Darkfire001
06-23-2006, 03:08 PM
Hey Karen I saw your posting and figured I'd join in & help out.
Here are some simple suggestions that could help.
1) Change the FrontPage to provide more information upon entry, and perhaps some more "lively" references about about what YourRaleigh has "going on" as of recent. When I first saw the page it looked no different then one of the thousands of "parking pages" that some domain owners use. It was somewhat of a "splash page" and really didn't invite me into the content.
2) Forum activity. One thing you'll definitely need to do is jump start the forum with some more activities. With so many topic areas initially you may want to compact things more for the time being to spur more active discussion in a few areas rather then broad, less defined talk. You should definitely create some new threads.
3) Involve local businesses. The key to any city based website is active involvement from local business and their patrons. You should definitely explore some opportunities to get the name out to local businesses, perhaps simple placards would do the trick or flyers.
4) Stand out from the crowd. Raleigh alone has several community based websites, and even more Raleigh related discussion forums that are part of larger thriving communities. It will be tough to expand with so much competition, unless you can really find at least one niche to expand into that will help separate you from the competition.
5) And on a smaller note the VBulletin default skin is certainly appealing, but I think a more lively header, perhaps a rotating one with various Scenery from Raleigh would be pretty cool.
Overall it's going to be tough, but its certainly an area for growth. City based websites are one of the largest "segments" of the internet marketplace, and this past year saw some remarkable growth. Best of luck :)
Here are some simple suggestions that could help.
1) Change the FrontPage to provide more information upon entry, and perhaps some more "lively" references about about what YourRaleigh has "going on" as of recent. When I first saw the page it looked no different then one of the thousands of "parking pages" that some domain owners use. It was somewhat of a "splash page" and really didn't invite me into the content.
2) Forum activity. One thing you'll definitely need to do is jump start the forum with some more activities. With so many topic areas initially you may want to compact things more for the time being to spur more active discussion in a few areas rather then broad, less defined talk. You should definitely create some new threads.
3) Involve local businesses. The key to any city based website is active involvement from local business and their patrons. You should definitely explore some opportunities to get the name out to local businesses, perhaps simple placards would do the trick or flyers.
4) Stand out from the crowd. Raleigh alone has several community based websites, and even more Raleigh related discussion forums that are part of larger thriving communities. It will be tough to expand with so much competition, unless you can really find at least one niche to expand into that will help separate you from the competition.
5) And on a smaller note the VBulletin default skin is certainly appealing, but I think a more lively header, perhaps a rotating one with various Scenery from Raleigh would be pretty cool.
Overall it's going to be tough, but its certainly an area for growth. City based websites are one of the largest "segments" of the internet marketplace, and this past year saw some remarkable growth. Best of luck :)