Forum marketing is definitely a powerful technique to increase your online business. One advantage regarding forum marketing is that often you'll receive invaluable inbound links to your site or even weblog. Another advantage is that forum users may click the hyperlink in your sig file should they be interested; actually non-members may also see your sig when the thread is found via the search engines like Google. The more forum posts you create, the greater number of backlinks you will get, and also the more popular your site gets together with your search phrases.
The following are a few fantastic forum marketing tips to increase the money making potential:
1) Browse the forum guidelines very carefully. Just about all forums include their very own specific guidelines as well as restrictions. Some activities may be appropriate in one forum, while it may break the guidelines of some other forums, even though the two forums have a similar concept.
For instance, several forums enable images or even colored text message inside your sig file, while many do not. A few forums may well enable adult language, while many do not.
2) If you cannot point out something wonderful, do not mention anything at all. I understand how tempting it can be to be able to express your thoughts and use your freedom of speech; however, if you need to be considered a fellow member of good standing and also develop decent human relationships along with other forum members, consider prior to publishing anything at all.
Occasionally, we just can't prevent annoying other people, therefore be sure you apologise when you knew you have irritated anybody. It really is commendable to confess to your errors.
3) Feature a good sig file. Several forums have got specific unique guidelines you have to watch in terms with regards to your current sig files. A few never allow affiliate links within the sig files (however a hyperlink to your site or even weblog in which you might be offering an affiliate product is okay). A few forums allow images or even coloured text message within your sig file, although some do not.
A few forums never allow you to place any kind of sig file whatsoever; in my opinion, I believe it is a total waste of time writing in these forums unless of course you are having fun, learning, or even being able to help other people. If you are uncertain, you might lurk about to determine in case other folks happen to be placing their own sig files. In the event that other people are not doing it, then there is a pretty good possibility including a sig file is probably not suitable. A few of the forum members could even think you are spamming. Therefore look at the guidelines as well as watch various other posts very carefully.
4) Adapt to the forum's environment as well as perspective. Blend in similar to a chameleon and also write how they write, hence they will really feel immediately that you are part of the forum..
5) Assist other folks by providing good suggestions according to your understanding or even experience, or perhaps through searching for the answer to their particular challenge. Using the accessibility to the web, you will find the capacity to seek out endless data that you need to understand. Through writing helpful suggestions or even guidance, you will earn their respect as well as appreciation.
6) If at all possible, become the very first to begin a thread about the many discussed or even most in-demand subject, and provide similar ideas or perhaps strategies that may "turn heads". Be sure you generate a strong eye-catching thread subject, however, not one which misleads.
7) Do not promote or even advertise anything at all. That is your sig file's task. If the members are requesting something and your site or perhaps no cost report is within line with all the topic of discussion, you could subtly point out it as being lengthy as it is useful rather than promotional in nature.
8) Display your gratitude as well as say thanks to those who have assisted you. Inside the Warriors forum, many people actually put a beer icon which allows you to deliver funds to some member. It is a good method to give back whenever an individual helps you out.
Wish most of these forum marketing tips allow you to generate big bucks on the internet. Always observe the guidelines, simply because one mistake could possibly get your membership terminated. Happy posting!
By Roderick Low
Read More..
12/12/2011
8 Tips for Starting and Maintaining a Successful Online Forum
Nothing promotes a business online better than staying in touch with prospects. The more interactive the continued contact, the more of a relationship that is built with a potential client.
This business principle of continued contact and business relationship building has given rise to the popularity of online business forums, and of course, "theme-related" online forums. Online forums quickly establish empathy, set forum owners up as "experts" in the eyes of visitors, and serve as a promotional vehicle for other products and services that forum owners seek to sell.
While online forums are popular and the perfect method of relationship building, starting a forum and maintaining one can be challenging, especially in the beginning when members can be "few" and "far between". The challenge for most new forum owners is to get beyond the initial start up phase and move onto a phase where the forum members themselves promote the forum simply by posting.
