Is it just me or is running a forum fun? Sure it takes a lot of work and more dedication than any of the site, but to me there is something more satisfying about building a community rather than a normal click and go website. I’ve owned two main forums, and a few of my websites have forums on them, but they are inactive.

JaxForum

JaxForum was the very first forum I made. I started it at the start of December 2005 and ended up selling it by April 2006. I regret selling it now, but what’s done is done. It is still running today but the activity has dropped wayyy down since I sold it. JaxForum was a place for the citizens of Jacksonville, Florida to chat about local sports, entertainment and whatever. The people on the forum were great. The mod I had was awesome. The success of the forum was as much his part as it was mine. I had big plans for it, but I needed the money so was forced to sell. I started putting Adsense on it in February and made about $30/mo until I sold it. I sold JaxForum for $275 almost 10x the monthly revenue. There were about 220 members on the forum when I sold, and now there are about 300.

I do not visit that site anymore, except weekly to check on the activity. I guess you could say I am bitter for selling it. Having that extra $30/mo would almost put me at the $100/mo from Adsense mark meaning I would get a check every month from Google.

Historum

Historum is my latest and greatest forum. I love Historum, and so do the members. We are approaching the 200 member mark and should be there by August 1st, which was my goal. I think forums are great to own if you have a passion for the topic they cover. I am not the smartest historian out there, in fact I don’t know much beyond the American Revolution and Civil War. But what’s great about Historum is there are people who do know a lot… people who know about the Romans and Greeks and ancient times. I have learned so much from them.

I take pride in owning a forum. It kind of feels like a child. You spend so much time raising it and watching it grow. You will also get offended when someone says something bad about it or tells you forums don’t make money. Anyone who says forums don’t make money because they have low CTR needs to read a page from Lee Dodd’s book. He makes $5,000 a day. Yah that’s right, a day! From owning forums. He is my inspiration when it comes to all this internet business venture stuff. If I could only make 1/20 of what he makes, I would be able to quit my day job and live my dreams.

Forums are not only fun, but that are invaluable with the friends and connections you will make. You can meet people from all over the world. People who you would otherwise never think twice about talking to. A members true identity is often hidden, so they are free to give their opinions without getting ridiculed or scrutinized. Forums are fun because it is sort of a team game. Unlike traditional websites, one person can not build a forum, it takes the entire community.