I’ve been working on a forum project since July of 2005. We are in pre-launch mode, with only a few tweaks left as we switch out graphics and tighten up the fonts.
Last summer my daughter and I started the brainstorming process of the niche for this website. Originally it was her idea to add this feature to my exisiting large forum. After thoroughly exploring the idea we decided it deserved its own website, its own domain, its own identity.
While it would appear to be a normal community because we would base it on vBulletin software, we didn’t want it to look like a forum only. We wanted it to offer more.
What we have launched can be found here: http://www.girlsgetgoing.com
This is a community for women. Not just another community for women. This is a website providing articles, resources to encourage the visitors to attain their goals. But it doesn’t stop there. Besides a forum it offers blogs.
But doesn’t stop there.
We offer incentives. Fun incentives to goal setting and success. We have created a challenge/badge feature that members can activate and earn badges as they set goals for themselves in 8 main categories of a woman’s life.
Awesome, gorgeous badges. A groovy skin. Perfect layout for content, resources, forums, blogs, challenges, encouragement and badges earned along with a gallery.
We opened the door 3 days ago to allow registrations to begin. No marketing except word of mouth. We are now up to 130 members and growing. I plan on inviting the members of my large forum in small batches.
This is exciting to me. Its been a while since I launched a “new” forum on my own. I launched HysterSisters.com in 1998 and have helped with a few other sites. I’m praying that the overall encouragement will be the best catalyst for visitors to register….and participate in life’s challenges with support.
Plans:
Add 1-2 articles per category per month. This will be with the help of purchase of articles and articles submitted by members
Enlarge the Welcome Tutorial with voice to walk new visitors and members through out different sections
Send html “welcome” email
Send newsletter monthly with a listing of newest articles and most popular challenges.
Add new challenge monthly to special admin category (we have a calendar with a map to follow from our planning)
Add new challenges to different categories to expand as the need expands
I’m looking for info on embedding voice (for member to activate to listen to instructions) so if anyone knows what I might be able to use, please let me know!
by Kathy of HysterSisters
In one word: Wow!
You’ve done a great job, the website has a nice and unique feeling.
I just want to say here (can’t find your email) that the Girls site is one of the best web sites I think I have ever seen, and knowing the work you had to put into VB to tweak that sucker out is even more amazing. HUGE kudos! The colors, accents, layout, curves…mama mia so nice. Great job!
Nice job cathy. But I wouldn’t embed the voice make it clickable. We have people do voiceovers for other projects in my business. Check http://www.group-net.org/typ/ Check the right side of most pages.
I’m not sure what to say other than WOW either.
Who does your graphics and how much did it cost to do them?
Also, what hack gives you the ability to have a forum homepage with those topics like you have. Not the site homepage but this one:http://www.girlsgetgoing.com/forumindex.php
Nathan, while we use VB, even the forum index page is customized based on my design. I had a desire to take the normal vb forum home page and alter the way it looks, including the graphics. Its still built first via the forum manager in the admincp, but the page was customized….and its not even finished yet.
There is a special tweak to come….
Its expensive. Its not your normal 75.00 skin. Nicholas has been working on it since November. And to make it all function behind the pretty graphics is the awesome code work of Logician.
I appreciate the encouragement. I’m very pleased with it. The overall tone/theme is from my 26 year old, hip as can be, daughter who co-admins with me. She wanted vintage/70’s groovy and I think Nicholas did a great job of giving that to us…along with the curvy lines. The colors make my heart sing too.
Yea, as I thought about it more I figured it was just a custome forumhome template. It looks great!
Whatever it cost you… it was worth it!
Thanks, I think it was worth it too. To me its a great combination of taking my idea…and the genius of Logician and the genius of Nicholas and its perfect.
Personally I think the website is way too busy, too much text, the two colum layout at the bottom of the main page is irritating to me. Too many ads too imho, especially for a new site. But again, those are all just subjective observations.
Having said that, the forum customization and graphics are totally awesome. Very Austin Powers!
Any chance we could get a ballpark figure on the cost of the customization? Ever very wide ballpark?
The customization has two parts. The skin and the coding which provides all the features, the articles, the challenge areas, the badges, etc. I’m also adding a store and a few other things that have more money tied up with the SSL. Cost estimate for all: 5K