Although each forum is individual and personal, a few general guidelines should be followed or at least kept in mind when starting and maintaining an online forum. These are as follows:
1. Take care when choosing the type of forum and forum script or software that will be used. The forum should be easy to access, easy to use, and come with "visitor- friendly" features. All visitors should be made to feel welcomed and find the navigability of the forum, user friendly. Forum scripts and software, especially "free" varieties, may be overburdened with ads from the parent company and lead to a poor experience for visitors.
Some recommendations:
http://www.phpbb.com/
http://www.vbulletin.com/
2. The forum should have a good number of interesting and focused topics. The content should reflect the interests of the target audience, and every care should be made to have well-written and informative content that is updated regularly. This not only helps attract new members, it keeps older members from losing interest and defecting to other forums.
3. The forum should be Search Engine friendly. High activity forums, like popular blogs, provide a great reason for Search Engines to visit them frequently as they are brimming with fresh content all the while. Dynamic urls, session ids, etc. used by most forum software can be very detrimental to the forum health from Search Engine point of view.
When selecting a forum software, check if they are Search Engine friendly. Open source software like phpbb, have mods (modifications) developed by third party sources, to enhance the forum in many ways.
Here's a great mod for phpbb to make it Search Engine friendly: http://www.able2know.com/forums/about15132.html
4. The forum needs to have a clear list of rules, a disclaimer, and most of all, good solid moderation. Visitors will quickly become frustrated with forums that have no clear guidelines, or feature rude, obnoxious, or overbearing members. Good manners are required as much online as offline.
5. Promotion, especially in the early days, will take considerable time and effort. Forums can be difficult to start (members generally are "shy" when there are only a few present), and the more posts that take place, the more individuals will join. This is a "snowball" effect of forums, so marketing must be done consistently, day in and day out, until the forum becomes more self-sustaining.
6. The owner of the forum should take an active interest in the forum and SHOW this interest by contributing regularly. Above all else, people join forums where they feel they will learn from the owner of the forum, and if the owner is never present, they quickly lose interest in the forum.
7. The forum should be targeted, yet diverse, encouraging older members to contribute, without making newer members feel uncomfortable. Cliques can form in forums, and this type of behavior should be discouraged by the owner and moderators. Every effort should be made to answer questions or comments by all members as quickly and thoroughly as possible.
8. As with all other Internet related ventures, care needs to be given as to hosting and maintenance of the forum. A forum that is always experiencing "downtime", will lose members quickly, and a forum that has many coding mistakes will quickly frustrate visitors. As with Web sites, "cheap" providers of hosting and maintenance are not always "better".
All in all, online forums can be a great way to generate income, develop a good reputation among clients, and provide entertainment and instruction for many individuals. Like with everything else, however, they take marketing savvy, and a great deal of time and attention to detail. The old saying, "You only reap what you sow" really applies to the world of online forums.
By Vishal P. Rao Read More..
This business principle of continued contact and business relationship building has given rise to the popularity of online business forums, and of course, "theme-related" online forums. Online forums quickly establish empathy, set forum owners up as "experts" in the eyes of visitors, and serve as a promotional vehicle for other products and services that forum owners seek to sell.
While online forums are popular and the perfect method of relationship building, starting a forum and maintaining one can be challenging, especially in the beginning when members can be "few" and "far between". The challenge for most new forum owners is to get beyond the initial start up phase and move onto a phase where the forum members themselves promote the forum simply by posting.
Although each forum is individual and personal, a few general guidelines should be followed or at least kept in mind when starting and maintaining an online forum. These are as follows:
1. Take care when choosing the type of forum and forum script or software that will be used. The forum should be easy to access, easy to use, and come with "visitor- friendly" features. All visitors should be made to feel welcomed and find the navigability of the forum, user friendly. Forum scripts and software, especially "free" varieties, may be overburdened with ads from the parent company and lead to a poor experience for visitors.
Some recommendations:
http://www.phpbb.com/
http://www.vbulletin.com/
2. The forum should have a good number of interesting and focused topics. The content should reflect the interests of the target audience, and every care should be made to have well-written and informative content that is updated regularly. This not only helps attract new members, it keeps older members from losing interest and defecting to other forums.
