Home Improvement DIY Help Forums Are Here!
Have you noticed the change on the top menu bar? (If you’re reading by e-mail, you’ll need to visit the site to see this).
Every day we have thousands of folks stop by the site looking for help with all types of home improvement projects. They’re usually sent here by a search engine that directs them to a project we’ve worked on before, like laying self leveling underlayment, or installing recessed lighting.
Despite our best efforts, though, we’re sure our articles don’t answer everyone’s questions. In fact, we get a few comments per day on prior articles with questions from readers who are working on the same projects we worked, but usually with some tweak. We simply can’t keep up with it all on our own, so we’re taking action!
We’ve decided to stand up DIY Help Forums on the site. The idea behind the forums are simple: if you need help, just go to the forum, sign up for an account (it’s quick!), and ask a question. Hopefully, someone else in the community will know the answer. We selected forum software that allows you to upload pictures directly into the posts. That’s critical for home improvement questions, and we’re hoping users will take advantage of it.
How to Help Out Forum Users
How will the rest of us know when someone asks a question? The forums allow you to subscribe to individual threads, a whole topic area, or a single message for updates. So, if you’re an expert in say, spray foam insulation, you can subscribe to the forum on insulation and share your knowledge with anyone who asks a question.
We’re also going to integrate a feed onto the home page that shows the latest new posts in the forums, so that if you’re dropping by the site, you might take a minute to help someone in need.
Of course, these forums work best if our regular readers sign up for accounts and check in on occasion to see if they can help. We’re also interested in having moderators for the forums. If you’re interested in participating, let us know. (Basically, the only thing a moderator would do is answer questions when they can, and remove posts that are off-topic).
Right now, the forums are a bit sparse… I guess that’s to be expected; everything has to start somewhere. To get things going, we’re going to think of some ways to give you all incentives to participate (perhaps a giveaway!?)
The Upgrade List
We’ll keep you posted on how things progress with the forums. It’s a new area for us, but we’re excited about the prospect of increased reader-to-reader communication. For now, here’s our short list of “coming soon” upgrades…
- An even better user interface / user experience on the forums (we’ve done a lot to improve vBulletin, but more can be done).
- Latest forum questions and answers integrated on the home page.
- Answer ‘ratings’ and a participant leaderboard.
We Want to Hear from You!
Tell us what you think about the idea. How else can we improve the forums? Leave a comment below, or e-mail me at fred@oneprojectcloser.com with your ideas.
Comments & Conversation on this Article...
One Response to Home Improvement DIY Help Forums Are Here!
Wait! Got a question on your own project?
Ask your question in our Home Improvement Help Forums.
Otherwise, leave a note here!
February 3rd, 2010 11:24 pm
I will definitely be tracking the new forums. If I can add something of value I will not hesitate to do so