forum as business

[CD Burnt]

how common is it to use a forum for the purpose of being the primary customer interface for a business?

[adb22791]

Well for web hosting, I have seen some hosts who base their website off forum software. I hate that, I do not want to use a forum to submit a support ticket. I would rather use custom in house software or a support ticket system, plus forums seem rather unclean for web hosting. I don't want to sift through posts about company information, I want an about page!

[Jan]

Do you have any examples of such forums? OTOH, I can't say I have seen one, but it is early here and the brain is still half asleep :P

[adb22791]

DEHE (http://www.dehe.com)

[Aussie Bob]

HTTPme.com (http://httpme.com) was the first though. :banana2:

And they said the concept wouldn't work too. :rofl: :rofl:

[Aussie Bob]

Well for web hosting, I have seen some hosts who base their website off forum software.
HTTPme was the first to do this. Some brave hosts have followed, and some have done ok from it too. :)
I hate that, I do not want to use a forum to submit a support ticket.
HTTPme had a helpdesk eternal to the forum. Although a lot of support was handled in the Support forum, you still need the helpdesk.
. . . plus forums seem rather unclean for web hosting.
I don't see anything "unclean" about HTTPme. :iunno:
I don't want to sift through posts about company information, I want an about page!
Which is generally at the top of the forum catagories, and pretty easy to find.

The forum model works, but it's full on, and there's nowhere to hide. If you don't have your game together, you'll get wiped out. It gets intense too, with clients watching your every move.

I loved that platform. It was exciting and there was a sense of adventure about it too. I was doing what noone else had done, and what they all said couldn't work. I loved that. :dance:

I'm not using that platform with my Dotable brand. Kind of been there, done that, bought the T-shirt. Those platforms best operate with a reseller market, as these folks are more inclined to be active participants of the .COMmunity, and which was why HTTPme's community was so active.

[Wheels]

I was just talking to Kim the other day about businesses using forums and it came up that the IC (independent contractor) tech guy that services the computers at work has installed many vBs, IPBs and a few other forums for businesses, including some on their intranets. Most of the forums he has installed were vBs with IPB in 2nd.

[Aussie Bob]

Online forums are probably the most effective and powerful communications device on the net, as far as interaction and distribution of information. I invisaged HTTPme as a communications coduit, where clients could connect to, take what they needed, and give back accordingly.

It was a separate entity, where even HTTPme staff connected to it, just as the HTTPme clients did - externally, yet from within a collective culture. I guess I was trying to break down the walls between clients and management, and this would lead to a more condusive process. I saw it in my mind like a big ball where folks gathered around and connected themselves to it, virtually speaking. :)

[Jan]

DEHE (http://www.dehe.com)
I meant non hosting as per pre edited post of CD Dude.

[adb22791]

I meant non hosting as per pre edited post of CD Dude.
Damn cd dude editin' after I post.
HTTPme doesn't look too bad, but DEHE... I dunno, I prefer to see stuff like network info, etc, on separate pages. A community forum for a host is great, but having the entire site built like that, I don't like it that much. But I'm weird :nuts:

[Aussie Bob]

. . . A community forum for a host is great, but having the entire site built like that, I don't like it that much. But I'm weird :nuts:
No, that would put you in the norm. I'm the wierd one for trying something a little out there. :D

[Apoc]

Well for web hosting, I have seen some hosts who base their website off forum software. I hate that, I do not want to use a forum to submit a support ticket. I would rather use custom in house software or a support ticket system, plus forums seem rather unclean for web hosting. I don't want to sift through posts about company information, I want an about page!

You mention us as example of your description, but that doesn't make sense at all to be honest. Most importantly, we don't handle any support through our forums (we literally receive thousands of tickets a day - if all that were handled through our forums there would be a lot more posts - and a lot messier too).

As for the about page you mention: I do agree with that. Currently our about/network/company page are basically forum posts - we already had the plan to convert that to 'real pages'. Then again - apart from the structure of such a page, nothing major changes really. Take this page for instance: http://www.dehe.com/showthread.php?t=124 - if we would change this page to a 'regular' page, basically the only thing that would change is that it's not a forum post anymore.

The reason we decided to use this concept for DEHE are basically these:

- The product we offer at DEHE (Virtual Private Servers) is relatively new. Before anyone who doesn't know about the technology will order such a product, that person will first want to know all about it. Using a forum strucure is definitely the easiest way for a potential customer to find information, or to ask for information.

- Most people who are interested in VPS are people who have previous hosting experience. Just about all of those people regularly read forums (like WHT), and are basically used to this way of browsing the web. So the decision to use this type of website had a lot to do with the kind of customers we are approaching.

- SEO

We thought things out very carefully before we even considered the concept. But as I said before, you're right in saying that the pages such as the About page should be converted to 'regular' pages, we're probably taking care of that shortly.

[namkrowa]

I use a forum for everything going through my web host, and a forum for my child advocacy. It's great for communication, support, etc.

[Aussie Bob]

As for the about page you mention: I do agree with that. Currently our about/network/company page are basically forum posts - we already had the plan to convert that to 'real pages'.
HTTPme had one "real page" (whatever that is). That was for the plans and pricing etc. I just couldn't get html tables and formatting to work properly from within the thread posts, so decided to make a standard plan page. Seemed to do the trick, and keeping the colors the same, it flows.
- Most people who are interested in VPS are people who have previous hosting experience. Just about all of those people regularly read forums (like WHT), and are basically used to this way of browsing the web. So the decision to use this type of website had a lot to do with the kind of customers we are approaching.
Yep, that's what I found with HTTPme clients, who were mainly web developers, resellers etc. They like to interact online, and it didn't take much effort to build a thriving community. But I don't think the same would have happened if the client base was end users, and not web developers/resellers etc.
We thought things out very carefully before we even considered the concept.
It's good to see other hosts using that same platform. It's a challenging platform, and there's basically nowhere to hide, if you know what I mean. I think it's where the rubber hits the road, and there's a sense of purity about it, with a lot of the walls being broken down, and you're left with human to human interaction.

Hope it works out for you. :)

[spechackers]

Well for web hosting, I have seen some hosts who base their website off forum software. I hate that, I do not want to use a forum to submit a support ticket. I would rather use custom in house software or a support ticket system, plus forums seem rather unclean for web hosting. I don't want to sift through posts about company information, I want an about page!

infact i would use both softwares, one for personal between the user and me and other one for is general issues and suggestions through forums.

[Doug]

There are examples like HTTPme that use the forum as their primary web site, basically. Then there are other companies (much more common) that use a forum has a primary method for informally communicating with customers and letting them interact. An active forum does help make a company appear active, and it's a great way to build a brand, and ensure that customers stay in the know about the company, its technology, etc.

However, an inactive forum can do just the oppisote.

[Aussie Bob]

. . . However, an inactive forum can do just the oppisote.
Yeah, a dead forum is a real turnoff, and can hurt a business. But all forums need to get off the ground, and it happens post by post. Rome wasn't built in a day. :)

[Doug]

Very true. But if you have say, 100 clients, your forum likely won't be too active. But if you know you have a few thousand clients, and go to create a forum, it is much more likely to get some members and posts.