3. The forum should be Search Engine friendly. High activity forums, like popular blogs, provide a great reason for Search Engines to visit them frequently as they are brimming with fresh content all the while. Dynamic urls, session ids, etc. used by most forum software can be very detrimental to the forum health from Search Engine point of view.
When selecting a forum software, check if they are Search Engine friendly. Open source software like phpbb, have mods (modifications) developed by third party sources, to enhance the forum in many ways.
Here's a great mod for phpbb to make it Search Engine friendly: http://www.able2know.com/forums/about15132.html
4. The forum needs to have a clear list of rules, a disclaimer, and most of all, good solid moderation. Visitors will quickly become frustrated with forums that have no clear guidelines, or feature rude, obnoxious, or overbearing members. Good manners are required as much online as offline.
5. Promotion, especially in the early days, will take considerable time and effort. Forums can be difficult to start (members generally are "shy" when there are only a few present), and the more posts that take place, the more individuals will join. This is a "snowball" effect of forums, so marketing must be done consistently, day in and day out, until the forum becomes more self-sustaining.
6. The owner of the forum should take an active interest in the forum and SHOW this interest by contributing regularly. Above all else, people join forums where they feel they will learn from the owner of the forum, and if the owner is never present, they quickly lose interest in the forum.
7. The forum should be targeted, yet diverse, encouraging older members to contribute, without making newer members feel uncomfortable. Cliques can form in forums, and this type of behavior should be discouraged by the owner and moderators. Every effort should be made to answer questions or comments by all members as quickly and thoroughly as possible.
8. As with all other Internet related ventures, care needs to be given as to hosting and maintenance of the forum. A forum that is always experiencing "downtime", will lose members quickly, and a forum that has many coding mistakes will quickly frustrate visitors. As with Web sites, "cheap" providers of hosting and maintenance are not always "better".
All in all, online forums can be a great way to generate income, develop a good reputation among clients, and provide entertainment and instruction for many individuals. Like with everything else, however, they take marketing savvy, and a great deal of time and attention to detail. The old saying, "You only reap what you sow" really applies to the world of online forums.
By Vishal P. Rao Read More..
12/11/2011
What Does a Community College Cost?
Community college costs are normally lower than four year universities. Students can take classes at community college and earn credits toward a two year or four year degree program at a lower cost.
Community colleges are local colleges that offer two year degrees, certifications and many classes will transfer later to a four year university. On average community college costs are lower than four year universities.
The national average college tuition cost for public universities is $4,694 per year for in state residents. This figure includes both tuition rates and fees for a full time student.
The average college tuition cost at private colleges and universities is around $20,000 per year in tuition and fees.
Now compare this to the average yearly tuition for a community college. The average cost of community college tuition is only $2,076 per year. This is less than half than a traditional four year public university and much less than a private college.
Attending a community college will also help offset the costs if a student decides to continue his or her education toward a bachelor's degree. Since community college costs are lower students are not likely to be accumulating student loans which will help their financial state in long term future.
Another factor to consider is that each year tuition rates rise. In fact college tuition costs increase at about twice the general inflation rate, about 8% per year. The future and long term costs are something that all college students, current and future, should consider when choosing a college.
Even though community college tuition costs and four year college costs increase, many students benefit from financial aid programs. Government grants such as the Pell grant provide funding for many college students. In fact students who attend community colleges may qualify for grants that would cover most or all of their community college tuition costs.
Scholarship programs awarded by colleges, businesses and non profit organizations are also available to help students defray the cost of community college tuition. With a combination of savings, financial aid, and scholarships many students today are able to afford college tuition costs and further their education.
By Michael Carter Read More..
Community colleges are local colleges that offer two year degrees, certifications and many classes will transfer later to a four year university. On average community college costs are lower than four year universities.
The national average college tuition cost for public universities is $4,694 per year for in state residents. This figure includes both tuition rates and fees for a full time student.
The average college tuition cost at private colleges and universities is around $20,000 per year in tuition and fees.
Now compare this to the average yearly tuition for a community college. The average cost of community college tuition is only $2,076 per year. This is less than half than a traditional four year public university and much less than a private college.
