Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Hey there!

I`ve been planning to create this community website similar to this website we`re in, and one of the problems I`ve encountered is "How do I get knowledgeable people into the community?"

I personally find it easier to get people who are interested in starting a business to join rather than people who already have experience with business.

Help please


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Dimitri Roleda, dimitriroleda@gmail.com

Just curious why would people want to leave this community to go to your community. If you can answer that question then you have your answer. I used to spend a lot of time at the Rich Dad forum on www.richdad.com. I found this place to be better for my needs so I recently switched. There was too much spam and very few experienced people that could help me at Rich Dad. Mostly new people with the same questions over and over. It became less valuable. When I found this place I saw how active the owners of the site were and all the tools offered it was a no brainer to invest my time here. In my opinion unless you can offer more than what is available in this community you are going to have a hard time finding good people willing to start something from scratch when they already have over here.

I have worked on many ideas that did not work even though I wanted them too. Starting a community for the sake of starting one does not make sense unless you create a good reason for people to be there.

Good Luck,

John


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Dimitri Roleda, dimitriroleda@gmail.com

This reminds me of an ad someone posted, looking for writers to put together e-books for someone else to sell. The writer would get some basic, flat-rate payment. Why?

A lot of today`s Get Rich Quick (GRQ) gurus go on about how easy it is to make money with e-books. Put one up on the Web and watch the money just roll right in. :-) Great! Excellent idea! Except....where do the books come from? Nobody knows...some writer, somewhere, who`s doing absolutely nothing, and could care less about making money, probably.

Talent, success, intelligence, interest, action, ideas; all these things don`t just grow out of the ground or fall out of the sky! This is like saying, "I want to start being rich. I have the idea, I know it`ll be great, lots of people agree with me. The only problem I`m facing at the moment, is I don`t have enough money. How do I do that?"

LOL!!

Thanks for the reply but I don`t get it. All I`m asking is how do I get knowledgeable people into my forums.

I think you`ve got me all wrong. I AM NOT starting a community website for profits. I may be young but I know enough to understand that a profit-centered business earns LESS precisely because they tend to focus on how to earn money rather than to create value for their consumers.

I am starting this website precisely because I understand and have researched my (future) consumers, and also because I want to help. This is not a hit-and-miss  or a get-rich-quick thing.

So please don`t compare me to those scammers who don`t know anything about creating value and customer satisfaction. How can I help and offer value and satisfaction to my users if there`s little to no experienced people to help them in my forums right? That`s why I`m asking how to get them in. 


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Dimitri Roleda, dimitriroleda@gmail.com

That is where I think you are missing the boat on the advice offered. You ask how do you get people to your forum? Offer something of value that they can`t get in other forums. Even though forums are free they are actually expensive. They cost people their most important asset...which is time. If I am going to invest my time in a new community it should offer me something of value. That is why I switched from Rich Dad to StartUp Nation. With the involvement of the principles, the podcasts, it has attracted a higher level of business owner which generates a much better online discussion. Based upon your request it is hard for anyone to say you need to to A, B, and C since you were vague about your community and what you are trying to develop. 

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One of my projects involves moderating and providing content for an online community of tech enthusiasts...and there are a few ways we let people with similar interests know we exist: (1) we put the forum URL in the email sig line; (2) we participate actively in other forums; (3) when we find someone with an expertise we think our members would enjoy, I email them, tell them about our community, and ask whether they`d be interested in being interviewed for the group. That provides more interest for existing members, invites the new person in for a look around, and perhaps if they enjoy the experience they will hang out with us and share what they know.

[On a technical note, do you have your forum software? I was just checking out Community Server a few days ago--it`s free for individual use (but you have to purchase a license if you want to make a business out of it).]

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Katherine Murray | reVisions Plus, Inc. | publishing services for print and online media | www.revisionsplus.com

Well, first thing I`d do if creating your portal/site would be to hang out where the people you want hang out. For professionals, there must be a local chamber of commerce and other business networking groups.

Create an "elevator pitch" aimed at the people you want reflecting how they can contribute to the community at large, and that while you discourage advertising their own business in a post, they can certainly include that information in their own sig lines on the forums. This gives them both exposure for free and "credibility" as local experts.

You might also want to draft a simple letter inviting some who don`t go to those groups to join up.

Don`t forget to send releases to the local media about what you`re doing.

Neil


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NeilSpeers. com - Acoutstic blues / electric folk - independent music. Speersphoto.com - Commercial, industrial, corporate, & editorial photography based in Calgary, Alberta. Neil Speers 403 230 4042

I want to offer value, and that`s why I need suggestions on where and how to find knowledgeable people.

Katherine, thanks for your advice! I was thinking about Community Server, but then I don`t want to shell out as long as there are cheaper (or free) alternatives, hence I am using Joomla instead. But is Joomla advisable or not?

Neil, thanks! Sounds like that takes up a lot of time doesn`t it? But then patience is key right? Hahaha..


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Dimitri Roleda, dimitriroleda@gmail.com

I`d say if you were building a tech portal, or gaming, or anything else where people are really computer oriented you could do it all online.

For people like your professionals, they generally don`t spend as much time online so its harder to reach them that way. Some are very active on the net, but not the majority of the professionals I`ve met. And when they are online, its usually directly to eBay, technical/professional forums in their industry, or sites oriented to their hobby`s, etc. So, to reach them, go where they are. It`ll take less time to do that than try and find each one in their "cyber world."

And if you can get some news coverage, maybe they`ll come to your site themselves.


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NeilSpeers. com - Acoutstic blues / electric folk - independent music. Speersphoto.com - Commercial, industrial, corporate, & editorial photography based in Calgary, Alberta. Neil Speers 403 230 4042