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Forum Information |
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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: Spring 2025 Research Forums at Kennesaw State University: Celebrating Scholarly and Creative Excellence Kennesaw State University Animated Shorts - Tales Of The Underworld - May 4th 2025 Jedi Council Forums Pittsburgh students quiz mayoral candidates on public safety, immigration at youth-led forum 90.5 WESA UW-Oshkosh names 4 chancellor finalists ahead of on-campus forum series Oshkosh Northwestern Historian Jon Meacham Says America is in ‘Moral Crisis’ at IOP Forum The Harvard Crimson E-News | Campus community encouraged to attend public forums during HLC accreditation visit West Virginia University Community Review Board Seeks New Members, Hosts Open Forum April 18 Syracuse University News Kirkwood, CA April 1-2, 2025 firsttracksonline.com Marin IJ Readers’ Forum for April 2, 2025 Marin Independent Journal 2 forums planned for Humble ISD board candidates ahead of May 3 election Community Impact | News May 2025 Election Day reminders: Last day to register to vote is Thursday Amarillo Globe-News Call for Applications: World Heritage Young Professionals Forum 2025 UNESCO World Heritage Centre The Senate analyzes the conclusions of forums to create a new legal framework for water - BNamericas Staff Editorial: Protect student forums studlife.com HLC hosts reaffirmation of accreditation student forums The Daily Athenaeum Open forums announced for finalists for College of Natural Resources and Environment dean Virginia Tech News HIMSS25 Smart Health Transformation Forum and the future of care Healthcare IT News FSE To Host School Board Candidate Forums Again To Better Inform Public Ahead Of Elections townsquaredelaware.com Forums planned this week with RIT’s 10th president Rochester Institute of Technology Amarillo League of Women Voters to present two nonpartisan candidate forums in April MyHighPlains.com Public Forums Set on District Facility Plan Fayette County Public Schools Brentwood Residents to Hear from Commission Candidates in Two Forums Williamson Scene China Science Fiction Convention Concludes with Insightful "Sci-Fi+" Forums Exploring Future Frontiers PR Newswire RISD Board Candidate Forums – Apr. 5 Richardson ISD E-News | Campus community encouraged to attend public forums during HLC accreditation visit West Virginia University Teacher diversity, achievement gaps, LGBTQ student support topics at SPS candidate forum Springfield News-Leader Protecting Minnesota Community Forums Minnesota Attorney General's Office Audi Forum Jazz: MONaco Big Band to deliver swinging debut Audi MediaCenter Capital Link in New York with two forums eKathimerini.com China’s back-to-back forums a reminder of how quickly things can change South China Morning Post BMCC president presents EO Forum on higher education East Oregonian ClackCo public input forums set for Milwaukie, Sandy Clackamas County ‘Day in and day out’: Good NAtured’s houseless forum discusses strategies over solutions Argus Leader An Ode to the Old-School Internet Forum The Ringer Planners’ Forums Washington State Department of Commerce (.gov) Open Forum, Part 1 C-SPAN What good are mayoral forums? Ask the leading candidates who haven’t been to any City & State New York MoDOT Hosts Forum on Route D and U.S. 69 Intersection Plans Excelsior Citizen UW-Oshkosh invites public to forums with finalists for chancellor post April 7-10 Oshkosh Northwestern Open Forum, Part 1 C-SPAN Forums for Strategic Roadmap for CSU 2035 set for Monday and Tuesday Colorado State University News Converting Opportunity To Wealth In Our Community At The Hungry Club Forum The Savannah Tribune My Remarks at the 2024 Obama Foundation Democracy Forum Barack Obama – Medium RISE Town Hall forums, February 25 and 26 Illinois State University News Check out 7 candidate forums for Richardson council, RISD and PISD elections Community Impact | News Sea level rise: Everything you need to know The World Economic Forum Huffman, House Democrats to Hold Forum on ‘the Escalating Attacks’ Against NOAA Redheaded Blackbelt AHS Improvement Project Public Forums Andover, MA (.gov) ORF orfonline.org Historical forum shares the stories behind Royalston’s waterfalls Athol Daily News Andrew Cuomo, NYC mayoral hopefuls participate in forum ABC7 New York Kazakhstan-Slovenia Business Forum Strengthens Ties, Boosts Cooperation in Logistics, Energy, and IT The Astana Times Quarterly Resilience Forum Florida Department of Environmental Protection (.gov) OHIO to hold open forums for dean search finalists Ohio University Assisted Living Feedback Forums Ohio Department of Aging (.gov) 33rd Annual Real Estate Forum City of Brooklyn Park Agricultural Outlook Forum USDA (.gov) OHIO to host practice open forums for students, faculty and staff in advance of Reaffirmation of Accreditation visit by HLC Ohio University Open forums set for Health Professions dean finalists Central Michigan University Ohio Department of Aging to Host Statewide Series of Assisted Living Feedback Forums Ohio Department of Aging (.gov) Government transition effort seeking input through forums, online survey The City of Covington, KY (.gov) Anita Anand | Has social media ‘normalised’ hate, abuse, aggression in public forums? Deccan Chronicle The Richmond IT Directors' Forum TechMarketView Emerging Leaders in Health and Medicine National Academy of Medicine Announcing the 2025 Skoll World Forum Featured Speakers Skoll Foundation President Tarhule hosts open forums for the campus community to discuss RISE Illinois State University News Next Week: Budget Engagement Forums Executive Office of the Mayor (.gov) |
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