Attending a community college will also help offset the costs if a student decides to continue his or her education toward a bachelor's degree. Since community college costs are lower students are not likely to be accumulating student loans which will help their financial state in long term future.
Another factor to consider is that each year tuition rates rise. In fact college tuition costs increase at about twice the general inflation rate, about 8% per year. The future and long term costs are something that all college students, current and future, should consider when choosing a college.
Even though community college tuition costs and four year college costs increase, many students benefit from financial aid programs. Government grants such as the Pell grant provide funding for many college students. In fact students who attend community colleges may qualify for grants that would cover most or all of their community college tuition costs.
Scholarship programs awarded by colleges, businesses and non profit organizations are also available to help students defray the cost of community college tuition. With a combination of savings, financial aid, and scholarships many students today are able to afford college tuition costs and further their education.
By Michael Carter Read More..
8 Simple Steps to Maximize SEO on Google Plus
Google Plus is still in its early stages, but that does not mean it is a less effective tool for marketing. You just have to use it differently than all of your other social media marketing tools. Google Plus has not yet reached its maturity, so you must implement a unique strategy in order to get the most from it.
In order to maximize the results from your Google Plus marketing strategy, here are eight steps that will give your content the advantage in SEO. You will increase visibility of your posts, giving your social media marketing strategy the boost it needs.
#1 Set all of your posts to Public. Having more circles can create a broader interest for your friends, but by telling Google that all of your posts can be shared publicly will allow them to be indexed in the public search engine. Every time you post, select the Public option.
#2 Use a source link when adding your content to Google Plus. Google Plus has not been playing well with URL shorteners, so when possible use a link directly from the source. This helps Google more efficiently populate the content, including the name of your blog, post title, description and image. The content will also be cross-referenced with any +1 "likes" from other Google Plus users. Much like sharing URLs through other social media sites, you just copy and paste the original link to the "Share what's new" box on your homepage.
#3 Add a "+" before a person's name in order to link to their profile in a post. Anyone that you are connected to on Google Plus can be linked in the same way as on your Facebook network. A feature that some users are unaware of lets you do this by simply prefixing the name with a "+" as you write your post. This will highlight the name, letting readers view the individual's profile, if privacy settings allow it. Being able to link with others helps open conversations and engage users.
#4 Be sure to broaden your circles, add friends, engage and share. Like Facebook, the more you engage others, the longer your posts will remain visible to other users. Increasing the number of people in your circles to share with will give your content more reach.
#5 Spread the +1 button around all of your sites. The small piece of code is easy to embed on all of your web pages, blogs, e-commerce sites, etc. The easier it is for readers to click on your share buttons, the more likely it is that they will do so. Easy sharing helps extend the reach of your content through social media.
#6 Fill out your profile as completely as you feel comfortable. Over time, your Google profile will create itself depending on choices that you make. By adding other touches to it, you will grow your profile and curate it so that it fits you perfectly. Take a look at your social media profile and decide what areas you feel need more information added. The more open you are on your public profiles, the better.
#7 Consider clicking the "Email people not using Google Plus" for some of your best posts. If you are connected with people who are not on Google Plus yet, you can still share your content with them by having an email sent directly to them. This is not an option you should choose for everything, as this can cause you to become an annoyance. Instead, only choose to do this when you have written a great piece of content that you want to send out there.
#8 Take part in the Google Plus community. Similar to Klout, how much you actively participate on Google Plus can affect your relevance on the social media site. How many people you reach can help you be ranked higher.
Making the most of Google Plus takes patience and commitment. When you do it right, the rewards you reap will be worth the effort you make. Are you using Google Plus to extend your reach? What has worked best for you in social media marketing? Share with us!
Dawn Pigoni of Be Social Worldwide is a certified social marketing specialist and a social media virtual assistant. Dawn offers superb social networking, social marketing and social bookmarking to WAHMs, Small Business Owners, Internet Marketers, Affiliate Marketers, and Coaches who desire to bring stunning internet presence through social networking to their businesses. Get Dawn's free report, Social Networking today & see how she can assist you with being Social Worldwide!
By Dawn Pigoni Read More..
In order to maximize the results from your Google Plus marketing strategy, here are eight steps that will give your content the advantage in SEO. You will increase visibility of your posts, giving your social media marketing strategy the boost it needs.
