Online internet forums have replaced the old list servers or “bulletin boards” of the past. Now, forums draw participating members from every part of the world to join in focused discussions. Forums can now be found that will deal with almost any possible subject!

Most forums focus on a particular topic – that is, they’re specialized on a particular subject or area of interest. Forum subjects range from entertainment fan clubs, sports of all kinds, automobiles, health topics, and problem support groups. Honda vehicles are a good example of how specialized forums can be. There are at least 16 different forums focused entirely on Honda vehicles! Some focus on different models, others focus on Honda accessories, while still others focus on vehicles of different ages.

It’s exactly this type of specialization that has sparked the interest of niche marketers and created “forum marketing.” In spite of strict forum rules governing the behavior of its members, many forums do allow members to include links and many also allow a signature line to have live links. Also, many forums are interested in user experiences with products and services, so one way to exploit a forum, for example, is to provide, or

have a client provide, some direct contribution to a forum – one that speaks objectively about the benefits of your product or service. Also, keep in mind that participating in forums and including your own link in your signature or profile, provides greater exposure of your web site, and may also create more link-ins to your site which can positively impact your search engine ratings.

Most forums do have rules to ensure that interaction on the forums remains constructive. These rules cover a wide range of topics such as the use of profanity, “yelling”, posting obscene materials, posting attachments, etc. Also, most forums have rules against SPAM. Never minimize,how seriously the forum participants follow the rules. Failure to follow the rules may get you booted out of the forum, and may also result in the entire forum taking a negative and indeed hostile view of any products or services you’ve discussed. Bad word of mouth advertising travels the ether much faster than good word of mouth advertising.

In all events, if you have a specialized product or service, it might be worthwhile looking into forum marketing. A good places to start your investigation would be forum directories like www.big-boards.com, www.smallbusinessforums.org, or www.activeboard.com/directory.