Humane Blogging Tips Blogging tips for humans

How to Post on Forums and Increase Traffic to your Blog

Photo credit to Burning Image

Forum posting is one of the oldest techniques to increase traffic to blogs, and it is still very effective until today. It is not only about socializing with other members, but also to share valuable information and learning from others. However, there are some bloggers who find it hard to maximize its usage and think that forums are only for expert webmasters and SEO gurus. While you may already read some forum tips before, I will try to make a different approach here.

Read and follow the rules religiously

Do not be lazy to read the rules carefully, and follow them religiously. Different forums may have different rules and it is their prerogative. The best technique to avoid being suspended or banned is to visit the Search box first before starting a topic. Forums are very strict to spammers and repetitive posting. There are also forums that require a certain number of posts before you can put a signature. Be patient enough and you will benefit in the long run.

Be a convincing thread starter

Before starting a thread, think if you can convince others to reply. One of the effective ways is to provide a convincing thread title and do not just post a link to a post. Add some inviting words that would describe the links. Some forum topics may be repetitive in nature, but can be interesting to follow if you tickle the minds of the readers. If someone replies or oppose your post, you must be prepared with your defense. It will be better if you can make your threads longer.

Ask an interesting question

Ask a question that looks interesting and can invite different point of views, as well as personal experiences. But of course, you must submit it with your honest opinion and explain them in full details. In addition, you must monitor the flow of comments and reply to them. I recently ask a question at Sitepoint that goes like this - Which do you prefer, many subscribers or commenters? For only 5 days, it had almost 600 views and numerous replies, and still increasing.

Be a good Samaritan

If someone needs help very badly, provide immediate assistance and with humility. Never be self-centered and do not act as if you are the best provider of answers. Imagine that there are also other members who can provide a better answer. Moreover, be sure that your answers are correct. Otherwise, the poor guy might be misled and other members will humiliate you. There is nothing better than projecting a good image.

Do not be greed in posting

It may be obvious that the more you post, the more exposure you will have. However, being greedy in posting will annoy others as well as forum administrator. Avoid short and multiple replies that are not valuable, unless you are in the General Chat section. In short, reply only on topics that interest you just like you are doing on blogs. Anyway, you can highlight your signature and make an attractive description of your blog.

I know you are waiting for this. Here is a great list of forums courtesy of Raden of MySEOblog. You can see on his sidebar how many forums he joined and how much traffic he is benefiting from them.

On my succeeding posts, I may make a review on a particular forum where I am very much active.

If you want to receive my future posts regularly for FREE, you can subscribe in a reader or by e-mail. If you have concerns, please do not hesitate to Contact Me anytime.

Article Source: Humane Blogging Tips

7 comments:

  Anonymous

July 13, 2008 at 7:36 PM

Of all the traffic generation tips that I've been reading across the net, participating in forums, article marketing, and guest posting are those tips that I've barely tried doing. Can BlogCatalog be categorized as a forum too? If so, then perhaps, I'm already participating in forums.

  Anonymous

July 13, 2008 at 7:55 PM

Forum is one of the best places to generate traffic. However, I am just too lazy to participate in forums. But its true, if you are really serious in getting more traffic, then finding time posting in forum threads should be seriously considered. I should walk the talk myself. :-)

  Angel

July 13, 2008 at 11:11 PM

Nepspeed82 - BlogCatalog has also a forum, but the list on the latter part of my post has numerous forums to choose from.

Sitepoint as I have mentioned is better than BC since you can be more visible. I provided a link to their site.

Thanks for being among my regular commenter.


Bloggista - I was once a lazy member if these forums but when I realized it can be a big help to increase traffic, I became busy as a horse.

So I hope to see you on some forums soon. Thanks for dropping by.

  Anonymous

July 14, 2008 at 10:55 AM

Thanks for this information.

I haven't been as active on forums as I should be,but I'm trying to d better.

Your advice will guide anyone wanting to do the same.

  Anonymous

July 17, 2008 at 4:04 AM

I always learn something useful on this blog. Thanks again.

  Angel

July 17, 2008 at 6:24 AM

Linda - Now I think you should do. Thanks for dropping by.


Carol - I am glad you're learning. Thanks for the visit.

  john2k

September 13, 2008 at 9:19 AM

These are some very good suggestions. I publish the HTML Help Central forum and we have some members who appear to post for the same reason. It doesn't bother me at all as I feel it's a fair trade off to give members lots of traffic through their signature links in return for their active participation on the site. The main consideration in all of this is the quality of participation. I've had some members who felt it no problem to post "nice site" or "great idea" to a hundred different threads. They were banned with their messages deleted rather quickly. As long as the participation is not abusive and does contribute to the site, I find it to be a very fair trade off. 2000 to 3000 visitors per day need somewhere to go... I figure why not send them through some of our members signature links. Anyhow, I appreciated the post. Best, John

http://www.htmlhelpcentral.com