#1 Set all of your posts to Public. Having more circles can create a broader interest for your friends, but by telling Google that all of your posts can be shared publicly will allow them to be indexed in the public search engine. Every time you post, select the Public option.
#2 Use a source link when adding your content to Google Plus. Google Plus has not been playing well with URL shorteners, so when possible use a link directly from the source. This helps Google more efficiently populate the content, including the name of your blog, post title, description and image. The content will also be cross-referenced with any +1 "likes" from other Google Plus users. Much like sharing URLs through other social media sites, you just copy and paste the original link to the "Share what's new" box on your homepage.
#3 Add a "+" before a person's name in order to link to their profile in a post. Anyone that you are connected to on Google Plus can be linked in the same way as on your Facebook network. A feature that some users are unaware of lets you do this by simply prefixing the name with a "+" as you write your post. This will highlight the name, letting readers view the individual's profile, if privacy settings allow it. Being able to link with others helps open conversations and engage users.
#4 Be sure to broaden your circles, add friends, engage and share. Like Facebook, the more you engage others, the longer your posts will remain visible to other users. Increasing the number of people in your circles to share with will give your content more reach.
#5 Spread the +1 button around all of your sites. The small piece of code is easy to embed on all of your web pages, blogs, e-commerce sites, etc. The easier it is for readers to click on your share buttons, the more likely it is that they will do so. Easy sharing helps extend the reach of your content through social media.
#6 Fill out your profile as completely as you feel comfortable. Over time, your Google profile will create itself depending on choices that you make. By adding other touches to it, you will grow your profile and curate it so that it fits you perfectly. Take a look at your social media profile and decide what areas you feel need more information added. The more open you are on your public profiles, the better.
#7 Consider clicking the "Email people not using Google Plus" for some of your best posts. If you are connected with people who are not on Google Plus yet, you can still share your content with them by having an email sent directly to them. This is not an option you should choose for everything, as this can cause you to become an annoyance. Instead, only choose to do this when you have written a great piece of content that you want to send out there.
#8 Take part in the Google Plus community. Similar to Klout, how much you actively participate on Google Plus can affect your relevance on the social media site. How many people you reach can help you be ranked higher.
Making the most of Google Plus takes patience and commitment. When you do it right, the rewards you reap will be worth the effort you make. Are you using Google Plus to extend your reach? What has worked best for you in social media marketing? Share with us!
Dawn Pigoni of Be Social Worldwide is a certified social marketing specialist and a social media virtual assistant. Dawn offers superb social networking, social marketing and social bookmarking to WAHMs, Small Business Owners, Internet Marketers, Affiliate Marketers, and Coaches who desire to bring stunning internet presence through social networking to their businesses. Get Dawn's free report, Social Networking today & see how she can assist you with being Social Worldwide!
By Dawn Pigoni Read More..
12/09/2011
Google+ Hangouts - How Can Brands Use Them?
Google's new social network has caused quite a stir since its release in June of this year, gaining over 50 million users in the first 3 months of its release. One of the standout features of the Google+ network is its inbuilt video conferencing function known as 'Hangouts'. With the recent release of brand pages, Google+ offers businesses a unique method of connecting with their customers and generating visibility through the hangouts function. Brands should look to incorporate hangouts in to their Google+ social media campaign to increase visibility and be amongst the early adopters of the function for maximum exposure and engagement.
Google+ hangouts are a key feature of the Google+ network, anyone can create a hangout and invite other users to join or simply open a hangout and wait for other users to join in when they find it. Hangouts are likened to a "front porch" by Google who want the experience to be relaxed and as close to meeting in person as possible.
The Google community has enthusiastically adopted Google+ hangouts and there have already been a number of high profile hangouts broadcast worldwide by users such as the Dalai Lama, The Black Eyed Peas and Stanford University professors. The hangouts 'on air' function allows the feed to be broadcast live through the Google+ network and simultaneously streamed via YouTube allowing any number of users to view the event.
