| |
| |
|
Forum Information |
|
|
|
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... For those that don't know, a forum is simply a web page which allows visitors to interact with each other by leaving messages and responding to messages made by other users. To see a superb :-) example of this, check out my own forum at: http://www.traderonlineforum.com Ok, so why might you want to put a forum on your website? 1. A forum helps to build a sense of community. People, by their very nature, like to be a part of something and if your website makes them feel like this, then they will come back time and time again and of course, the more times someone comes back, the more chance there is that they might buy something from you :-) 2. It can save you time. I get emails everyday asking for advice on many different aspects of running a business and I simply don't have time to answer them all. If I am a bit pushed for time, I often direct the sender of the email to my forum since I know that their question has either been answered before or because I know that another member may be able to help them. 3. A good forum can get your customers/subscribers to love you! Ok, maybe that is a slight exaggeration BUT if your customers are able to ask questions, get help, build relationships with other people with similar interests and even advertise their own businesses on your forum, it won't do you any harm especially if you offer all of this for free. 4. Free search engine traffic. Search engines love regularly updated websites with relevant content. If you have an active forum with a specific topic of discussion, then you may well find that your forum postings are soon appearing in the free search engine results on Google and other popular engines. 5. An excellent source of new ideas. Forums are a superb resource when you are trying to think of new ideas for products to sell or create or new services to provide. They also give members the opportunity to brainstorm their own ideas with other, like-minded individuals. I have personally obtained numerous ideas for newsletters and other articles from posts made within my forum. 6. Forums can earn you (and your fellow members) money! Forums are like any other web page in that you can advertise products that may be relevant to your visitors, such as your own products or services or those that you are affiliated with. In addition, if you wish, you can allow your members to advertise their products and services either by way of a 'signature file' at the bottom of each post they make or within a specific forum board provided for the purpose of advertising. 7. Finally, owning or participating in a forum is FUN :-) Discussing and debating the topics that are close to your heart with other people that share the same interest is fun and it is amazing how you can pick up on an individual's personality simply by the messages that they write. In the impersonal world of the Internet, forums are an excellent way to get some 'real' human contact. So how do you install a forum on your site? There are countless scripts available that you can simply install on your web hosting server and that will set up and run a forum for you. All have step by step instructions and the scripts are often available free of charge (you can usually upgrade to a more advanced version if you pay a license fee). I will detail a few useful links in a moment. However, if you are not comfortable installing scripts or would just prefer to take the easy option, then you should consider buying an 'all-in-one' hosting and forum package. As I say, there are numerous forum scripts available but here are a few of the more popular ones that you may like to consider: http://www.invisionboard.com, http://www.phpbb.com, http://awsd.com/scripts/webbbs/index.shtml, http://www.vbulletin.com. Copyright 2004 Richard Grady About The Author Richard Grady has been helping ordinary people earn online since 1998. He writes a free newsletter which is published every two weeks. To subscribe (and claim your free gifts), visit: http://www.thetraderonline.com/newsletter.html.
MORE RESOURCES:
Forums - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Chat Forums and Blogs: The Unofficial Internet Posting Rules Have you been hanging around in internet forums and/or making blog comments lately? Public posting is growing ever-popular. One thing I've noticed, is that if you use it for business purposes and you accidentally blurt the wrong thing, it can get ugly pretty quick. Intro to Health Forums Health forums are great for gathering information, resources, advice, tips and tricks, business names/information, product reviews, expert advice and much more. Many forums have experts on health subjects that are monitoring the forums 24/7 and are very quick to reply to your post(question). How to Build a Forum That Doesnt Fall Apart Two Months Later, Part 1 If you can get a big enough following from customer lists and newsletters you might want to start your own forum. But I always see people trying to start a forum and it falls flat on their face, mainly because they make it too big and they never promote it. Make Money From Forums If you have a website about a topic you enjoy, you can make money from discussion forums. Talk, post links to your site, get traffic. Business Forums Forums are a community where a group of webmasters can post a discussion on different topics, like running an online business, web promotion, marketing, web design, etc. You can post questions asking for advice and learn a great deal of knowledge from others who participate. Whats The Deal With Discussion Lists For Writers? (Part One) Are they really free? Are they actually helpful? Why do writers subscribe to these lists? Why do people start lists for writers? While there's no definite answers to any of those questions, I can share some opinions of other writers, who have participated in discussion lists, and links to websites with more information so you can make your own decision! First let's start with the basics. An email discussion list is not the same as an ezine, an email newsletter or an announcement list. Whats The Deal With Discussion Lists? (Part Three) Why Do People Start Writing Discussion Lists? Angela Gillaspie, who owns Southern Angel, says she created her list for a very simple reason. "I started the list because there were so many folks that wanted to read my writing, and I had a hard time remembering everyone's addresses. Forums: What They Are And WHY Theyre Essential For Anyone Considering Starting An Online Business Well.. 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. Five Tips to Launching a Successful Message Forum Forums a.k. 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. 5 Reasons You Should Market Online If you've got a website you'll need to let the world know about it. This is called internet marketing. Using Online Marketing Forums to Jumpstart Your Home Business One of the most wonderful things that I have discovered about the network-marketing world during the past few months are online forums. These forums offer so much to enrich both your online working life and your knowledge of this sometimes confusing, often frustrating world of home-based business, internet marketing. Forum Software 101 - Why It is Vitally Important to Choose the Best Software to Run your Forum When you go through all of the work and trouble to set up your own forum, you don't want anything to get in the way of its success.. Get Traffic & Sales Using Discussion Forums Message boards, discussion forums and newsgroups can all produce very profitable results for you and your business. Most of us already participate in one or more of these and the more you participate the bigger the benefits to you and your website will be. 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. 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 Traffic - How to Get More Members on Your Forum Getting more traffic on your forum can be hard. But don't get discouraged yet! Here are some ways that you can increase traffic, or better yet, keep the people who are already going through your forum from closing out their window. Whats The Deal With Discussion Lists for Writers? (Part Two) What Are the Advantages and/or Drawbacks of Subscribing to Discussion Lists? "I learn a lot about publishing houses, editors, etc., and we're like one big happy family," says Dotti Enderle, who belongs to several lists - the biggest being the Children's Writers List. 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.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
.jpg)