Start a Forum Series Part 1 – Topics and domain names
After just recently launching XboxLiveArcade.com, I thought now would be a great time to start a series on the steps I use to start a forum and in the later parts of the series I'll use examples from XboxLiveArcade to illustrate some points. For now check out these entry level steps. If you're new to running websites or starting a forum read these first steps.
Step 1:
Select a topic you're interested about. The worst mistake you can do when starting a new website or forum is to do it for the money. Pick a topic you're interested about and worry about the money later.
Step 2: Buy a domain name.
Obviously always try to get the .com. If it's already registered, consider trying to purchase it from the owner, especially if you intend to develop and run the forum for an extended period of time (6+ months). If you don't get the .com and run it from a .net or some other TLD, the owner of the .com will be able to profit off the success of your site, because you will always lose some traffic to the .com.
There are tons of domain registrars out there, but I personally prefer to stick to the big brands and that's why I purchase my domain names from GoDaddy.com. In the near final stages of a domain purchase you can apply a promotional code to save a few bucks. I use the promotion code OYH3 to get .com domain names for $7.20 after ICANN fees.
After you've selected a topic and purchased a domain name it's time to select a forum software, that I'll cover in my next part of the "start a forum" series.
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