by Will Lion

Free Internet Advertising – Unwritten Rules of Internet Forums

Copyright 2005 Elaine Currie

Free Internet advertising is sought after by most Internet
marketers and one readily available source of free Internet
advertising is the Internet forum. For Internet marketing
novices, I’ll briefly explain how free Internet advertising is
obtained from Internet forums.

Basically, Internet forums are message boards where members can
exchange information, obtain advice or just chat. There are
Internet forums to cater for every topic you would care to
imagine (and a few you would probably prefer not to dwell on).
The Internet marketer advertises his product simply by posting
messages on the forums. There are some Internet forums that
forbid the posting of advertisements but, on many of these
forums, it is still possible to obtain free Internet advertising
by use of a signature file. The signature file is a short piece
of text which can contain a link to a website and which can be
annexed to every posting a member makes on a forum message
board.

If you have never tried forums as a source of free Internet
advertising, you should bear in mind that there is an unwritten
code of etiquette which need to be observed. The following are
some of the unwritten rules which need to be followed if you
intend to use forums for free Internet advertising for your
business.

Read the Forum Rules

You need to read the rules of any Internet forum before you try
to post a message there. I know this sounds obvious but it is
clear that many forum users don’t bother to read the rules,
despite the fact that the forum registration process inevitably
includes a requirement for the applicant to check a box
indicating that the forum rules have been read and will be
adhered to. Don’t just sign up with the idea of getting as much
free Internet advertising as possible from the forum. Many
forums prohibit the posting of affiliate urls anywhere apart
from in the members’ forum signature file. If you become a
member of one of these forums without reading the rules and
start posting your affiliate urls in messages, you will quickly
find yourself labelled a “spammer”. In case you didn’t know,
spammers are considered to be the lowest of the low on the
Internet. If there was a virtual prison for Internet crime,
Internet advertising spammers would have to be kept in solitary
confinement for their own protection.

Lurk Before You Leap

Internet forum etiquette demands that you spend a little time
“lurking” ie logging in at the forum and reading previous and
current threads before you even think of starting to use the
forum for free Internet advertising. Although lurking is not an
official rule of Internet forums, it is largely accepted as an
essential part of the unwritten code of behaviour. The practice
is very useful. Lurking will enable you to get the feel of how a
forum works, you will be able to ascertain the tone of the
messages, the type of subject matter which is welcomed and the
level of expertise of other forum members. You might even find
that a particular forum is not for you and this could save you
the embarrassment of posting an inappropriate message on the
forum.

Be Subtle

You know that you are visiting the forum merely for the free
Internet advertising for your website but it is better not to
make this obvious if you want other members to react well to
your advertising. Forums are rather like private clubs where
members strike up friendships and make business deals. If you
rush in waving your “FREE INTERNET ADVERTISING” placard you will
not become popular, other members will consider you to be an
abuser of their “club”. You will do much better if you quietly
introduce yourself and keep the free Internet advertising down
to a whisper in your signature file.

Remember Your Manners

How hard is it to say “thank you”? If you visit a forum and
receive valuable advice which helps you in some way, take a
moment to post a brief message of thanks to your advisor. If
someone helped you out of a spot in the bricks and mortar world
you would thank them. Remember that people who post on Internet
forums are real too and they are under no obligation to help
you. It is as easy to make a friend with a warm word as it is to
create an enemy with a harsh word and you never know when you
might meet these people again.

Help Whenever You Can

Help other people whenever you can. Even if you don’t have any
specialist knowledge, you will find occasions when you can pass
on good advice. If you received advice that took you to a
solution, post a message to say how the advice helped and what
steps you followed to sort things out, this will act as a
signpost for other people who might find themselves in similar
difficulties. Even though you joined the forum with the idea of
using it merely as a form of free Internet advertising, make
time to give something back. People will be more inclined to
take an interest in your advertising if you become known as a
helpful type. What goes around comes around and, in any event,
the reputation of being a problem-solver is a bit of free
Internet advertising in its own right.

Be Moderate

The majority of Internet forums have moderators to ensure that
members stick to the rules. The job of a forum moderator is to
keep the content of the forum appropriate. Remember, it is not
just a place where you can indulge in free Internet advertising,
so keep your messages within the forum rules. Any graffiti
posted by members will be cleaned up by the moderators so that
the forum environment is preserved for all members to enjoy. If
you wish to retain the respect of your fellow forum members,
make sure your posts never need to be cleaned up, be your own
moderator. As well as sticking to the forum rules on content,
you should also keep your messages moderate in tone. The
Chambers dictionary includes the following definitions of
“moderate”: kept within measure or bounds; not excessive or
extreme; temperate. If you avoid drama and pathos in your forum
posting and keep your messages moderate, you will not attract
“flamers” and you can quietly enjoy your free Internet
advertising.

Ration Your Reading

Internet forums can be addictive. There is a serious danger that
you might log in to a forum with the idea of posting a message
or two in order to get your daily ration of free Internet
advertising but, the next thing you know is that half an hour
has passed by while you have been engrossed in reading. There is
nothing inherently wrong with spending time reading posts made
by other forum members, it’s free entertainment and that’s fine.
The problem is that, if you are trying to run an Internet
marketing business and you lose yourself on forums for half an
hour every day, you will be wasting something like half a day
during the course of each week for the sake of posting a couple
of links back to your website. That is not an economical use of
your time. In fact, if you account for the value of your time,
you will find you are actually paying a high price for your free
Internet advertising on forums.

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Question by Satcho: Is internet advertising more effective than traditional forms to you?
internet advertising on facebook and places is targeted so you will get adverts that will interest you.

Best answer:

Answer by Mark J
I’ve learned to ignore them. I can “watch” a commercial on TV and never hear what they say (if loud, I just mute or change the channel); in magazines and newsprint, my eye detects an ad and skips it; radio advertising, I change the station (usually, I don’t even bother to turn on commercial radio because of too many ads); internet advertising is the easiest to ignore. This page has been flashing something, but I have no idea what it is trying to sell me – and I won’t even look to find out 🙂

Give your answer to this question below!