Archive for the 'Forums' Category
How are you defining a child? Some may consider a child to be anyone under the age of 18, others may say anyone under the age of 21. It is very difficult to come to a number that will be accepted by all. When dealing with these numbers you also have to ask yourself some questions. Is it really wrong for someone who is 18 to be communicating with someone who is 16 or 17?
You also need to make a judgement based on the subject of your community. If it is based around adult activities such as gambling, then of course you should be limiting your membership to those who are legally old enough to gamble. Do not forget that children are more vulnerable than adults, and you need to keep this in mind.
If a community is about a less age specific subject such as video games, then surely it would not be appropriate to ban younger members from joining?
If most of your current members are adults, you should think carefully about whether that environment is the best place for children to be. Regardless of your community guidelines or rules, your adult members may share content or discuss issues of an adult nature from time to time. Not only is this a moral issue, but it could cause you headaches of a bad situation was picked up by the press or if a concerned parent decided to pursue legal action against you.
All online communities should incorporate safety features. If you plan on allowing children to join your online community, you need to ensure that you have ways that members can block other members from communicating with them, and that you have a clear complaint and escalation policy. The fewer safety features your community has, and the fewer moderators there are, the less appropriate it is for you to allow children to join.
It can be difficult to change your age policy once your community has been established. Members of online communities do not like change, and furthermore you risk alienating those members who are not even affected by any policy change. You will be removing members who may have previously added value and had a strong social standing in the community. You need to be very careful about this.
Even if you only allow adults to join your online community, you should still have clear rules and guidelines. Just because members are adults, it does not mean you want to allow them to discuss anything and everything. Certain topics should always be off-limits. Remember, it does not take much for someone to lie about their age. Even if they don’t, do you really want them to see abuse or discussions of an offensive or illegal nature?
If you are still unsure about whether or not to allow children to join your online community, put yourself in the shoes of a parent. Would you want your child to register at your online community and get involved and share information about themselves? If not, then you should probably change something such as your guidelines, enforcement or age policy. If you would be happy with your son or daughter joining, how old would you want them to be before getting involved? Now you can figure out your lower age limit.
Just be honest, step away from the community and think carefully. You know your community better than anyone and should be able to determine whether it is an appropriate environment for children to get involved in.
Martin Reed is passionate about online communities. He is the owner and manager of Just Chat, and offers free community building advice at his blog, Community Spark.
[tags]community building, online communities, forum management, community management[/tags]
2434Cloud is a form of computing technology that is used for video games. Onlive is a games on demand service that specializes in those games that use Cloud technology.
This technology allows you to play any of the games associated with it on television or on your computer. Players no longer have to spend money every time they need a new gaming card for their games console as this technology means that people can play these games without having to use an expensive games console.
Cloud gaming has a large following and there are forums and news sites that are dedicated to this technology and provide players with the latest information on new games. Players can now play games like the popular Crysis on both low definition and high end televisions and computers. With Cloud technology the games are located on a large external server.
The server then sends out sounds and clips of the latest games over the internet so that those people who want to play the games can pick them up. Because the games are processed at lightening speed over the internet you can be playing a game that may only just have been advertised a couple of minutes previously.
Lovers of Cloud technology use the gaming forums to talk about the latest games and the best techniques for playing them. Players can access the latest games once they have activated the browser plug-in and downloaded the free software which is a lot less than you would pay for any of the games consoles on sale..
Players can access the service over the internet using only their Broadband connection, which means that this technology has actually revolutionized the way computer games are played. You don’t have to purchase the game immediately because you can access a demo of most of the games, which means that players only actually buy the games that they are really interested in. When you play games this way it means that you can interact with other players in real time.
Cloud technology harnesses the power of the internet for gaming; because this technology is so powerful games are far less likely to crash than they are when you use an expensive games console.
Games consoles can be restrictive when it comes to the kind of games that you can access, Cloud technology has brought an end to that because the technology supports all kinds of computer and video games. As more people play games over the internet instead of on a games console there is now a rapidly growing online games community.
The interface of this technology is easy to navigate, from the welcome screen to the games arena and chat rooms, people find the technology extremely easy to use. Once you turn on the interface you will see where you last played, which makes it easier to continue the game. You can run Cloud technology on a Mac or on a PC with Windows XP or Vista technology.
You will also need a Broadband connection in order to play the games, which work with virtually any speed of processor. The annual fee is not only less than what you would pay for a games console, you get a free demo of any game and if you still don’t want to purchase the game, you might find it easier on your budget to rent the games that you are interested in.
Do you really want to get connected to the cloud gaming world, then you need to check us out at the OnLive Forums gaming center.
[tags]onlive, onlive news, onlive forums, onlive information, onlive game service on live gaming, on live[/tags]
Forums can be very lucrative and effective in your building your credibility and masterminding with like minded individuals.
However, saying the wrong thing can sometimes leave your credibility runined indefinitely. We’ll take a look at a few key mistakes in this argue that you want to avoid while branding yourself on a forum.
Whether you have made these mistakes or seen them, they are amazingly abundant in forums. They are ridiculously stupid mistakes that are ridiculously easy not to do.
If you want forum advertising to be effective in your marketing arsenal and position yourself as an expert, you must avoid making these 3 credibility killing mistakes:
Forum Advertising Credibility Killer #1: Adding Meaningless Posts
This is HUGE! Why would someone create meaningless posts on a forum? Some think if they can get their post count big enough more people will check out their website. This is wrong, annonying, amateurish in nature and you will seem more like a spammer or lamer while someone with 10 quality posts will get the traffic instead.
