How to get people to sign up on your forum??

[T3ddyBlair]

Hey guys iv been rather busy the last few days getting a forum together, and also playing around with the Categories!! Now how do I get people to populate My forum>>>>
My forum is : http://thepokerfloor.com/forums

Dose any body have any experience in this field... A few people iv spoken with mentioned that its extremely hard to do... So iv made it a mission to prove them wrong! So any additional help will be highly appreciated!!!!

Oh btw feel free to sign up... LOL

Regards.

Blair.H

[Chips]

The easiest way to populate is to set up as many private forum games you can. Be sure you use your url in the title, the sites will not let you use www.mysite.com but if you just do "ThePokerFloor freeroll" or ThePokerFloor added" the players will seek you out. I Googled http://thepokerfloor.com/ and got to your site but I would suggest a prominent link to the forum from there. Possibly do a larger text link for now like "Click here for our Private Forum Games" Poker players know to look for a forum link or tab so I wouls suggested adding a tab to the menu.

Also, a lead in to your forum from the home page will get traffic to the forum and once there, you need to have something to entice them to join.

"Check out our forum, we have some great private freerolls and added buy ins and some great conversation, click here to enter"

If you are a member of other forums, check with the admin there and ask if you can have an announcement of your new forum. Also, once you have your games approved and listed, invite other forums to join in your games, this will get cross population and get people talking about your board.

I will offer you a spot in my forum friends section at Poker Player US to help you along. PM me here or at my forum at http://pokerplayerus.com and I will give you a leg up.

One other issue, when I Googled your site, I see a lot of your posts at forums and links to stats sites. Have you submitted your site to Google and other search engines? Once you are indexed your site will show along with pages and posts.

Best of luck and welcome to the (haha) wonderful world of poker forums.

[Chips]

Other issue is you may want to make your welcome email more personal and include the forum name. I registered with you tonight.

Dear chips,

Thanks for registering at Trusted Online Poker Rooms! We are glad you have chosen to be a part of our community and we hope you enjoy your stay.

All the best,
Trusted Online Poker Rooms

[GPWA Teresa]

Other issue is you may want to make your welcome email more personal and include the forum name.

I also registered, and would agree that the welcome message could be more personal and more informative.

Congratulations on taking another step with your site.

If only you had T-Shirts....

[T3ddyBlair]

Great thanks so much that was an awesome reply chips!!!!
Ill pm you now now!!! this is my first major forum my last was a site where my mates and i would talk about rubbish! lol any ways i have sent my site to Google..

Regards.

Blair.H

[Chips]

That is what we are all here for.... to help each other. I will be happy to offer any help I can.

[pompeyrayuk]

The easiest way to populate is to set up as many private forum games you can. Be sure you use your url in the title, the sites will not let you use www.mysite.com but if you just do "ThePokerFloor freeroll" or ThePokerFloor added" the players will seek you out. I Googled http://thepokerfloor.com/ and got to your site but I would suggest a prominent link to the forum from there. Possibly do a larger text link for now like "Click here for our Private Forum Games" Poker players know to look for a forum link or tab so I wouls suggested adding a tab to the menu.

Have to agree with Chips but word of warning if you put on a freeroll or two you will get plenty upon plenty of no posting freerolling whores.

[Tristan]

Hi T3ddyBlair,

Looking at your forum, the first thing that struck me is that it LOOKED very empty.

While you're small, I would suggest removing any extra forums you don't need, so you can concentrate all your members in the main areas.

10 posts / day in one forum, looks much better than 1 post/day across 10 forums.

If the first impression is that the place is a ghost town, you will lose a lot of potential members straight away.

My suggested layout of boards would be
- Poker discussion & News
- Promotions
- Complaints

With a smaller amount of forums, you'll have a much easier time keeping them looking active.

Some other ideas;
* make sure there is always a new thread every day.
* Get your friends / business partner to help keep things active.

Hope this helps.
Tristan.

[Muppet]

google "forum population"

[T3ddyBlair]

Thanks to everybody that has replied!! I would like to thank Bruce and Sharon especially for hooking me up GOOD and proper! Thanks guys!

Regards.

Blair.H

[Webzcas]

Forums are notoriously difficult to get going as you might get a ton of traffic, but if hardly anyone is posting, there is no incentive for new people to sign up and join the fray.

To start with, I would ensure you keep the number of individual forums down to a minimum, as less is definately more when starting up. Get your friends and family to join up and get them to contribute regulary. Offer incentives to new members, such as an entry into a freeroll upon making 20 substansive posts.

Failing that, do what I did nearly six years ago. Which was making an impact on a right wing conservative political forum and then getting banned. I then set up my politics forum and nearly 100 members followed me

Nearly six years later, it is still going strong and is by far my busiest site in terms of actual traffic - shame I haven't monetized it yet. Politics Forum

[RPM Poker]

The best way to get a forum up and running is to become a major user in a popular forum and then invite your fellow forum members to join your new forum.

[briscoe.reich]

First make sure people got something to reply or talk to before you invite them in your forum.

[pompeyrayuk]

See you have picked up a few members along the way but doesnt look as if they upto much to be honest does it.
93 posts from 293 members most of which are yours.

You need to keep them interested and hanging around then they will go off and tell others and you will grow.