One of the best ways to connect with people who share the same interest is to form online discussion groups. An online discussion group is also known by various names such as discussion forum, online forum, and bulletin board system (BBS). It is a general term for an online community where members or the public can read or leave a message and expect to find a response relevant to the posted messages.

Here are the few basic and easy steps to create online discussion groups to boost membership with a lively communication thread.

Select a community topic you are knowledgeable about. If you decide to put up and manage an online community, choose a specific topic that you are capable of discussing well. In the presence of so many discussion forums, it is wise to serve a unique, but well-defined niche.

Choose a hosting provider. If you are adept in web development, you can proceed with much ease in setting up a message board with the help of certain software package. On the other hand, you can pick a hosting provider to install the forum using some automated tools. Another option is to use any remotely hosted forum services that offer forums on sub-domains. Other hosts provide a forum at your own domain thus the selection of a good host is crucial to satisfy the requirements of your community members.

Create sub-forums. An online community is ideally subdivided into many separate forums that deal with the different aspects of the main topic. For example, an online board on food and drink can have subtopic for general discussion, another for cooking tips, recipes, etc. Determine what sub-forums to add to facilitate the search by narrowing down the options.

Let the World Wide Web know about your community. Promote your community by advertising it online. Start from your friends who share the same interest as yours. Post a message on their windows, or send them an e-mail informing and inviting them to check out your newly established community. Avoid advertising to people who are totally unknown to you, or you’ll be guilty of spamming. Most online discussion groups meet their untimely end due to spamming.

Assign moderators. If you choose to create sub-forums, you need to select capable members to serve as moderators. The moderator is responsible for keeping the discussion lively and filled with fresh contents. The assigned moderator is tasked to research for new topics and remove irrelevant or stale contents. Members who are knowledgeable about the topics make good moderators, especially if they can devote time in managing the sub-forum. Keep the number of moderators proportional to the community.

Impose Basic Netiquette. Seek help from moderators in forming the basic rules to be imposed within the online discussion group. Make sure to enforce them to the teeth by being a good example. Make the members understand each rule as soon as they join the board. Be prompt in sanctioning non-abiding users to prevent them from affecting the entire community. The rules and guidelines in choosing subject matters must cater to the goals of the group. For example, if you are a religious community, your rules are likely to have moral tones. Nevertheless, make sure the standards are neither too authoritative nor too lenient for the members.

Forge strategic alliances. Strengthen your user base by exchanging or sharing links with other communities of the same interest or advocacy. Your chances of gaining extensive linkage increase as your community grows in membership and activities.

Create a friendly atmosphere. Promote a sense of community belonging by treating each member on a personal level. They will feel important and find merit in submitting updated contributions. Think of creative gimmicks such as contests, trivia, games, points, and other online stunts to ensure that members stay loyal and happy with the community. However, regulate the exchange of messages so that members do not use an entire forum discussing about these stuff just because they enjoy playing the games. Most importantly, these ploys are meant to foster friendliness and respect between members.

With all these tips on creating online discussion groups, you can be sure to have a good jump-start. However, the success of online boards does not happen overnight. It takes a considerable time before a comfortable level is achieved. You can very well gauge by the participation of the members, whether they are active or not, and if they make valuable contributions, or just stalk in the background. Make the necessary adjustments so that in due time, your discussion community assumes web popularity.