Oct07
FemaleForum.com - Focusing on the Community
(This is a sponsored post, but one I thoroughly enjoyed, so read on!)
It’s hard to believe, but I registered for my very first online message board account way back in 1997. 11 years later I still not only participate in online forums, but I have also built and run a few myself. While they can have their downsides, it’s hard for me to resist the appeal of being able to virtually meet other women from all over, and participate in conversations as our schedules allow, as opposed to real time, where stepping away from the keyboard might otherwise mean missing key parts of a chat. Best of all, there are relationships built on message boards that for whatever reason tend to take root in ways you just don’t see in chat rooms or blogs. Online communities are an amazing way to meet and get to know people you wouldn’t otherwise be able to in real life. (Real life? Huh? What’s that?)
Female Forum is the latest online venture of Martin Reed, a man who describes himself as having a passion for building online communities. Recognizing that many of todays top women’s site are just becoming too damn complicated(*ahem*sheknows*cough*ivillage), FemaleForum.com set out to be just the opposite- a very simple, user-oriented site with a strong focus on community rather than bells and whistles.
In looking around the site, you immediately notice how easy it is to navigate. The front page features articles clearly broken up into basic topics, like Health & Fitness, Love & Relationships, Pregnancy & Parenting, and so forth. I was pleased to see that each topic section featured a link to a discussion on the message board from each of those same topics, so it made for a very smooth transition from viewing content to actually discovering the community aspect. Once onto the forum itself, you see it is clearly broken up into the same topics from the front page, so again, seamless transition for those looking to discuss particular issues. The message board is the focus of the site, and like the rest of it is very simple and easy to use, without a lot of clutter or extra features to distract the user.
I keep finding myself using the word simple, and I have to say that was the only real downside of the experience for me. Uncluttered and easy to navigate are great characteristics for this type of budding community, but as a more advanced user, I found myself wanting a bit more. The smilies are basic stock, and a few basic bb code buttons are thrown in to help the average user perform some simple formatting. I would have love to have seen some cooler emoticons to spice things up, and maybe some buttons for strike-through and image posting. Ok, especially something for image posting. One of the best ways for users to share details of their lives and form the bonds that will keep them coming back is the ability to post photos.
Those very minor complaints aside, I think the site is well put-together, and the clean and simple interface makes it easy to focus on the content and community. I found the message board users to be far more articulate and engaging than I am used to seeing on some of the larger boards. With 85 users and counting, this new little community is already doing well for only having been open a couple of weeks. I can see this site becoming more popular as fresh content is added and the community continues to grow.
(Btw my bloggy pals, I happened to notice they are looking for content submissions. If you are looking to get a little exposure and linkage, this could be a cool opportunity to hook up with a new site and get your work out to new readers!)
Check out FemaleForum.com for details, and be sure to register on their message board!
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