|
|
10 EXCELLENT Reasons to Start Your Own Discussion Forum
Riches, fame, glory ... OK, that's perhaps exaggerating somewhat, but running a successful forum can certainly make you very popular and bulk out the wallet considerably.
Here are the ten best reasons to start your own discussion forum:
...
Good Content: The Key To Search Engine Ranking
What drives visitors to your website and keeps them there? Good content. Content is Key Good content is key to website promotion success. All the bells and whistles in the world will not hold an audience like compelling information. Ask yourself:...
How to improve your websites search engine rankings
One of your main goals when building a site is to receive a lot of traffic so that you can make some reasonable money out of your website. One of the main and best ways of getting more traffic to your site is for you to do some seo (search engine...
The 'Secret' To Website Success Revealed
You work long hours everyday and sometimes feel like you've accomplished nothing. It can be as thankless as doing the dishes. Your website is free for everyone, but it's not free to you. There are people that for whatever reason will see what...
Your Fan Club - Getting Inbound Links
© 2004, John Calder http://www.TheEzine.net Let's face it, getting one-way, non-reciprocal links in to your site is the way to go these days, at least as far as SEO purposes go. Reciprocal links can send you traffic, and may count for something in...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Message Board and Forum Advertising
Message boards and forums are a great way to advertise your site, service or product for free. However, there are a few things you should remember when posting.
- Choose an appropriate site. I know this really goes without saying but there are still some that are so enthusiastic about getting their message to the masses, they post on inappropriate sites. For example, it would be highly unlikely that you'll find many interested individuals to purchase your yoga wear on a motorcycle website. Instead you may want to try exercise sites, women's sites, parenting sites (mothers do want to get back into shape after having a child), health and wellness sites....I think you're getting the idea. Think of who will be using your product, service or website and go where they are.
- Choose the proper board. Always read the instructions and make sure you're posting only where it's permitted. A lot of boards state "no advertising" in their general forum and you must respect their rules. However, most boards have a place to post your ads. Also, if you are marketing a website, look for boards that will critique it for you. That's an excellent way to drive traffic to your site.
- Create a profile. Viewers are less likely to take you seriously is you didn't take the time to complete a proper profile. List your likes and dislikes, where you're from and any other personal information you're willing to share. Remember, people want to deal with people - not with "salespeople". You are no different than they are, so show them that. I'm far more likely to follow someone's link if I can personally relate to them.
- Use a signature with a URL link and a tag line. If you use a signature, you can post anywhere and you're advertising without even doing it (if you know what I mean). For example, I love gardening and I know there may be some gardeners that would be interested in IFHB but it's really not the place to advertise my site. In that case, I post away about all the details of gardening that I love, offering advice along the way with my standard signature line attached:
Sincerely, Dawn Roberts http://www.ideas-for-home-businesses.com/ Helping you secure your financial future - from home! - Do not spam the board members! While the 7 exposures rule is true (generally, a person must be exposed to something seven times before they will purchase it), it does not mean you should post seven times in a row. Spamming is crass, irritating, rude and illegal. It shows a level of immaturity and I, for one, would never waste my time following up with a spammer. Look at this scenario and tell me which
child you would choose to pay to mow your lawn (a) a polite child who rings your doorbell, introduces himself, tells you he's available to mow your lawn and leaves you with his name and phone number or (b) a child riding his bicycle up and down in front of your house, screaming "I'll cut your lawn for five bucks". First impressions do matter.
- Relate - don't sell. Avoid the hype at all costs! Be yourself. Let's say you're marketing a software program that will save time and money for accountants.
You could use hype: Announcing the one and only software program you will ever need. This will not only revolutionize your business, it will give you the time to enjoy life like you can't imagine! Buy it now before they're all gone. Don't be the only guy on the block doing things the prehistoric way. Come into the 21st century and get Accounting For Accountants while you still can! or you could post in a manner that others will relate to: As an accountant there never seemed to be enough time in the day to attend to all the tasks that demanded my attention. Not only that, the programs I needed were very expensive and required hefty annual renewals. Well, I've developed a program that performs the tasks that once required three programs to do. It's easy to use and doesn't require annual renewals. Best of all, it saves me time and we all know - time is money. Visit "Accounting4Accountants.com" for more information. - Watch your language. Don't be offensive. Avoid words like; hell, damn, stupid, idiot, fat... People take offence to those and many other words and by all means, don't swear. Be respectful and diplomatic in all your postings.
