Grand Opening Contests?

[iHuxley]

Do any of you kick off your forums with a contest? If so, what's it all about and what kind of prizes do you give out?

Is it just a straightforward referral contest, or does it tie into the specific topic of your forum?

[Maria]

I have not done this myself but I have seen a lot of people open their communities with a contest, these contest are referral contests as well as posting contest. This is certainly a good way to bring members and built activities in a short time if you have some money to spare.

[Nomad]

I once opened my multi-author blogging site by organizing a writing contest. I had just one entry, so I had to close the contest and start hiring writers. Opening your site with a contest can be a good way to build users and content but it will be possible only when you can market properly and can bring in a lot of participants.

[Dilip]

I believe that is the right way to do it. Considering how the forum scene is at the moment, some motivation is always nice.

Monetary rewards are always attractive, irrespective of how you organise the contest. As long as people get a direct reward, they are gonna love it.

[Kane]

If you are paying, people will of course join your community. They would participate in your community because they want to win the contest. But once the contest ends these people will stop being active. If you want to bring them back you need to run another contest. You can build members and activities through a contest but it will be difficult to keep your users active.