Brands have access to the hangout functionality from their Google+ brand page, although they are currently limited to 10 participants until the 'on air' function becomes more widely available. There are a number of ways in which this interesting function can be utilised to engage with fans. Hangouts lend themselves to a variety of functions such as customer service, live performances, product unveilings or question and answer sessions. The first step is to decide how your brand wishes to use the function.
Google+ users have responded favourably to the idea of hangouts being used as a means of customer services as computing brand Dell found when they announced plans to offer this service once the brand pages and hangouts function are more widely available. The post received hundreds of comments from users eager to have their queries and problems resolved in a face-to-face manner through hangouts rather than over the phone.
Hangouts can be used for external promotions such as product demonstrations/testimonials, reviews, exclusive content, competitions and how-to guides and many other possibilities. Furthermore hangouts can be used internally as a means of connection and communication. An example of which is how PR agencies could use a hangout to invite a number of product bloggers to discuss a new product for review, or to talk to journalists about a possible story.
Musicians have generated huge amounts of visibility by using hangouts to stream live performances through the network and other live streaming sites. Google+ user and musician, Daria Musk has carried out some of the most viewed hangouts on the Google+ network reaching 9,000 viewers in over 100 countries.
The scope for brands using hangouts is very large indeed, users and fans are keen to interact with the brands and business that they buy from on a more personal level. Social media has already proven to be a great medium for online PR and hangouts simply extend the possibilities and connections further.
At this time I believe that Google+ hangouts are still in their early stages of development in terms of functionality and as brand pages have only recently been released there will be a great deal of experimentation to ascertain how hangouts can best benefit both brands and customers. It would be wise for brands to start thinking about ways in which hangouts could be used to boost visibility and increase their engagement for by offering something unique, which is not present in such an accessible manner on any other social network.
By Colin A Miller Read More..
Google+ hangouts are a key feature of the Google+ network, anyone can create a hangout and invite other users to join or simply open a hangout and wait for other users to join in when they find it. Hangouts are likened to a "front porch" by Google who want the experience to be relaxed and as close to meeting in person as possible.
The Google community has enthusiastically adopted Google+ hangouts and there have already been a number of high profile hangouts broadcast worldwide by users such as the Dalai Lama, The Black Eyed Peas and Stanford University professors. The hangouts 'on air' function allows the feed to be broadcast live through the Google+ network and simultaneously streamed via YouTube allowing any number of users to view the event.
Brands have access to the hangout functionality from their Google+ brand page, although they are currently limited to 10 participants until the 'on air' function becomes more widely available. There are a number of ways in which this interesting function can be utilised to engage with fans. Hangouts lend themselves to a variety of functions such as customer service, live performances, product unveilings or question and answer sessions. The first step is to decide how your brand wishes to use the function.
Google+ users have responded favourably to the idea of hangouts being used as a means of customer services as computing brand Dell found when they announced plans to offer this service once the brand pages and hangouts function are more widely available. The post received hundreds of comments from users eager to have their queries and problems resolved in a face-to-face manner through hangouts rather than over the phone.
Hangouts can be used for external promotions such as product demonstrations/testimonials, reviews, exclusive content, competitions and how-to guides and many other possibilities. Furthermore hangouts can be used internally as a means of connection and communication. An example of which is how PR agencies could use a hangout to invite a number of product bloggers to discuss a new product for review, or to talk to journalists about a possible story.
Musicians have generated huge amounts of visibility by using hangouts to stream live performances through the network and other live streaming sites. Google+ user and musician, Daria Musk has carried out some of the most viewed hangouts on the Google+ network reaching 9,000 viewers in over 100 countries.
The scope for brands using hangouts is very large indeed, users and fans are keen to interact with the brands and business that they buy from on a more personal level. Social media has already proven to be a great medium for online PR and hangouts simply extend the possibilities and connections further.
At this time I believe that Google+ hangouts are still in their early stages of development in terms of functionality and as brand pages have only recently been released there will be a great deal of experimentation to ascertain how hangouts can best benefit both brands and customers. It would be wise for brands to start thinking about ways in which hangouts could be used to boost visibility and increase their engagement for by offering something unique, which is not present in such an accessible manner on any other social network.
By Colin A Miller Read More..
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