- Use the search engines. Search for your topic plus the words "message board". If you've developed the next best adjustable wrench since Vice Grip came on the market, you may want to search for tools+message+board, mechanic+message+board, car+message+board... Think of who would use such a tool. Put yourself in your customer's mind and use the same terminology the would use. One other thing when searching, don't forget that people often misspell when they're searching. When people are looking for an adjustable wrench, more than a handful would search for "adjustible".
Have fun and relax. Posting on a lot of boards is time consuming and sometimes a little boring. Take your time with it. A good post will bring you the customers, clients and visitors you're looking for at a cost we all love - FREE!
About the Author
The author, Dawn Roberts, is the creator of www.Ideas-For-Home-Businesses.com - your complete home business resource. IFHB will help you from the planning stage, straight through to marketing your ideas for home businesses! Learn how you can start, maintain and propel a phenomenally successful home based business!
|
|
|
|
|
Gentoo Forums :: Index |
Discussion forums for topics around the distribution, Linux applications, installation, administration, portage, frequently asked questions. |
forums.gentoo.org |
  |
Readers' Opinions - New York Times |
Books Reading Group. Readers are discussing “All Aunt Hagar’s Children,” Edward P. Jones’s new short story collection. More Books Forums ... |
www.nytimes.com |
  |
Ubuntu Forums |
This is a discussion help and support forum for Ubuntu Linux. |
ubuntuforums.org |
  |
Joomla! Community Forum - Index |
Joomla! Forum - The Joomla Community. Support, discussion and interaction with the Core Team. |
forum.joomla.org |
  |
Internet forum - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
A typical Internet forum discussion, with common elements such as emoticons, ... Like other forms of online communication, Internet forums are home to many ... |
en.wikipedia.org |
  |
Java Technology Forums |
Online discussion forums offering help for users in solving issues. Includes FAQs, and links to other Sun technical databases. |
supportforum.sun.com |
  |
Adobe - Forums |
Share questions, suggestions, and information about Adobe graphics products. |
www.adobe.com |
  |
WoW Forums -> Forum Index |
Read our Introduction to the Forums. This includes information about getting ... blizzard provides the World of Warcraft community forums for its players to ... |
forums.worldofwarcraft.com |
  |
MySQL AB :: MySQL Forums |
Forum to discuss the sample database included with MySQL ... The main discussion forum for MySQL. Please use specialized forums for specific topics. ... |
forums.mysql.com |
  |
SitePoint Forums: Resources, Design, HTML, CSS, PHP, ASP, MySQL ... |
Webmaster Forums for Design, CSS, XHTML, PHP, Ruby, JavaScript, Affiliate Marketing, ASP.NET, Promotion. |
www.sitepoint.com |
  |
Delphi Forums |
Offers free and paid forum hosting. The paid offer is ad-free. |
www.delphiforums.com |
  |
Home - MozillaZine Forums |
Search the forums for others who may be having the same issues you are. You can also browse the sticky'd posts at the top of the forum for the product ... |
forums.mozillazine.org |
  |
Web Hosting, Free Web Hosting and Web Tools from Bravenet.com. |
Maintain a direct mailing list. Message Forum Host your own online discussions. Vote Caster Perform a multi-question poll. Web Poll Perform a quick poll. ... |
www.bravenet.com |
  |
Forums | NewsTalk |
The Detroit News Online does not tolerate offensive language in its forums. The News will kill offensive posts. Participants can and will be denied access ... |
info.detnews.com |
  |
osCommerce Community Support Forums |
Official community support forums for the osCommerce project. |
forums.oscommerce.com |
  |
The GardenWeb Forums - GardenWeb |
The GardenWeb Forums comprise the largest community of gardeners on the Internet. ... If this is your first visit to the forums, you might want to visit our ... |
forums.gardenweb.com |
  |
AnandTech |
Is server configuration a pain? DSL or Cable Modem giving you fits? Get your questions answered and your topics discussed in the AnandTech Networking Forum. ... |
forums.anandtech.com |
  |
Chronicle Forums - Index |
Chronicle Forums - Index. ... Talk online about graduate-school life in our new forum. ... Forum Stats, 220919 Posts in 17109 Topics by 3306 Members. ... |
chronicle.com |
  |
Forums | drupal.org |
Try searching the forums first or a specific project's bug reports. Pre installation questions. Is Drupal a viable solution for my website? ... |
drupal.org |
  |
Dev Shed Forums - Open Source web development |
Dev Shed Forums - over 195246 members on our Dev Shed forums. |
forums.devshed.com |
  |
|