[JustAnotherRandomDude]

I'm developing a forum (not going to promote or allow registration until it's fully developed) on MyBB and was wondering what features are most important to you on a forum. I'll be developing all features on my own to ensure stability and security on the site. thoughts?

[rtist]

Depending on what kind of forum you're building.... What will be the content on the forum.
In general the most important one for me would be User ranking (Having badges) I just like to have a hierarchy.

User competitions. $20 for the last guy to reply by Jan 1 of 2018 on a specific thread.
kind of deal

Constant update and upkeep with user's letting them know the site isn't dead.

Up to date discussions.

[Ganja]

overall: simplicity (ease-of-use) and website speed.

[▋▋▋▋▋▋▋▋▋▋▋▋]

overall: simplicity (ease-of-use) and website speed.

+1 and it needs a Dark mode or theme. I Hate the sun...

[Pixie Interactive]

Only two things ultimately matter to the success of a forum:
Your topic (why does nobody start with this?) and the user experience.

Always start with the topic. If you are going to build a "gaming" forum, or a "tech" forum, let me say it right away: You will fail. You are competing with giants like CNET, Reddit, Techit and Steam. You are not going to win. You need to find a very specific niche; maybe some old video game everybody still loves, and focus on that. Or focus on older video games in general. Maybe focus on a specific kind of tech, like cameras or laptops. Not computers, that's too common.

Then look at user experience. Make your forum simpler than the others, make it prettier, cut out the dark colors everybody uses these days and do something bright and fresh instead. Don't add stupid features like marketplaces or groups that only further complicate the forum unless there is a damn good reason. Stop looking into 1000+ features, because it makes shit complex, and nobody wants a complex forum experience. Even HackForums - a huge forum - has to keep removing old, useless features to keep things simple.

Simplicity, beauty, and a proper niche. That is all you need. Less is more in this world, remember.

[JustAnotherRandomDude]

Only two things ultimately matter to the success of a forum:
Your topic (why does nobody start with this?) and the user experience.

Always start with the topic. If you are going to build a "gaming" forum, or a "tech" forum, let me say it right away: You will fail. You are competing with giants like CNET, Reddit, Techit and Steam. You are not going to win. You need to find a very specific niche; maybe some old video game everybody still loves, and focus on that. Or focus on older video games in general. Maybe focus on a specific kind of tech, like cameras or laptops. Not computers, that's too common.

Then look at user experience. Make your forum simpler than the others, make it prettier, cut out the dark colors everybody uses these days and do something bright and fresh instead. Don't add stupid features like marketplaces or groups that only further complicate the forum unless there is a damn good reason. Stop looking into 1000+ features, because it makes shit complex, and nobody wants a complex forum experience. Even HackForums - a huge forum - has to keep removing old, useless features to keep things simple.

Simplicity, beauty, and a proper niche. That is all you need. Less is more in this world, remember.

I was thinking about doing a specific video came to be honest - I think if I do that and market right I'll have a better chance. I agree general/tech/gaming forums will fail unless you have a huge funding source to advertise like crazy and have paid posters to jump-start it.