Using Facebook to Grow your Community

[x3xsolxdierx3x]

I wrote in another thread about the tremendous success my forum has had because of Facebook.....has anyone used social Networks like Facebook or MySpace for promoting your forum?.....I did a little research, and apparently Facebook's Group platform is very limited, though....you can only mass email members of a group up until there are 1,000 members is a group........which is very small, considering that some facebook groups have managed to grow to 500,000+ members........I had started a group and, although it's become viral in many ways, with over 130,000 members achieved in about a month, I'm unable to mass email them.....

But, even still......if you wait until your group achieves roughly 900 members...as close to 1,000 as possible....then you can maximize the potential of your mass email, while you still have it.....

.....just some thoughts....

also, if you come up with an idea for a facebook group that is appealing, and can become viral....and, develop your forum around THAT concept....then, you targeted a population and responses to your mass emails will be much greater.....

For instance, I started a Troop support site on Facebook......Before I knew it, it was growing by 5-10,000 a day......

...so, I decided to develop an external community for it using proboards.....and, i sought out members of less popular troop support sites (with just a little less than 1,000 members) and had them mass email their members about the support forum I had created.....

just some ideas.....currently, we have the largest troop support group on facebook.....I set the goal rather zeolously.....10,000,000....but, created a very appealing LOGO......

also...you can put the direct link to your forum right at the top of your facebook group......

I hope this helps everyone. :)

[ericfromandys]

Wow, that is helpful. I didn't know the directly link was possible. Thanks for the insight!

[Dani]

I never really joined any of the social networking sites like MySpace or Facebook so I can't really comment.

I did, however, just recently find out that DaniWeb has a Facebook group that was started by a couple of our members like a year ago. I guess I'm a bit behind the times. :)

[ericfromandys]

cscgal - that's interesting, because this website ha a phenomenal page rank. I assumed you went out and "gained" incoming links in social networking sites like Facebook. What have been the main sources of your incoming links then?

[Dani]

Incoming links come from just having really good content that people are naturally going to want to link to. Our blog entries also get syndicated around the web. We also promote our RSS feeds and make it easy for people to subscribe. Plus we have a link swap program going in our link directory. However, enough of that :) I don't want to take this thread too far off topic.

[bobchrist]

I think facebook could work well if you've build up strong network with many friends.

[jermeyd]

Great, nice technique you had out there. I think I am going to try out myself for my one forum which has little members. Lets see what happens...

Aron

[bobchrist]

It can benefit you, if you're active.