Picking a niche can make or break a forum. Should you go broad to attract more users or narrow to build strong engagement? How do you test if a topic has long-term interest? What signals tell you a niche is worth building a community around?
I think the best topics are the ones people can keep discussing long after the first post. When starting a new community, I focus on recurring questions, shared experiences, and ongoing challenges rather than news or one-time events. A community grows when its topics encourage participation, not just information consumption.