“Communication--the human connection--is the key to personal and career success.” - Paul J. Meyer

It doesn’t take long to discover the incredible diversity in online forums. Some forums are saturated in Google Adsense and other advertising banners. Some are virtually ad-free.

Many private forums are visited because they are very welcoming and you gain a positive sense of community when you visit. Another style of forum that is routinely visited is ones that seem to follow the model of several well-known radio talk show hosts – they are abrasive and somewhat offensive. However, it is this very trait that seems to bring are certain type of visitors back time after time.

For a business website it is important to foster a sense of community. Some of that sense comes by laying the framework of forum netiquette. You can further accentuate the positive by providing categories that result in an understanding that the forum was created for something more than an online playground.

The Look

Determining the overall look of the forum is important because the use of certain colors and patterns are more inviting to visitors than others. The overall layout of the forum may be out of your control, but there may be ways to customize the forum or even allow your visitor to choose a forum skin that best suits their individual tastes.

Category Design

By conducting a bit of research ahead of time you may find certain broad topics may work well for your forum.

Some possibilities include…

1) Welcome
2) News
3) Press Release
4) New Products
5) General Discussion
6) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
7) Introductions
8) Tips
9) Suggestions

The primary purpose of your forum is to provide a common ground for your customers to learn and share their knowledge and experience regarding your products and services.

Purpose Driven Discussion

By keeping your focus narrow you will find the job of managing the forum much easier. It’s possible your categories will expand as your forum grows, but keep categories and their explanations simple.

Examples

Welcome – Check in here first to find out how to use this forum and where to find what you need.

News – The latest news that affects the industry.

Press Releases – Information directly from our company about products and services we offer.