To engineer a successful forum, there are three key questions an administrator needs to ask before building the forum.
Goal #1. How will you gather a critical mass of members
Goal #2. What will compel members to provide content
Goal #3. How will the forum survive pass the first year
In this article we cover goal #1 - how to gather a critical mass of members.
Be niche
Your forum has to build a name for itself as the authority on a subject. All successful forums have something that sets them apart from the rest. For example, it could be the unique content of the site, an under-served niche demographic they target, or the personality of the site administrator.
If you're creating a forum, ask yourself, "What will people get out of my forum that they can't already get somewhere else?"
All successful forums have a purpose. They exist for a specific reason, to accomplish something. To connect people with common interests, or to facilitate conversation on issues related to the site.