General What forum topic do you think would go well?

[Haim]

Recently I thought about opening a new forum and I had all kinds of ideas that I would love to hear from you

 

[Ravenfreak]

I haven't really seen too many Harry Potter forums other than Roleplaying ones. There's a few anime/manga communities that have been promoted here and there's quite a few Pokemon communities. Honestly I say go with the Harry Potter community.

 

[Arantor]

If the rumoured TV series materialises, HP will get a new lease of life but honestly, we're 27 years on from the debut of the novels, 23 years on from the first movie, 17 years on from the last novel, 13 years on from the last core Potter movie... the 5 movie Fantastic Beasts series was cut to 3 movies due to lack of interest.

The time might have been just ahead of the Hogwarts Legacy game, but the franchise as a whole is running out of steam at the moment.

 

[Cory]

I wouldn't open a forum for popularity, but for something you have a passion for.

 

[Kennysplash]

I think anime and manga will do fine out of the list. We have new and interesting ones on a regular basis, compared to HP that is aging.

 

[Haim]

I haven't really seen too many Harry Potter forums other than Roleplaying ones. There's a few anime/manga communities that have been promoted here and there's quite a few Pokemon communities. Honestly I say go with the Harry Potter community.

Thanks! The truth is that I have been thinking about opening a Harry Potter forum for some time. The question is whether people will really be interested. How about an anime and manga forum?

 

[Haim]

If the rumoured TV series materialises, HP will get a new lease of life but honestly, we're 27 years on from the debut of the novels, 23 years on from the first movie, 17 years on from the last novel, 13 years on from the last core Potter movie... the 5 movie Fantastic Beasts series was cut to 3 movies due to lack of interest.

The time might have been just ahead of the Hogwarts Legacy game, but the franchise as a whole is running out of steam at the moment.

You're right. But it's something people love no matter how many years have passed since then. what are you saying? Will there be interest?

 

[Haim]

I wouldn't open a forum for popularity, but for something you have a passion for.

I still don't know what to go for. I wish I knew

 

[Haim]

I think anime and manga will do fine out of the list. We have new and interesting ones on a regular basis, compared to HP that is aging.

So you say go for anime and manga? I was thinking of maybe changing it to anime and fantasy

 

[Arantor]

You're right. But it's something people love no matter how many years have passed since then. what are you saying? Will there be interest?

Some but the interest is declining, unless the TV series launches you’re fighting such an uphill battle because the peak time for Potter forums was 20 years ago.

 

[Haim]

Some but the interest is declining, unless the TV series launches you’re fighting such an uphill battle because the peak time for Potter forums was 20 years ago.

So basically you're saying that if I start a Harry Potter forum I'll take a 50-50 risk... what do you think? worth trying?

 

[Arantor]

I personally wouldn’t at this stage. Putting aside the decline in interest, there is also the segment of folks who dislike the author’s attitudes.

But I also wouldn’t just pick a genre based on likelihood of interest, I’d also factor in my own interest level…

 

[Haim]

I personally wouldn’t at this stage. Putting aside the decline in interest, there is also the segment of folks who dislike the author’s attitudes.

But I also wouldn’t just pick a genre based on likelihood of interest, I’d also factor in my own interest level…

What do you actually offer?

 

[Arantor]

Me? I offer opinions. You asked for an opinion, mine is not to do HP and when I give you my reasons you don't like them. It's clear you want to do an HP forum in spite of the evidence suggesting it is a bad idea, so you should just do that.

 

[Haim]

Me? I offer opinions. You asked for an opinion, mine is not to do HP and when I give you my reasons you don't like them. It's clear you want to do an HP forum in spite of the evidence suggesting it is a bad idea, so you should just do that.

Sorry if you misunderstood me and I appreciate your opinion, thanks! In the meantime, I'm a little confused because you're right

 

[Cory]

I still don't know what to go for. I wish I knew

Well, what's something you enjoy doing? Do you have any hobbies/interests?

 

[joelr]

You asked a question, and I think it deserves some questions back:
1. Have you joined several forums in each of those topics to see for yourself if those topics are growing or losing in popularity?

2. Can you offer something unique or different than existing forums to better attract users in those topics, regardless if the overall audience is shrinking?

3. What is your personal belief on the future popularity of these topics? Do you have knowledge of any upcoming releases that might trigger new interest?

 

[Haim]

You asked a question, and I think it deserves some questions back:
1. Have you joined several forums in each of those topics to see for yourself if those topics are growing or losing in popularity?

2. Can you offer something unique or different than existing forums to better attract users in those topics, regardless if the overall audience is shrinking?

3. What is your personal belief on the future popularity of these topics? Do you have knowledge of any upcoming releases that might trigger new interest?

Well, what's something you enjoy doing? Do you have any hobbies/interests?

Wow, thank you! The truth is, I didn't think of it that way. I love these topics and for a long time I have been thinking about opening something like this... and the uniqueness I bring is a budget, knowledge, time and a desire to succeed

 

[Cedric]

Also never forget: you need an audience first. Start out with a blog and see how that goes. Give it a month or 6 and see if you start to receive some engagement. Build up some followers. Try it out on Discord or Reddit and see where it takes you. And if you’d really need a forum.


All those subjects you list aren’t the most easy ones to build up. Many competitors have come and go.

 

[joelr]

Wow, thank you! The truth is, I didn't think of it that way. I love these topics and for a long time I have been thinking about opening something like this... and the uniqueness I bring is a budget, knowledge, time and a desire to succeed

I applaud you for at least thinking about the potential size of your audience before launching.

One thing I've seen is that forum admins, especially the hobbyist ones, make one fundamental mistake: they begin their community too early. They don't do their research. They dont define their unique competitive advantage before launching. They don't build an audience of a group of followers. They think launching forums is pretty themes and installing plugins, but the real work and the hard work is figuring out your community objectives before you even launch.

Define your path to success before you even begin, and you will be more successful than 90% of other people.