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Oct 18 2008

Traffic Building Etiquette - Message Boards

Published by michaelnolan at 5:00 am under Traffic Tips Edit This

I have seen a common mistake among new bloggers looking for ways to increase the traffic to their web sites and it has to do with message boards.  I want to help you avoid that mistake because it can backfire on you.

The common rule of etiquette for message boards dictates that you are there to interact with people who share a common interest.  For that reason, you should avoid at all costs using any message board or forum as your own personal platform.  What I mean is that if you hit a new message forum and immediately start talking about your web site, you aren’t going to be taken seriously.

At some message forums in fact, the regulars will go so far as to subject you and your web site to a spam attack as a result of your lack of respect for their message boards.

Lesson:  Quit looking for the quick fix.  Traffic you can get with one or two clicks is worth less than traffic that comes from people who really want to read what you’ve written on a topic.

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8 Responses to “Traffic Building Etiquette - Message Boards”

  1. # jodapoeton 19 Oct 2008 at 5:02 pm edit this

    Thanks for the tips. Is that also true for leaving your blog url when leaving a comment or participating in a forum?

  2. # michaelnolanon 19 Oct 2008 at 5:17 pm edit this

    A forum and a message board are the same thing, just different terms for the same animal.

  3. # jodapoeton 19 Oct 2008 at 8:02 pm edit this

    Thanks, I know that. What I’m asking is if using the url’s to your blogs as part of your response on forums and message boards is okay?

  4. # michaelnolanon 19 Oct 2008 at 8:04 pm edit this

    Yes, so long as they are in context and don’t come across as you trying to push your web site on people who aren’t interested.

  5. # jodapoeton 19 Oct 2008 at 11:04 pm edit this

    Thanks so much for the help.

  6. # veingloryon 20 Oct 2008 at 11:18 am edit this

    It is best to use the sig line, and post proper messages rather than spam. If you are on a forum it certainly can help if you do this.

  7. # jodapoeton 20 Oct 2008 at 8:24 pm edit this

    Thanks to you both for your help.

  8. # gamingtipson 25 Nov 2008 at 3:24 am edit this

    I’m a big fan of not leaving comments or posting messages that only include a plug for your own sites. Not only is it etiquette, it’s also about being effective. People aren’t going to click a link just because it’s there. They’re going to click on it because either a) they know it’s on a topic they’re interested in, or b) you’ve showed them that you are an interesting and good writer.

    That’s why I always make a post or a comment, and then leave a little note (or a signature) with my blogs at the end. Speaking of which, Michael, I’m about to add both of your blogs to both of my blogrolls. Feel free to check out and/or link my blogs if you feel so inclined.

    http://thezspot.today.com
    http://gamingtips.today.com

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