tely cause offence. Remember also that others may not share your sense of humour so save the witty remarks for your family. If you are seen to be patient and constructive, other contributors will take more notice of your One of the most positive benefits of the internet is the scope it offers to communicate at no cost with anyone who shares your interests and views, wherever they live in the world. Online forum sites provide a channel for this interchange, and there are many thousands of sites, most of which are free to join. They cater for myriad niche interest groups, allowing the enthusiast to find answers to questions or exchange ideas. This offers a good opportunity for webmasters to promote their website as a spinoff to their participation in the forum, and as a result Forums can generate significant quality traffic to the website.

There are six elements to successful Forum use for webmasters:

1. Be helpful and informative in the forum, even if you disagree with the someone’s point of view. Always preview your contribution before posting it, and delete anything that could remotely cause offence. Remember also that others may not share your sense of humour so save the witty remarks for your family. If you are seen to be patient and constructive, other contributors will take more notice of your p

his interchange, and there are many thousands of sites, most of which are free to join. They cater for myriad niche interest groups, allowing the enthusiast to find answers to questions or exchange ideas. This offers a good opportunity for webmasters to promote their website as a spinoff to their participation in the forum, and as a result Forums can generate significant quality traffic to the website.

There are six elements to successful Forum use for webmasters:

1. Be helpful and informative in the forum, even if you disagree with the someone’s point of view. Always preview your contribution before posting it, and delete anything that could remotely cause offence. Remember also that others may not share your sense of humour so save the witty remarks for your family. If you are seen to be patient and constructive, other contributors will take more notice of your

od opportunity for webmasters to promote their website as a spinoff to their participation in the forum, and as a result Forums can generate significant quality traffic to the website.

There are six elements to successful Forum use for webmasters:

1. Be helpful and informative in the forum, even if you disagree with the someone’s point of view. Always preview your contribution before posting it, and delete anything that could remotely cause offence. Remember also that others may not share your sense of humour so save the witty remarks for your family. If you are seen to be patient and constructive, other contributors will take more notice of your

ful Forum use for webmasters:

1. Be helpful and informative in the forum, even if you disagree with the someone’s point of view. Always preview your contribution before posting it, and delete anything that could remotely cause offence. Remember also that others may not share your sense of humour so save the witty remarks for your family. If you are seen to be patient and constructive, other contributors will take more notice of your

tely cause offence. Remember also that others may not share your sense of humour so save the witty remarks for your family. If you are seen to be patient and constructive, other contributors will take more notice of your posts.

2. You need to be available – if you are serious about being a presence in a forum, aim to visit regularly. Be sure to subscribe to the threads you are involved in, to save you time when you return.

3. Give a considered, helpful response: others will answer the same question, but a well-written and supportive contribution marks you out as a trusted authority. The questioner is more likely to praise you and pass on your links as a result.

4. Active contributors get noticed. By being available and giving helpful answers you show you are reliable and well informed. Make your answers as brief as possible and they are more likely to be quoted.

5. Use your Signature Box to good effect, to show your status on the web and direct visitors to your targeted web pages. Your email address and website link will drive interested visitors to your sites. And chec