How to make a successful forum/website

I. Creating an Idea
--a.You must create an idea of what your site will be about, and you need to project that idea through many ways.
--b.First think about what you have an interest in, for this topic I will use the example of Baseball.
--c.Now that you picked a topic you need to find a website template that will apply to your theme. Since i picked Baseball as my theme, I will try to find a template that will protray baseball, such as a sidebar with baseball bats, and a logo with baseballs around your text. Experience in graphic programs can and are helpful here, I would go to google.com, find a basball image, see if the image ISNT copyrighted(if is get permission) then I would make an original logo.

II.Forums
--a.A forum is always a successful addition to your site, but can misuse the software.
--b.You must keep the theme in line with the modules you may add to the forum. Never add a shoutbox to a business forum since it is unprofessional looking at times.
--c.Skins, The forums skin is very important, it should portray the theme of the site, and look relitavely close to the sites layout.

III.Ads/Links
--a.Ads aren't bad if you can get an ad that will be in theme and on-topic with the theme you are trying to portray.
--b.Links are good, on my baseball site I would add a link to MLB.com, and other baseball links that may explain the game to those that aren't familiar with the game.

IV.Visitors
--a.I would often try to get my site on as many websites as i can, banner exchanges are one of the best ways. Another way is ads or flyers in the newspaper.
--b.People love freebies, if you can get soem good freebies up and running such as a free baseball bat raffle to encougrage others to join would be a great idea.

If you have any questions about how to make a successful site, please contact me through the following ways:
AIM:RunerNMage
MSN:RunerNMage@msn.com
Email:RunerNMage@msn.com
PM:RunerNMage

Good! Nice points... but most of the points do not apply to this site.. I have to put ads because it is our source of income...
Skin.. Well that is where I can consider some changes...
Theme! ... OMG! Here everything is allowed! So you can post almost any thing that is not SPAM

Damn! I guess Astahost forums need to be Re-Designed ! I better get to work ...

You guys should work on a new theme, the color scheme is way too common, and too overused. There are alot of great skinners out there that do great job, sadly alot of skins cost money, but invisionize.com has some cool skins, not that many for IPB 2.0 yet though.

i think to have a forum is not the best way to start, i suggest guestbook. if you have lot of visitor you can now try forum. coz forum without or less active member is boring

personally, I think a forum is only a good addition if you actually have content that people could talk about. Otherwise, you're leaving a lot of the members kind of on the edge...as in unsure about what they'd be posting about in the first place =P

but good info ^_^

Well, that is why I said post content that your members will be able to talk about(menaing the theme) but add forums that people also hold interests in. r3d, I feel that a guestbook is very unorganized, and unprofessional.

sometimes if you have a low monthly visitor count and not a lot of people post on the forums, it is kind of a way to negatively promote your website, so im going to have to agree with red and say a guest book is a good starting way for visitors to interact.

i started my website with forums and failed. The forums take a long time to emerge. Now the case is that I myself don't use it and I am contemplating to remove it from my site altogether.

Well, a forum needs to begin someplace, and it is kind of like a Guestbook, especially if you add an Introduce Yourself forum. Guestbooks are more like where you add a username, where anybody can use the same nickname if your not who you say you are, and can lead into bad habbits, and start problems.

hey thanx i got good ideas from u all. but from where can i get all the templates