Message Board Basics 101
By Ron Kimball
Where can you go to exchange and share ideas? Is there
someplace where you can ask for advice or just ask questions
concerning home based businesses? You bet!
Message boards, AKA, discussion forums.
A message board is a place on the web that allows for
reader participation and interaction. Here, you can
ask questions and become part of what is known as a
"thread."
A "thread" is just an ongoing set of comments, discussions,
and questions that starts off with one member's post.
A "post" is simply someone's comment or question that
is "posted," or sent to the board. So, essentially a
message board is similar to a "bulletin board in cyber
space."
There are certain guidelines of etiquette on most forums.
They are usually posted at the beginning of the site.
Here are some general guidelines:
(1) Watch your language! ~Common sense, really. Don't
swear! Be courteous! Otherwise, your message could be
deleted.
(2) Advertising ~Read the rules of any board that you
participate on. If they allow ads, go for it! That's
why they exist! But... If they don't allow ads, and
you post one, chances are your post will be deleted
and, you could get kicked off the board. Note: ~Most
forums will allow you to include your site URL and/or
a signature file. You might even get to include a text
"link caption" to spark curiosity.
(3) Recruiting ~Most boards don't allow recruiting.
It's pretty much akin to advertising. There are 2 types
of discussion boards--moderated and unmoderated. Moderated
boards usually have someone who reads each new message
before it's posted. Then a decision is made about it's
contents, if it meets board regulations, or if it's
just an ad. If it's decided that it is an ad, then chances
are it will get deleted.
Some moderators will even send some type of "tsk,tsk"
message to the poster. You might get an even nastier
email from members of the board. Deleting an ad simply
saves the other board participants from having to waste
time looking at it.
Conversely, unmoderated boards exist for advertising
purposes. If you don't mind all of the posting, this
could be the place for you. What you'll find could be
a place for you to test ads. But understand that you
will probably not get too much attention. It seems that
marketers who use these forums won't necessarily be
reading your ad. They are there to post their ads. Here
are just a scant few message or discussion boards that
you can visit: http://www.mlmwoman.com/wwwboard/
http://www.talkbiz.com/cgi-bin/mlm.cgi http://www.freemoneyservices.com/forums/UltraBoard.cgi
http://www.mlmforums.com/cgi-bin/Ultimate.cgi?action=intro
http://www.mlm.com click on "Forum"
http://start-smartz.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi
"Kiki's Cafe" As a reminder:
You may want to do some business with some of the people
on these boards someday so follow those guidelines.
Don't forget that THEY might want to do business with
you, too. Usually, the people who post on these forums
are friendly and willing to lend a hand, in regard to
sharing advice or information.
For example, if you are an ezine publisher and would
like to find out how to sell or buy an ezine, go to
your favorite board, post the question, and check in
a couple times a day for a few days and see if there
are any responses. Don't be surprised when you log into
your email box one day and find a response or two to
a post you might have made the night before. It happens!
Message boards, discussion forums, whatever you choose
to call them can be a great source of exposure for you
and your business. They can also be valuable in building
camaraderie and relationships. Not to mention, they
are an excellent resource for obtaining up to date information,
tips and insight. Inject your own personality into your
posts. Above all, go with the flow and just have a good
time.
About the author:
Ron Kimball is the editor of "LeaderZKorner," a weekly
electronic publication that is geared towards home based
business owners. For a FREE subscription, go to: http://www.lzkorner.com
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