What requirements do you have before making a new forum in your community? I have several members requesting new forums and don't know if there are enough topics on the subjects to really justify that. What measurements do you use before doing this?

__________________
Gamecron PC Gaming
Hattiesburg Forums

I think its really just a judgment call on your part. If you think the member base as a whole is interested enough in the topic that it will be active then you're probably OK, but if you think only a few members really want this then I wouldn't create a separate forum and instead tell them to discuss it in an existing forum.

__________________
World of Warcraft Forums - Your #1 place to discuss all things World of Warcraft.

The sad truth is that a forum is an aristocracy. The admins/mods rule. Use your judgment along with the staff's.

...And if you're not sure, don't add it. It's better to have fewer forums than many.

__________________
The Nerd Council
Nerd Log: Bringing you the Latest in Science and Technology
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Who Will Live and Who Will Die? Debate it now!

you can just put the new forum in as a trial, put an announcement on the top stating that is it currently on trial, if enough new posts happen you will keep it, otherwise you will merge back into the old section. This also encourages them to post in the new forum to keep it alive. You can always try it then remove it if it doesnt work, but if you cant see a need for it then i wouldnt just do it either.

__________________
Mazda Rotary Car Videos Share Yours Now
Free Discussion Forum for Video Admin and Webmasters

I would say until this new topic is flooding other forums, don't make new forums for them unless you think this new topic would be a good attention to the forum discussion...

__________________

I get asked to do this occasionally too and if there is enough interest I add it, if there isn't, I leave it until there is

I've expressed those same concerns and their reply is that if there were a forum for it, then there may be more topics about it. Does anyone get the same feeling that forum members won't post about a topic if they don't see a category for it?

__________________
Gamecron PC Gaming
Hattiesburg Forums

Yes that's possible. A lot of members don't have the time or the inclination to start new threads but if a topic is already there and they are interested in it they will be more tempted to reply.

Have you thought about having sub-forums to see how popular they will be before you decide to put them on the main forum page?

If the interest is high and there are multiple threads on the subject, then I would create a poll and allow the members to vote. Set it up for about a week or so and see what the results are.

__________________
» Effectively Using Forum Signatures
» Tips for Choosing a Reliable Web Host
» 7 Traffic Generating Tips for Communities

Well there is a host of things you need to look at when making a decision.

- Will the forum be used enough to qualify it? One member requesting a forum does not guarantee that others will use it. I find two good ways to tell are to either make a public poll, asking "Would you use this forum if it was created?", or to look at sites similar to yours and see if they have a similar forum. If they do, not the activity level.

- Can you merge it with another forum idea? Lets just say you run an X-BOX community, but a member requests a PlayStation 2 forum. Another member has requested a PSP forum, and a third member wants a PlayStation 3 forum. You doubt any of the three will be overly popular, but would have some activity. You could consider creating a "Sony" forum as a compromise.

- Can another area take the posts? If you are requested to make a forum for Radio, and you have a Music forum, then would you want to allow radio topics to be raised there?

Once you have thought it over, trial it for a month. If you are unhappy, move the posts to another forum (with redirects) and turn off new posts in the forum. Leave it like this for 2 weeks for people to be used to the change, then store/delete the forum (depending on your policy).