Hey guys. Alright before you read, please note that I really hope you DO read it as I think it could be useful. I hope so anyway.

OK so again, I'm also new here. But I'm certainly not new to forums and maintenance. Now, reading this topic has made me realise just how similar the situation is to what I went through once with a community of my own. So rather than saying what's going wrong here, I will instead try and point out a few things to do and what not to do, from experience.

OK, so this competition thing. In my opinion guys, it's not going to help all that much. Like mentioned earlier in this topic, it causes interest in the signup stages and the beginning, but afterwards, that's it. Dead again. They are indeed a waste of time as far as using them to build up a community again. Don't take that the wrong way though, contests are great fun, but they really aren't the answer to reviving a forum.

Secondly, a community MUST HAVE a solid ownership and staff maintenance. I mean really it must. The members can only do so much in keeping it running. I've seen it happen before, staff/ownerships slacks off to the point of negligence and presumes that there is enough people to cope by themselves. Serioulsy, not a good idea! If there is anything I have learned about keeping forums alive (as an owner), it's to actually NOT foucus completely on the forums themselves, but on the actual site and everything non-board related. By this I mean making sure the site is kept up to date and visually appealing for first impressions. I agree, unfinished websites give off negative vibes and could potentially repel new members.

Alright I do have a suggestion here if anybody is interested. Now this goes for both the old skin and this skin. If I was a visitor for the first time here, the first thing I would notice is the lack of information about the place. I mean really look at it. All there is a logo and suddenly a load of forum windows and boxes and info that some people may not understand. There is NOTHING that says "Welcome! TF is THE place to be for a great experience in both learning the ways of freelance marketing and gaining the much needed confidence to build your future. So please, take a moment to register and be a part of the great community that is, Talk Freelance!" Instead I see this: "Right, you're here now. Let's just get on with it." There is NO visual introduction whatsoever.

Another thing is how TF portrays the "professional" image. This really puts me off a lot of places, it's how every rules/guidlines topic or anything on the site is so darn strict. Professional does not mean you have to be boring, not use smilies and be straight to the point. In this case, it's about how you handle your work, situations and people, not how well you can spell and how serious you look in writing. I LOVE to see a laid-back forum with a chilled mood. It can still be professional, but can also be FUN! Look at www.cartoonsmart.com for example. That guy is serioulsy professional but look at his site! He's the coolest dude ever But very business minded too. You CAN be both.

I'm typing a lot here. I do have more to say but I shall wait until (if) I get a reply. Thanks for your time peoples

Peace, Lance