Hi there!

I've just started a new forum board called: Car Forums Online and was wondering if anyone could take a look at it for me. I'm brand new to the forum world, so I know its not perfect.

Why choose a car forum when there are so many others to choose from? Well, my problem is that I like chatting to people and discussing things that interest me....Cars! It's for that reason that I decided to launch the forum. This proved to be a very easy thing to do at very little expense.

Now then, what I didn't consider at the time was how to go about getting other like minded individuals from around the would to join....hence I'm now looking for some advice.

I don't have millions of dollars to throw at this, but I do want to market it correctly using the internet. I have no idea about search engines, meta tags and all the other computer jargon that runs behind the forum board. However, I have managed to impress myself by carrying out some very simple mods purely through research carried out on the net.

I chose the name: Car Forums Online with a similar website address because I was led to believe that it will assist search engines using key words such as: Car Forums, Car Forum, etc???

Anyway, take a look if you can please and provide me with as much feed back as you can...I'm pretty much stuck in the mud at the moment!

Thanks in advance

Don't care for the brown (muddy) color scheme. It is very depressing.
Start reading about: search engines, etc.
I see nothing here other than your basic phpBB forum.
Why should I visit yours?

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sitting in my basement with my iMac

you said
"I'm pretty much stuck in the mud at the moment!"

I think that is going to become an understatement. Forums are notoriously hard to get off the ground, you will need a lot of friends. delivering traffic to an empty forum is a bit like opening a restaurant with no chef - or waiters - not even someone to make a toasted cheese sandwich.

How many hours a day do you have spare?
Do you have a budget?
How many friends do you have willing to spend an hour a day?

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Now, come on guys, he's new here. I like it, the URL title is going to work. In fact, I can virtually guarantee that if you social network that URL in facebook and loads of car blogs that allow links, then in 6 months it could be doing ok. Take no notice of the doom and gloom aspect. If you want it to happen, you can make it happen.

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What Tubby said, times 10! There are so many other car forums out there, why not join one of them if you like chatting to people and discussing car things? What's going to make people want to join your forum rather than one of the others that's out there already?

I've got a website in the automotive niche and visit car forums quite regularly, and I've nothing but bad news for you ... general car forums don't work; they only attract spam posters like magnets and never form a real community, which is what a forum needs - a core community of posters that engage each other regularly. More focused car forums do better because they tend to get the fans in but they are not hyperactive communities.

You need to identify your core posters in the real world - like Tubby suggested, get some of your buddies that not just know about cars but are car fanatics to be your core community. Forget about hiring posters, I've seen some car forums do that - 10c a post for 25 posts and all they get is 25 crappy posts by people who don't know anything about cars and disappear after 25 posts. That doesn't build a community and it also sets the tone for the forum.

My advice would be to identify your friends and other people in your community who are nuts about their cars ask they what they'd say about joining your forum and discussing their cars, their dream cars, the cars they hate, etc. Keep it on topic, which means drop the "General Chit Chat" forum - that's just a place for spammer's post their crap that has absolutely nothing to do with cars. Ans nip the crap posts in the butt - those "nice car, I like the color [hyperlink here]" posts that don't engage anyone.

It's a long hard road ahead if you really want to make a success of it. Sorry if this sounds like doom and gloom and good luck with it.

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Modified car parts and accessories | Landscape and Garden

Thanks Guys!

I do appreciate your advice, even though I nearly threw in the towel for a minute then...only joking!

I like the idea of social networking - I'm going to look in to that right away. I also agree that the site may need a minor face lift! I've just read some feed back on the forum operating platform (phpbb) which may have me switching to the VB board option instead....I'm led to believe that the security aspects a lot better. I will re look at the color scheme if I decide to switch.

I appreciate your comments guys

Thanks

Hi Modified

Thanks for that - That's some sound advice.

This is exactly why I joined...to get feed back like yours. The site isn't advertised to the general public at the moment, so I will keep reading reply's, and once I've gone firm on what I want to achieve then I'll put it in motion and market it from there.

Thanks again

Modified is correct, that forums are notoriously difficult to maintain active.

A generic Car Forum is unlikely to develop much of a following, which means you'll be counting your weekly postcount on the fingers of one hand, unless you succeed in building that following. There are several more specific niches within that generic heading, however, that are much more likely to build the sense of community that will help keep a forum alive and growing.

I would suggest sub-boards, such as Car Restoration, Car Shows, Hard-to-find car parts, and the like. More specialized groups such as those may be more active, and inspire more contributor loyalty.

Good luck!

Edit: Assuming you have the bandwidth available, encouraging photos of restoration projects and shows, will also help build that following, and may help you in web visibility. Just make sure they're uploading photos by linking to their ImageShack or Photobucket accounts.

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http://carforums-online.com

Well guys - I have decided to take on board what you have said and here's what I have done.

