What do you ignore?

[JoelR]

Inspired by this quote by James Clear:

Quote

"Be ruthless about what you ignore. Time, energy, and resources are so precious. You have to be ferocious about cutting your priorities—more than you realize and certainly more than is comfortable.

You can only deeply commit to a few things. One or two? Maybe three?

Every pretty good, sorta nice, kinda fun thing you abandon is like shedding a weighted vest that lets you move at top speed. You were so busy focusing on how much you could carry, you never realized you could run this fast."

When I visit communities, one of the biggest problems that I see is that they try to do too much - they try to be everything to everyone, with boards for every single potential discussion.  

Are you a board owner where you try to offer multiple services to capture the widest audience?  Or do you slim down to a few core strengths?  

[Maria]

One of the biggest problems I see regarding discussion on forums is some members pretend to be Mr./Miss Know All. They seem to be posting on all topics and have their say. I think as an owner, you need to ask your members to remain true to themself and avoid participating in discussions they do not have first hand experience or do not have any knowledge.

[dismalbliss]

I know what you are saying. A lot of people start a forum that looks like the old Yahoo or DMOZ directory, with a forum for every imaginable category. I prefer to stick to specific niche forums with a few forums related to that niche, and maybe just one "general" forum for those who want to talk off-topic.

[JoelR]

9 hours ago, Mariya said:

One of the biggest problems I see regarding discussion on forums is some members pretend to be Mr./Miss Know All. They seem to be posting on all topics and have their say. I think as an owner, you need to ask your members to remain true to themself and avoid participating in discussions they do not have first hand experience or do not have any knowledge.

That can be challenging.  Do you have any suggestions in how to tactfully approach members in this manner? 

[JoelR]

1 hour ago, dismalbliss said:

I know what you are saying. A lot of people start a forum that looks like the old Yahoo or DMOZ directory, with a forum for every imaginable category. I prefer to stick to specific niche forums with a few forums related to that niche, and maybe just one "general" forum for those who want to talk off-topic.

Yes! I'm always floored at how many legacy forums think they can  cover every single country / variation / general news category even though after 12 years of being offline, those specific boards have no traffic.  

I think the communities of the future need to be more focused than ever before. You don't build off mediocrity, you build off strength.  

[Shortie]

I will admit that I can sometimes try to do everything and too much when it comes to owning a forum but over the years, I have learned that most of the time, the little you offer the better it is for your community. 

Some people try to do everything, I am someone who does that but you usually find that in most cases, your community prefers to see simple and somewhere they can chat, share and chill.