I don't know what to do. A lot of things I tried I think makes me look like a spammer but I can't afford to pay to make my forum big if I don't even make any money. Maybe I should charge innocent people to get big (sorry just sarcasm)

Really how can I get people to go for my forum for free, and without spamming?

I don't want to be a spammer and I don't want to be forced to pay money for my forum.

ask yourself why should people visit your forums???

what you offer that sets you apart?

always, let your friends and family know about the site, ask them to visit it and get their comments and make changes to improve the site.

get word out in a proper manner in places where your Audience are.

Never spam anywhere. the moment you do that, word spreads like wildfire and you will be termed as a spammer cos you will see the same names in almost all the major forums.

I agree with praveen and add a few thoughts. You need to get the word out that you exist. Why don't you have a forum signature here with at least one link pointing to your forum. Then every time you post you've gotten the word out a little more. Same for any other forum where you post.

Post quality comments on blogs that are related to the topic of your forum. If your post there is good people will click on the link back to your forum.

praveen is right that you'll see many of the same people at different forums. Spend time on a lot of forums. Learn what you can from them and get to know the members. As you get to know more of them they'll probably start to come to your forum to see what it's about.

Don't expect overnight success. There are a lot of forums on a lot of different topics. Most people will want to post where there is more going on so it will most likely take time.

Make sure you post a lot of threads yourself. You can start by posting useful articles and tips so that there's at least something there for people to see when they do come.

I think ultimately the success of a forum depends on it's members. When you do find a good memeber do what you can to keep them coming back to your forum. Ask them if they'd like to moderate the forum.

Offer incemtives for people to post. Maybe give the person who posts the most each month free advertising on your site the following month. Set it up like this one with revenue sharing through AdSense.

Hi Here's a few more tips for you.

1. Decide on your Market i.e. what sector are you aiming for?

2. Once you have decided look around and join other similar forums if there are any if not then you have found your Niche!

3. See what is going on and get a feel for what people want by the topics that are being put forward on these forums.

4. Join in on some of the forums and actually ask the question, " What would you like to see on a forum", while leaving your link as a signature

5. Then see if you can offer something that is either better or in it's own Niche.

6. Finally if you want free advertising that will actually work then you will either have to give away a free report with links to your site from a web page, ezine or write articles on various subjects with links to your site and submit them to Article Directories (Free Ones not Paid)


All the best,

Paul

Those were all great ideas.

That's a good idea.

Your right about not spamming. Speaking of that I've got a really good saying "Don't Abuse The Link".

It's better just to put a regular link in my signature, not spam but just a link to let people know I have a website.

It's nice to let people know I have a site but I shouldn't overdo it.

You can boost your sign-ups by using MySpace as a marketing tool!