1. Bought a VBulletin License and transferred it on to my domain name (better security and forum flexibility).
2. I have ditched the old template skin as well as phpbb, as I also thought that it was naff...just needed to hear it from someone else before I ditched it.
3. Bought a new clean cut professional looking template with the title name: Car Forums Online

Too many discussion topics! For that reason I am going to relook at them and thin it out not just a little, but a lot!

I am going to get a facebook profile setop and carry out some social networking using my friends as a starting ground to get some traffic on there.

Well, thats all for now!

The new site will be back online using the new skin in approx 3 days, so please take a look again....and this time take it easy on me....I'm no millionare! LoL

I never got an answer these questions.

How many hours a day do you have spare?
Do you have a budget?
How many friends do you have willing to spend an hour a day?

I could support a topic like [COLOR="DarkRed"] ' Restoring early chevy's' [/COLOR
I could supply traffic to this topic.

I would Require returned support. (pound of flesh)

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Good morning Tubby!

To be honest, I have a lot of time per day which I can use to support this forum.

I don't really have a budget, however, I don't mind spending a few quid to get it off the ground....as long as we aren't talking 1000's that is!

I have a large circle of friends, but I don't think that they have hours a day to make Car Forums Online their sole purpose in life. I'm sure that they would contribute to forum contents though if I asked them.

I will be designating a forum to restoration so I'd be very glad of any support you may be able to provide. Likewise, I would offer the same support in return....just need to know the subject mater!

Thanks again - you help convince me to make this venture a much better one

If you understand the amount of work required, I can help.

You will need some thoughts on ways to monetise the site.
you will also need an opt in newsletter. Preferably one where you do not have to pay for for every email you send out.
You will need another bag full of time .
You will need to give me some sort ofwritten Qualified assurance that I will not be wasting my effort. (I can create a few thousand email addresses of people that buy and sell car parts. but they will need a clear option to opt in or out. and some good reason to opt in.

Do you have a trade? skills?

you say "I have a large circle of friends," what age group? .

Do you have any connection with Auto related trades?

Your location? (State will do)

and you might need to hang this on you site


Give all this a good coat of thinking about. Because next week what you do today may well make you ask. . what was I dreaming about?

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Thanks again Tobby - I'm very interested.

I have to go to work now, so I will PM you this evening.

Chat later

you said.
'
"I have to go to work now,"

This is good as it supplies you with an income - (very necessary for new sites)

I am at work already . .

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I wonder if anyone has ever wondered what a website gets for its birthday.

Another website.

This site is now part of a "joint arangement" that invoves three WPW members.

Birthday Celebrations for a website


continued, reviews are welcome, (we have started to make some improvements.)

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Hello there, you said you bought a template with a title. Is that the one on your site right now?

Honestly speaking, the template, particularly the logo doesn't look good at all. The image and font are kinda distorted that I find it not easy in the eye. If you can edit it and make it more professional looking, then that would be great.

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Did anyone noticed that Doc is the administrator of the website? So what is going on here?

Doc's Avatar
Doc is offline
Administrator

alphaomega . .Yes, Doc is Admin. So am I.

This forum is being integrated - into restored-classic.com -Two seperate sites coordinated into one.

The final template has not been selected yet. . (I hope) I think the final logo will be small . . the top of the page will likely be used for advertising space -

Site is currently being run by a committee of three. All comments will be appreciated and closely looked at.

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You mean what's going on there? Cooperation.

Thanks guys, it makes all sense now.

I see. "www.restored-classic.com" is all different site now. Will have to look. I was custom panel beater for 20+ years and restored many classic cars, so I do understand a bit about this subject. Good to see people interested in classic cars. Lot of the new cars have little or no character.
Paul

Few things; email this page to a classic car enthusiast subtitle interferes with the text bellow.
sumpy Automotive directory if you click on Holden you get
Threat details:

Web page:
Holden - Automotive web directory -

Threat:
HTML/TrojanClicker.Iframe.GT.gen trojan

Comment:
Access to the web page was blocked by ESET Smart Security.
You should check this out.

"Web page:
Holden - Automotive web directory -

Threat:
HTML/TrojanClicker.Iframe.GT.gen trojan

Comment:
Access to the web page was blocked by ESET Smart Security.
You should check this out. "

I can find nothing wrong ? cannot find any files that I never placed?

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the page -
"Web page:
Holden - Automotive web directory -

is at sumpy.com. that is navigation and links only

the email this page problem must be at restored-classic (that's where all the adverts are.)

If the page has changed you probably are used to seeing the club original site restored-classics.

don' t ask me. . this is how it evolved.

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Then it sounds as though you're the kinda guy we would love to see sign up over there, Paul.

And I couldn't agree more, about the majority of the late model cars (not all, mind you, but most)

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The site look okay, but not sure on the banner. Are those mice made from snow or something ? the cars on the left look good.

LOL. .

banners are a headache. . they always have been. I would like just a logo. similar in style to this



And leave the rest of the header space for messages / selected adverts.

but we are still swapping colours and looking at skins.

Page Title

We are Listening to the feedback. Thanks Risky-Fire

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