Revitalising FM-Base
Forums are not entirely dead but the ground has certainly shifted beneath their feet. A company finding itself in this situation might conduct a SWOT Analysis:
STRENGTHS
- An established forum site that brings together hardcore and entry-level FMers
- Free-to-use blogging space for those unable or unwilling to create their own websites or enter into commitments with owners of third party sites
- Free-to-use storage space for those (like myself) with a large back catalogue of content for users to browse and download as they want
- Strong 'Helpdesk' element among the Moderators and regular contributors; if we know the answer to a query, we'll provide the required info and links to relevant pages/sites
- Large amount of existing and ongoing marketable content throughout the site
WEAKNESSES
- Forums are a bit 2010 and FM-Base has lost part of its territory to Twitter and other social media platforms
- Content is limited to the written form; YouTube and Twitch streams are more dynamic and appeal strongly to younger and more technologically advanced users
- Due to the volume of content and many discontinued threads, navigation through the site can be difficult and can lead to duplicated or unnecessary content that makes it harder to find what you're looking for or anything to catch your eye while browsing
OPPORTUNITIES
- The presence of kit makers, logo creators, database editors, moderators, etc. means there is a high degree of expertise present on this site, if it can be clearly identified and easy to access for users; showcase it and market it on Twitter and other social media platforms with direct links back to the site
- Potential for a strong FM Troubleshooting Surgery in the form of a regularly reviewed and updated FAQ, which you can promote on Twitter with regular tweets and in response to specific queries on Twitter
- Potential to more effectively harness and promote the strong tips, guides and how to sections of this site and use it on other platforms to drive traffic back to the site
- There are similar creators on Twitter who do not have (as far as I can tell) an easily browsable storage space for their back catalogue; approach them and invite them to "set-up shop" on FM-Base — see
@Requestakit @FMU_tv (already a member of the FM Stream Team)
@TheFMEditor85 and KentClark who began this thread, if he is willing to stick around; you can drive them to my own thread to demonstrate how this site can be used to make their stuff permanently accessible
- Establish strong, reciprocal relationships with your contributors on other platforms — Twitter, Twitch, Discord, YouTube, etc. — to drive traffic back-and-forth and raise the visibility of FM-Base within the FM Community as a whole
- Look to support content creators of all stripes who are active on any and all other social media platforms so they have a reason to drive traffic to FM-Base
- Promote the "No cost, No commitment" element of using this forum site — two Unique Selling Points compared to starting up your own website or entering into an agreement to provide regular content to a third party
- Ability for Moderators to clean-up and consolidate content to make it easier to navigate? End discontinued threads with no lasting content value and insert links where necessary to identify existing content that provides the requested information
- Ability to use other platforms to promote all of the best content (including older "Classic" insightful content) throughout this site
- Potential to facilitate collaboration between creators to produce FM-Base supported projects
THREATS
- Greater interactivity of Twitter and Twitch could see users continue to migrate away from this text-based forum site
- Other FM-themed sites exist; they are strongly image-led and may have better reputations within the FM Community as sources of content and game-related expertise
I'm sure others can add to these lists. Then it's for FM-Base to take the time and necessary action to maximise your Strengths, address your Weaknesses (a Weakness is an Opportunity to create a Strength), exploit your Opportunities and pre-empt the Threats.
Been up a while. Too much Red Bull last night!