If you were starting a new XenForo forum today, what would you do differently?

[MAXIM100]

Hi everyone,

I’ve just launched my forum using XenForo and I’m still learning the platform. I’d really appreciate advice from experienced users.

If you were starting a brand new XenForo forum today, what are some mistakes you would avoid?
What tips, best practices, or important settings would you recommend to a beginner?

Whether it’s technical setup, add-ons, performance tweaks, SEO, community building — any insight is welcome.
Even the smallest details can make a big difference early on.

Thanks in advance to anyone willing to share their experience!

 

[Alvin63]

I don't think I would do anything differently really - except read up more about all the functions in ACP which I only gradually learned and didn't know half of them were there. And possibly spend more time getting a better logo but I go so fed up trying to do a logo I just stuck with one in end. It might have been an idea to pay someone to design a logo but I didn't want to spend that money and don't think I would want to even if going back.

Once you have your design right and are happy with it, it's a case of posting and having a few members posting and gradually others will find it. And backlinking it. And writing articles to help it get found. The best thing I did near the start was getting one of Russ's styles from Pixel exit.

 

[Seeker-Smith]

For one I’d extend the way users could join. Example by SMS and it’s something we’re working on now.

 

[MAXIM100]

For one I’d extend the way users could join. Example by SMS and it’s something we’re working on now.

Cool, I just set up Google account login. I think it's really convenient

 

[Seeker-Smith]

Cool, I just set up Google account login. I think it's really convenient

Yeah but I hate giving google, facebook and others more of our personal data.

 

[bzcomputers]

Yeah but I hate giving google, facebook and others more of our personal data.

I think you may be confused how connected accounts work. The little bit of data that is shared goes TO XenForo, like display name, email address, and profile photo if selected. XenForo does not share any personal details the other direction with the connected account source.

 

[Seeker-Smith]

I think you may be confused how connected accounts work. The little bit of data that is shared goes TO XenForo, like display name, email address, and profile photo if selected. XenForo does not share any personal details the other direction with the connected account source.

You don't think Google provides this service to gain data on users? It's not the data given to Xenforo its the login data and tracking that login data. I could be completely wrong but its not a benefit to google and others they wouldn't offer it.

 

[bzcomputers]

You don't think Google provides this service to gain data on users? It's not the data given to Xenforo its the login data and tracking that login data. I could be completely wrong but its not a benefit to google and others they wouldn't offer it.

No, I don't. If data went back to Google it would require your authorization (within OAuth or Google Sign-In depending on what is being used). This is standard for any connected account. They offer the api service simply for reasons like name recognition / ecosystem growth, enhance user trust, dependency, competitiveness, etc.

 

[Seeker-Smith]

No, I don't. If data went back to Google it would require your authorization (within OAuth or Google Sign-In depending on what is being used). This is standard for any connected account. They offer the api service simply for reasons like name recognition / ecosystem growth, enhance user trust, dependency, competitiveness, etc.

Okay. I apparently have trust issues.

 

[Ian Hitt]

I'd recommend keeping the total number of forums pretty low, and only creating new ones when you notice that there is enough engagement around that specific topic to warrant separating it out. A lot of new forums create a bunch of nodes, which raises the barrier for posting new content, and makes it harder for users to find content.

+1 for adding login providers to reduce the barrier to register to the site.

Also, I have a whole article about some small but important things to configure for a new board, which you can read here https://adjourn.audent.io/essential-setup-tips-for-xenforo-community-software/

 

[rdn]

A bit off-topic, but if the question is...

If you were starting a new forum today, what would you do differently?

Ans: I would start and use Discourse.


But I still use XF 2.3 for my largest forum, as it's too complicated to migrate it away :|

 

[Suzanne O]

I recommend that you pick a theme and stick with it.
General discussion forums are awesome if you're stuck.

 

[80sDude]

I wouldn't do anything different. Btw have any of you ever got the Facebook login to work?

 

[bzcomputers]

...Btw have any of you ever got the Facebook login to work?

Yes. I don't remember it being an issue to setup. I know XenForo has documented the basic process here.

If you run into issues I can probably help you.

 

[briansol]

#1 - Focus on people. Relationships, friendships, etc will make or break your forum when you're young. Getting the first 10 or 20 to talk every day is the key.
#2 - Keep it simple. start small, split when needed/topic demand exists.
#3 - what do you offer differently than the other 2332133 forums in your same niche? what is your differentiator?

 

[benFF]

I wouldn't do anything different. Btw have any of you ever got the Facebook login to work?

I did, but Facebook changed the rules and now only registered companies can use it.

 

[80sDude]

Yes. I don't remember it being an issue to setup. I know XenForo has documented the basic process here.

If you run into issues I can probably help you.

Thanks but it looks like benFF figured out what the issue is.

I did, but Facebook changed the rules and now only registered companies can use it.

I guess Facebook figured that doing that would be profitable considering the numbers of members they have.

 

[GrnEyedDvl]

OK there is a lot that can go into this, depending on what the forum is actually about.

The "too many forums" comment is valid for some types of forums, others need a ton of forums. Break things into forums that make sense. If you are talking about building cars then a forum for engines, transmissions, etc. Some will suggest using prefixes for this, and that works for some types of forums and not so well for others. Too broad a spread is bad, but so is too granular. Break things into pieces that you know will be major categories and divide that later when you find that things are a bit crowded or getting hard to find even with prefixes and tags.

Use widgets to drive people to other places they may not naturally look. Lots of people get stuck in the mode of going to one particular subforum, or maybe even one particular thread. They are looking for X because that is what they care about, but a widget with content in a different area can catch their eye.

Make sure whatever theme you use looks good and works well on mobile. Mobile traffic is actually the majority on a lot of sites. My big site is about 70-75% desktop, but its a bit unique in that respect. Most are closer to 50/50 or even 60/40 mobile/desktop.

Ask your users what they want. Run a monthly site poll about some feature of the site. If they feel like they have a say in how it is setup they are more invested in it.

Do not go crazy with add-ons or plugins right off. There are literally thousands of them. Some are well maintained, others not so much. Find a few with features that apply to your site and try them but do not be afraid to remove them and rethink things.