What would put you off using our forum for writers?

[Editor]

Our forum is intended to provide free recioprical feedback to writers, forums to discuss writing and general chatter but so far we have attracted very few members. It can be found here:

http://www.221bforum.co.uk/

Are there any glaring problems with it? What would make it more attractive to writers? Any feedback would be invaluable thanks.

[cathrl69]

You don't appear to have any sort of password protection on it. No serious writer is going to put something they plan to try to sell to a publisher on the open internet.

[Kirby]

Layout is a bit boring. Homepage link is the 221B Magazine? Shouldn't there be an introductory paragraph detailing the content of the site?

[C. T.]

I checked out the site and I agree that the main forums need to be password protected so that only members can view the stories and such. I too own a forum dedicated to writers and I am sure to hide forum posts from guests. This gives members confidence that their work will remain private to only other members.

I noticed that the Rules link doesn't seem to work; I'd highly suggest making sure it is fully functional.

I would consider a welcome page before the forums that guests could read before they join, telling them what your site is about and such, and why they should join.

Finally, even if you create the perfect website, it won't attract many new members without advertisement. Now, not all advertisement costs money, and can actually be quite easy. You could create promotional pages on Facebook and Twitter and recommend your site there. These sites attract millions of people, and so can be a powerful tool in generating activity to your webpage.

Another suggestion I'd give is affiliation with other websites. I have found it to be a very useful way to gain attention. Plus, it's beneficial to both your site and the site you affiliate with. If you're interested you could e-mail me and we could work out an affiliation between out two sites.