A Forum is without doubt a great asset to any Website if the people who use it are able to and capable of sharing information relative to the Website, for example a Website set up for a Property Auctioneer should only contain Topics that relate in some way to the business of Buying/Selling Property. If the content goes too much off-topic then this can damage the Forum and make it unusable for what its intended use is and can damage you and your Websites reputation.
Before you choose to set up a Forum ask yourself some fundamental questions:
- Do I know what I want to achieve by setting up the Forum?
- Do I have the technical know how/expertise to choose the fit-for-purpose software?
- Do I have a budget to procure licensed OpenSource Software?
- Will I use a Freeware OpenSource Solution?
- Do I know what features I require in the Forum?
- Do I have the time/expertise to evaluate the different available solutions?
- Do I have the time to administer the Forum once it goes Live?
- Are there people whom I know and trust and would be willing to Moderate on the Forum?
- Do I have the time/expertise to keep the Software up-to-date in the future?
- Do I have the time to check the Forum content on a regular basis?
These are some of the key questions a person should ask themselves before they make a decision to launch a Forum on their Website. But remember that when your Forum goes live it requires constant tending and surveillance, and the more popular the Forum the more work there is to do.
So before you make your decision do your homework and see whether or not you really do need a Forum.
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