Hi
As my title gives away. I want to set-up a new forum while I work full-time. And I would be grateful for views on how possible that is. People say that they are on their forums all the time, and that they mostly do not pay - for me that is not a workable combination.
Thank you,
David
If you want advice : take your time, don't expect too much. Don't set goals for yourself that are too high or too far. Don't think about the money too much. Focus on growing your community instead of growing your income. If you can add a good system with premium members or interesting ads or a shop, then the income will follow the success of your community. Do not forget that your members are your most precious part of the community, not the many options you can offer them. Be honest in dealing with them, don't rip them off, ever. If you expect money from them, then only offer them things that are real and fair. Think about the long term. Let your website grow together with the community. Never start a forum with 57 categories at first, start with a handful and only add new categories if there seems to be a need for it. And of course, try to find a niche subject or a local area.
If you are thinking about becoming a fulltime admin yourself, then ask yourself those 2 questions :
Can you handle it as a person ?
Can your community handle it ?
You will have to do things that are less fun too, like filling in all kind of paperwork and taxes and social security and so. You will have to make time free for that. You will have to carry more responsibility, there is no way around that . You wont be able to rely on other people... maybe you will find good advice, but nobody else will take the big decisions for you now. Some people just don't have the right stuff, but that is something that matters for everyone starting a business on their own, not just forum admins.
Your community will be faced with things that are less fun too. The money will have to come from somewhere, so your members will have to swallow some more ads, or you will have to convince them about your premium membership. If you introduce them in the wrong way, then this can greatly hurt or even kill your community. So it has to be strong and flexible in these matters. Some community will not be able to support fulltime admins, because you simple can not make them big enough or because there is not enough money to be made with them.
Forums CAN be a full time job - Some corporate websites do it. But you have to build up each site and keep it running for years to make returns on your investment. If you see a viable business income from a niche - build it up more, spend more on it.
Examples are:
Of course,
www.internetbrands.com
www.ientry.com
www.verticalsports.com
Some gaming networks do almost the same, but they do it the wrong way.
The two should not be confused. There is no Job Security these days but if you are career oriented and focus, you shouldn't have to worry about those things. Used to be you could get a job in a manufacturing plant, supermarket, hospital, etc.. and have a job for life. With constant mergers and acquisitions resulting in downsizing and layoffs this isn't possible.
If you are focused on income and that is your priority then you look at things differently than as a career. Careers have setbacks, some minor and some major, but the person always strives to improve and get better leading them. The career is the drive. Income is secondary to this drive but also confused as being the same because we measure wealth the same as self worth.