Using Message Boards Properly

We all have our own reasons for joining message boards. Maybe its to meet some friends, or find some ideas for your business. Maybe you just needed a place to announce your party. Whatever the reason, are you using them properly?

There are several purposes of a message board:

1. Meet new people/network ~ This does not mean finding people to advertise to. Networking means just meeting people. A person you meet can do several different things:

- Become a customer

- Introduce you to another customer

- Open up other networking opportunities

- Become a partner

- Become a friend

2. Share Idea/Get Opinions ~ Key word here being SHARE. Asking for ideas and opinions is good, but giving them is more important. Be sure you are giving back to the community.

3. Announce Specials and Events ~ This should be done only in appropriate categories and only if you are active in the community.

Some "don'ts" of message boards:

- Don't spam the board by posting your ads in inappropriate categories or threads. For example, in a category called "Parenting Advice", don't post your special on toys.

- Don't just post when someone is looking for a business. Get involved with the community and help people as much as you can without promoting your business to them.

- Don't rely on everyone else to start posts, start some yourself. If everyone else waited for someone else to post, no one would be posting. Share and experience with a party, or about an interesting article you read. Just get the conversation going!

- Don't join just to promote your business. If you join expecting your sales to explode, think again. Remember you are here for support, to share ideas, and make some friends. Sales will come eventually, and will probably not be directly.

There are all kinds of message boards, so be sure to follow the rules on each. A few of my favorite boards are:

Mommy's Helper Community: http://www.mommyshelperonline.com/phpBB2/index.php

WAHM.com: http://www.wahm.com

Self Starters Weekly: http://www.selfstartersweeklytips.com/forum/

Most importantly - Have Fun!

About the author: Kara Kelso is a work at home mom of two, and the co-owner of Direct Sales Helpers, which is dedicated to helping mothers succeed in direct sales. For more information, visit: http://www.DirectSalesHelpers.com

More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Forums Information:

Related Articles

Internet Forums - Six Ways To Avoid Disaster
Internet Forums are highly popular, they cater for all tastes and deal with every topic imaginable. People visit Internet forums for a variety of reasons, the most common being the search for information or entertainment.
Forums - Why You Might Want One And How To Get One...
Several people have asked me about setting up a forum on their website recently, so I thought it might be helpful to cover this topic for the benefit of all my readers.But before I explain how to set up a forum, let me cover some of the reasons as to why you might want a forum in the first place.
Forum - A Free Way to Get Traffic
Forum is a gathering of people normally have a common interest on certain topic like investing, health etc.People in forum can share ideas, ask questions, socializeget help and give advice.
Reward Your Forum Moderators
If you are a forum administrator and you have moderators on your site who are doing a stellar job, consider rewarding them for their assistance. No, I am not necessarily talking about financial compensation, but other recognizable forms of showing your gratefulness.
5 Reasons Why Participating in Forums can Benefit Your Business
Did you know that by simply participating in various forums and posting your various views and ideas, can potentially bring new growth and life to your online business?Let's look at some of the positive aspects that forum participation can bring to your business.1.
How To Maximize Your Profits With Forums
Forums are one of the most effective free internet marketing strategies if done correctly. Many people participate in online forums for different reasons.
Milton Keynes - A City For The Future?
The two main features of Milton Keynes which distinguish it from older towns are:1)The town was built with motor vehicles in mind and so has a structured road network.2)A significant amount of land was set aside for green space, from the extensive network of park land to the sizeable margins planted with trees and shrubs by the side of the road system.
Five Tips to Launching a Successful Message Forum
Forums a.k.
The Demise of EZBoard
For years, EZBoard was a community that offered relatively cheap and easy to maintain forums for managers. Virtually anyone could register, design, and layout a site and invite their friends to participate.
3 Reasons Why PHP Message Boards Rock
If you are web designer, chances are you include forums on at least some of the sites you manage. If you haven't explored PHPBB2 you are missing out as this type of message board offers to designers a forum that is well supported, easy to manage, and above all else: free! Let's see why PHPBB2 is a hit with so many web designers.
Forum Signatures to Build Back Links - Helping Your Search Rankings
Building Backlinks! There are several ways to build backlinks. We have discussed Directory Submissions, Article Submission, & Press Releases.
Dont Over Accesorize Your Forums; Give it Community Content
Have you been to those forums where when it opens up you are blasted off your seat by the stunning colors? Sure you have. We all have.
Should You Add A Forum To Your Site?
I was recently reading a message board thread on a popular SEO site and the question came up whether this particular person should add a forum to his site. I appreciated the honest answers from those who replied and I mulled over several points myself that I thought would be beneficial.
Join A Songwriting Forum - Its A Good Idea!
If you are a songwriter looking to get "plugged-in" to where the action is, consider joining a songwriting forum. This is a great way to meet other songwriters, share your ideas, promote your songs and/or lyrics, find resources and much more! As the Good Book says:"iron sharpens iron," which simply means that we grow and learn from the exchange of new ideas with others.
Some Quick Tips to Easily Improve the Success of Your Forum!
It is difficult to define a 'successful forum'. However, all forums deal with information and so the amount of information that is transferred across a forum is an indication of its success.
11 Ways To Increase Forums Activities
Getting people to post in your forum is probably the hardest thing to do. First, not all of your readers will post messages.
Forums: How DO You Get People to Post!?
Running a web forum is no easy task. If you own one, you know how labor-intensive it is.
Forums: What They Are And WHY Theyre Essential For Anyone Considering Starting An Online Business
Well..
The Importance of Forum Participation in Promoting an Internet Business
Many internet business owners are really lost when doing anything with regards to their Internet business and this is sometimes because people try to do it alone without any external help. Contrary to the notion that the internet is an unfriendly place, many online marketing forums and internet business forums are filled with very nice people that help each other out.
Why You Should Use (Not Abuse) Forums to Increase Your Traffic
There are dozens of reasons why you should look up the forums that are related to your market and post to them often. Here are 3 to get you started.