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Profiting From Discussion Forums
by Willie Crawford ©Copyright 2004

I am a big fan of networking and discussing issues in online 
discussion boards - or forums. I've frequenlty been asked if 
this is a really profitable way to spend one's time. My answer
is that, if done properly, it can be. In fact, it can be VERY 
profitable!

Done wrong, you can spend many hours chatting away 
unproductively when you could be building your business. 
Let's look at the difference.

One of the things that makes discussion forums so popular is 
that they reduce the coldness of the internet. You get to 
connect directly with another PERSON and no longer feel locked 
away behind a cold computer screen. It's forming those bonds/
those connections that makes forums and discussion boards a 
medium with such powerful potential.

If your time online is intended primarily to build your business, 
then you need to make sure that you use it most productively. 
That means you need to balance building relationships with 
generating new business. Incidentally, forming new relatinships
IS how you generate new business. That means:

- You need to join the online discussions that showcase your 
  expertise and generate leads.

- You need to join the online discussions that help to solve 
  your business problems and allow you to help others.

- You need to join the online discussions that like-minded 
  people participate in.

My specialties are "internet marketing" karate, and also 
cooking. So I frequent discussion boards/forums that focus on 
these topics. Since the audience that I wrote this article for 
is "internet marketing" let's focus on  that.

First of all, not all internet marketing discussion forums are 
equal. Some get very few visitors, spend too much time dealing 
with non-productive issues, and generally won't benefit YOU. 
Others get millions of pageviews a month, are very helpful 
communities, and have the potential to allow you to generate a 
lot of business and "connections." Only you can decide which 
forums are right for you. However, I have posted a list of my 
favorites to an autoresponder. You can get this list by sending 
a blank email to: willie3-56873@autocontactor.com

I've been using online discussion forums since 1997, so let me 
share with you a few time-tested "secrets" to getting more out 
of them. Just a few quick tips that will make your posts more 
likely to be read and responded to:

1)  As a rule, you want to post to forums that get a lot of 
traffic. Naturally that increases the odds of you making the 
right connections. The exception is that sites which aren't 
moderated and are full of spam, are generally a total waste 
of time.

2)  When posting to forums, you generally want to let people 
know who you are. If you are trying to build business 
relationships, you don't want to hide behind a cute username. 
Instead, I advise using your own name and even posting your 
photo or logo where allowed. You should be branding yourself 
and this is a great way to do it.

3)  Posting your photo or a graphic generally has been proven 
to increase response to your posts. They make you seem more 
"real" to others who read your post and that allows them to 
connect more. You allow them to feel that they know you and 
they respond.

4)  To increase the chances of your post being read, or 
responded to, it's better to post to popular or "hot" topics. 
When other visitors see that very few people have responded 
to a topic, they tend to ignore that thread. Post to threads 
that you have something useful to contribute to, but popular 
threads are better than ignored threads.

5)  When posting or responding to a topic, use keywords that 
people using the search engines would use to find that topic. 
Put those right in the subject line since the search engines do 
index many popular discussion boards.

6)  Where allowed, use a signature file or include a link to 
your site/product. This pulls double duty by helping your 
searchengine link popularity/rankings and by letting fellow 
users of the forum know how to find out more about you. Some 
seem to frown upon posting links to your site for some reason. 
Done tastefully, I see absolutely nothing wrong with it. Most of 
the users of the forums that I visit are in business after all 
to generate MORE business. You can't do that by not telling 
people how to contact you.

7)  Contribute to the community rather than just feeding off of 
it. By that, I mean, offer useful comments, suggestions, and 
feedback. Don't just post only to promote your products. Don't 
disguise the real purpose of your posts - most people can see 
right through that. If you contribute to the community and offer 
genuine value, others will notice this and be more open to make 
purchases from you. It is in accordance with the inviolate 
natural law of reciprocity!

8)  Be civil and polite. Too many people attack others and their 
products without sufficient justification. Too many people are 
much ruder on the internet than they would be in a face to face 
interaction. Rudeness and lack of civility are noticed on the 
discussion forums and those who behave this way drive away a lot 
of business without even realizing it. People who see this type 
of behavior just make mental ... often subconscious notes not to 
deal with people who behave inappropriately!

Those are just a few of my thoughts on how to use discussion 
forums profitably. I post regularly to over 20 discussion forums. 
I also help to moderate several. Being a part of these online 
communities can be very helpful to the growth of your business 
when you adhere to just a few rules. Start applying these today 
and you may be very surprised at the results.

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Willie Crawford has been teaching others how to build an on-line 
business since late 1996. Frequently featured in radio, magazine 
and newspaper articles and interviews, Willie teaches the average 
guy what the top marketers are doing but seldom talking about. 
For example, Willie demonstrates the power of automated residual 
income through his system at: http://ProfitAutomation.Com 
Test drive this system now. email: williecrawford2004@yahoo.com
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