Is it worth the time to use phpbb?

[birdoasis]

I've installed phpbb and am starting to build it as a bird feeding forum.

I've noticed other sites use some form of forum (say that three times fast) as a marketing too to keep people coming back to the site.

However with google groups, yahoo groups, etc I'm not sure it's going to be worth the time.

If you could possibly share approximate traffic to your site just from the forum, and is if possible let us know if that same traffic is responsible for what percentage of sales???.

Thanks!!!

[Peekay]

I haven't tried the PHPBB integration yet, but I have a client that wants to sell production equipment and then encourage repeat and continued purchase of raw materials, spares, upgrades etc. It is a specialist field where users would probably benefit from posting tips and tricks on how they are using the equipment.

The store owner can also post product recommendations in answer to specific problems, so the forum can act as a help desk. The search engines may also pick up questions like "I can't get my ***** to work" which could generate some business, as long as a successful solution was posted!.

If the product(s) are complicated or multi-purpose, explaining to prospective customers that by registering they are also made a member of a select online community is a plus point IMHO. If not, then I agree that you may wind up with the hassle of managing a forum to no tangible benefit.

[birdoasis]

Thanks for the advice Peekay

The product referrals and tips sounds real good. I spend allot of time in forums, talking about my trade, with a link to my site and such. I think it's time to start my own.

Thanks again!

JP

[Peekay]

If you are starting from scratch, there does appear to be one issue regarding how people become members of your forum.

If they sign up as a Zen Cart customer it's o.k. because they are automatically added as a forum member. However, if you allow people to join the forum directly via PHPBB and a forum member later decides to become a customer, they have to pick another forum username. I imagine this would be annoying if they were by then an active forum contributor.

I connot confirm this is the case because I haven't installed PHPBB yet, but the post in the thread below highlights the issue.

http://www.zen-cart.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55269

The solution would be to allow forum registration via Zen Cart only (assuming that is possible) but of course full address details are required which may put some people off if they only want to make forum posts, not buy things.

I don't think having a 'customers only' forum is a bad thing, but it would limit the potential membership.

Apologies if I got all the above wrong. Like I said, I haven't tried it yet!

[Dunitun]

I plan on using phpbb in my new store soon. Im finishing the store first. I am not going to link them together because I do not want to limit my forum to current customer or only people who make a store account.

The biggest reason I will not be linking them is because the new PHPBB is not compatible by default, and for good reason, its not finshed yet.

If I do not link the 2 databases together it becomes easier for people who are avid forum users to sign up and buy something since both will require an email address to sign up. This way their "Login" would remain the same on both.