NationStates Jolt Archive

Well, I've been a member of several forums, and between technical issues and the foolish antics of other board members, this is the only one that's been a generally positive experience. Given this run of bad luck with other people's forums, I've opted to simply start my own.:) The problem is, I don't really know where to start. Would anyone care to point me to a good website with information on how to set up a forum?

Also, in trying to generate interest in a forum, is it better to focus on one narrow topic with a small but dedicated group of enthuseists, or to target a broader but perhaps less energetic membership?

For starters, what would your proposed forum be about?

Either Sci-fi or politics would be the main focus. If political, it would probably focus on a combination of republican-bashing, socialist-libertarianism, human rights, and opposition to the current party system in favor of more independents.

My main concern is the shear volume of existing sites on these subjects.

Well, if you want your forum to stand out from the crowd, you'll need original content that will catch people's attention.

If you got that and manage to get a small group of people to get on your forums regularly, then you got to cultivate the perception of being a part of a community. And that just takes time and effort. A lot of time and effort.