forum subjects that would make users WANT to post.

I think it would be hard for a single webcomic to keep an active forum. What else is there to talk about on such a board then the current webcomic?

Albeit the Tagboards, etc... take care of that.

IF you must have a forum (why not?) I would do "General Discussion", "Story Discussion", and "Techical Support" That is about it.

Ida · Post by **Ida** » Mon Aug 14, 2006 1:28 pm

I suppose mine would see more traffic if it wasn't for the tagboard (though a forum is more intimidating) - that one has several posts on the average day, while the forum hasn't seen any activity in a good while. Of course, it doesn't quite help it that the forums have been dead (as in computer-dead) for several months now.

As for benefitial... Meh, I don't know. There have been a few interesting discussions there, mostly stuff that was too long-winded to go in the tagboard (like yuri fanfics) or fanart postings, and it gave me the confidence boost of being invited into a danish comic-community, but otherwise? Nah, not really.

Kasaii · Post by **Kasaii** » Mon Aug 14, 2006 8:33 pm

My forum, although quite quiet, is very useful; it's a place to post when I don't have access to the main page, and it's a good place to gauge popularity of stuff.

I am considering a 'random info' thread of the forum, where I just answer various questions about the world to entice people into reading the forums.