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The Value of Forums - Finding Forums
There are literally thousands of
online forums that cover a wide range of topics. Forums provide individuals,
who share a common interest, with a meeting place for open discussion, and
a great gathering spot for "water cooler" talk. When used properly forums can
be an excellent business tool and resource. By providing well thought out,
helpful responses posters can develop a reputation as an industry
expert. Establishing a reputation within forums will eventually lead to
solid business contacts and relationships.
Forums, online discussion
groups, can be found on many
websites. Companies, individuals or groups often
have their own web-based forums, which are a good source of
technical
information or just general discussions. They can be closed for
private use only or open to anyone to post messages, which are usually sorted
within different categories, or topics. Posting to forums is obviously
effective when an immediate answer is not required. Forum can be found
by searching for topic or subject with the word 'forum' or 'forums'.
Forums are a great way to participate in a community that is discussing a
particular topic, or
communicate with a group of people interested in the
same
topic.
Rules & Regulations
Before you post to a forum its
important that you read the
Charter or description of the forum and determine
what is
appropriate. It is probably not a bad idea to monitor a
newsgroup
for a few days prior to posting. Understanding what is accepted or not
accepted in each newsgroup will go a long way in befriending the
participants.
Forum Etiquette
Spam is generally frowned upon, if you
require information on general forum etiquette I'd encourage you to read
the article at:
http://www.small-business-software.net/etiquette.htm
. Rules
and etiquette can vary from one group to another, so don't
assume
what is acceptable in one, is acceptable in another.
Some forums
require that you register and provide contact
information in order to post a
message or respond to messages. The registration is typically simple and
requires that you submit general information. An email confirmation is
required in order to confirm the information; once the confirmation is
responded to posting privileges are granted. Some forums do not require
registration and you can post anonymously.
What to Look for In a
Forum
Because time is valuable it is best to frequent forums that have a
lot of traffic, this will ensure that any posts receive maximum exposure for
little effort. The most recent posts should be have current dates and it
should be clear that there is regular activity on the board.
Moderated
Forums
Some forums are moderated, which means posts are approved
prior to
being made public. This means that if you post to a
moderated forum, there
will likely be a delay between the
submission and the posts appearance in the
forum. Moderated
forums tend to have a lower 'noise' ratio and have
less off-topic posts. The downside to moderated forums is that like
moderated newsgroups they are usually less popular because of the lag time
between posts.
Signature Line
Most newsgroups allow for posters to
include a signature on
any posts. This is your opportunity to mention your
products and services. Use this as an opportunity to tell other
forum
visitors what you want them to know. Be sure to provide an
url to
your website, as the link will not only refer potential clients but it will
help search engine ranking.
Finding Forums
Forums can contain generic
information or be very topic specific. Try the following resources to find
forums that meet your needs.
Forum Directory -
http://www.small-business-software.net/forum-directory.htm
Forum
Directory - http://www.forumdirectory.com
Forum
Search - http://www.forumsearch.tk
About the
Author -
Sharon Housley manages marketing for NotePage, Inc.
http://www.notepage.net a company
specializing in
alphanumeric paging, SMS and wireless messaging
software solutions. Other sites by Sharon can be found at http://www.softwaremarketingresource.com
, and
http://www.small-business-software.net
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