So you wanna start a forum?

I'm putting this one out for all of you folks interested in starting up your own online message boards. They've been around almost since the Internet first came into a form of existence vaguely resembling how it is now. Though the onslaught of competing media over the years--videos, blogs, and of course, social network sites--the forum has continued to stand tall as one of the dominant forms of interactive website. And even better, it's gotten a bit snazzier over the ages while never forgetting its roots as a fountain of knowledge, enduring friendships, and infamous Internet memes.

Who wouldn't want to be at the centre of one?

Well, a lot of people who get into it not realising what they are getting into.

I can't blame people for getting in over their head when they try to run a forum if they've never tried it before because from the outside, as just a member enjoying the fruits of another forum owner's labour, they cannot really have any idea the amount and intensity of the work that goes into managing a forum. It is not like managing a blog, it is a lot more intensive, involving, demanding, and often stressful. You have to ask yourself, "If I knew I wasn't going to make a single penny on this forum ever, would I still do it?" If the answer's no then you should not try to start a forum. Because you likely won't just not make much or any money at the start or maybe ever, but you're quite likely to lose some. A few forum owners who plug away at it for a while will achieve large success, though, and it's those forums that inspire people to give it a go. Just know that it is not a walk in the park.

I wrote an E-book of advice I learnt from my 10+ years experience in forums and it didn't sell so well. Why? Well, maybe because I was a little too honest. I emphasised that it isn't a get rich quick scheme or even get rich at all scheme and that you have to work at it, and here are some good steps to take with your hard, hard, hard work so you don't waste all that time and effort.

Be prepared to be on your forum every single day or almost every day, the more time you put in the better; posting, handling issues between members or from trolls, and of course answering the pileup of private messages your members will bring to you. Questions, complaints, concerns, whining, nagging, and who could forget: drama?

What really kills me is the woeful misconception that the hard part is STARTING the forum! Your forum's slow, early days are indeed critical in helping set the tone of your community later on--don't be like me and blunder into the middle of things and have to work to change that tone later--but the larger your forum grows, the more work it will entail and the more you will experience the trials and tribulations of being a leader. You are the face of your forum. If something goes wrong, guess who's to blame--or at least, guess who IS blamed?

Be prepared to do plenty of damage control to keep things peaceful. Keeping the community in a warm tone is what will enable it to continue to grow.

With all this to give you a headache, is it any wonder most forums close their doors before their first birthday?

Think long, think hard, and if you still want to run a forum at the end of the day, go into it not with cold ambition but a blazing passion for your forum's topic and the community itself.

But it's not the destination, it's the journey.