Starting a Non-Profit Forum

[flatt]

Hello everyone,

The name of my very new site/forum is CollegeDropout.org, which I would like to help disenfranchised college students, and to a lesser extent high school students, (re)discover a path in their life. Right now there is just a skeleton of a forum, as it has only been active less than a day, so please forgive my total lack of content and any bugs you may run into.

The forum is layed out in support group fashion but will definitely not be 100% serious. In fact, I want there to be a "humor is the best medicine" policy. I can envision many visitors to the site to be quite depressed, full of anxiety, and some down-right hopeless.


Here's my major questions, but please add anything and everything that you think is important:

How do you best create a fun atmosphere on a forum that may be resistant to it?

What rules change when money is not a high priority? (I would like to be able to offset most Hosting costs but I'm willing to take a loss myself.)

I have also registered CollegeDropouts.org to cover my bases but should I be concerned at all about using a .org?

While volume of traffic is by no means a big deal, how does one best start a community with little to start off of?

Thanks in advance!

[MediaHound]

I wont be asking for a link to my medical students site
But, its a good idea, and you might have something there...
It's definately going to be a bumpy road with these members you will attract.
If they cant stay in a classroom, will they stay a contributing member of your site?
Maybe... but its going to be hard.
Just make your site sticky, lots of things to keep them on the site, and returning.
Maybe you can offer them free stuff, or Fre3 uxzyUniversity xDiplomazs Ongline. Just a thought.

[MediaHound]

Need traffic?
http://forums.webring.ws
You are welcome to join my forums webring.
Please do.

[lilian]

find good moderate for your forums..