[header] How to start a forum [title] Figure out what your specific niche will be. [substeps] Since this will be your forum, it is best to pick something in which you are interested and knowledgeable. Since there are already so many forums out there, it is best to have a defined niche. 
Something well-defined will help your forum get noticed by the search engines and also help attract your audience. You do not want something too general or too common in forums.