It’s not about quantity it is about quality and adding value to the community. So a “Hey that was a great post” is not enough. Try pointing out what you liked or if you agree why you do and either way add valid points and more value on to the topic.
You want to always add value to the post. Always. No exceptions.
Forum Advertising Credibility Killer #2: Arguing/Fighting
This tactic is NEVER going to boost your credibility; rather it is going to make you look immature. It’s one thing to voice your valid points, it’s another to argue.
Remember, your entitled to your opinion and so is everyone else. If someone lies or tries to attack you make your case professionally and leave it at that, do not get caught up in a back and forth war. Being professional will gain you more credibility and waste less of your time.
Remember this: Two fools arguing is two fools arguing.
Forum Advertising Credibility Killer #3: Self-Promotion Threads
Remember #1, add value. If you have a topic that is not already covered in the threads than by all means create one on that topic and add value. If your intent is merely for self-promotion it will show and there goes your credibility out the window. And should you decide to post a self-promotion, get ready for an onslaught of criticism.
Some say it’s best to become an active forum member before starting your own threads regardless of your intent. You will get a much warmer response when your name has been seen around the forum as a value adding member.
At the end of the day, don’t fight, don’t post something meaningless just to post it and definitely do not create a thread to promote yourself or your business. That’s not what a forum is for!
Forest Marie is a dynamic Internet Marketer, a Wealth Masters Master Consultant and a top income earner in CarbonCopyPRO. To join Forest’s team, visit CarbonCopyPRO and submit an application.
Originally published: Forum Advertising Mistakes
[tags]forum advertising, forum advertising mistakes, forum advertising tips[/tags]
1f43Believe it or not, some matters in life really are free! As of late I was looking online for a couple of web sites that offer free forums, and these websites really are few and far in between. For whatever reason no one is really into offering free forums or free hosting, I guess a lot of people are money hungry and think “hey if I’m not getting something out of the deal, then neither are you.” However, there are individuals that don’t think like this and will help you get something like this.
Really, this is a good idea if your short on money but desperately need a meeting place for whatever reason. Another nice thing about these forums is that they offer phpBB encrypting! phpBB is one of the most favorite kinds of bundle written for forums with PHP scripting languages. phpBB is an abbreviation on PHP bulletin Board, obtainable under the GNU General Public License, phpBB is free software. Forum software packages are also widely obtainable on the Internet and are written in a assortment of computer programming languages, such as PHP, Perl, Java and ASP.
The conformation and records of posts can be stacked away in text files or in a database. Every software program provides unique features, from the most standard, supplying text-only postings, to more advanced bundles, offering multimedia support and data formatting code (usually known as BBCode). Numerous packages can be incorporated easily into an existent website to allow visitors to post commentaries on articles, one of these packages is the phpBB package and this is why this kind of programming is one of the most popular options when developing a forum; quick, easy, uncomplicated.
These forums aren’t junky just because they are free! Nope. Every forum will be created automatically, and you just need to confirm your confirmation mail, and it’s up. It will only take a 2 minutes! Plus as said above they will utilize the very popular phpBB 3 board to achieve the highest security and flexibility. You can choose from more than 200 templates to customize your own forum. I like this options because I love to customize sites and make them “mine.”
I could never stand joining any forum or any website that wouldn’t let me choose the colors I wanted! So, these forums are free, they offer the best software, they let you customize, and they answer all of your questions about forums? I love it! I wish everything in life was this easy! Check these sites out the next time you are looking for a new forum to build, you really can’t beat the price or the options, unless you know something less expensive than free!
This author is a HUGE fan of Freeforumtoday.com
[tags]Free forum, forum hosting, phpbb forum, Free messageboard, message[/tags]
I like to appreciate the finer things in life, especially food which is one of the main reasons I became a Chef in the first place. Well that and because my mom cooks and she is the most awesome Chef over and I was trying to make her proud! A few years back I decided to get a few foodie sites going, this was really fun and easy for me, mainly because I know a lot of different things about food that the regular (normal) person wouldn’t you and I like sharing in my knowledge and my recipes. The only problem with websites such as wordpress is I don’t find a lot of interaction or communal conversing going on. I thought it would be a little different than this. I mean, I get comments and can reply to them but it’s just not the same interpersonal process I thought I would be.
Well, recently I decided to try something new out; a forum. Forums are really awesome because you can customize them, add your own categories and subcategories, domain names, information, etc. And you can also communicate with people directly on the website through threads, comments/posts and private messaging if available. I tried getting my first one going but found it to be a little too complicated for me, and frankly I didn’t want to waste hiring a designer just so he could overcharge me for a small job like a forum. Hey I’m not saying designing is easy, but designing for a designer is. So instead I started searching online for free phpBB forums, and you would be surprised what I found! Ready?
You can actually “hire” someone to develop a forum for you for free! Yep, you heard me right! I said FREE! Every Last forum will be produced automatically, and you just need to affirm your verification e-mail, and it’s up. It will only take a 2 minutes! Plus as said above they will utilize the very popular phpBB 3 board to attain the highest security measures and flexibility. You can select from more than 200 templates to custom-make your own forum. I like this option because I love to customize sites and make them “mine.”
This is awesome! Not only did I get my forum for free but, they also offered free hosting! So now I have a rockin’ forum that looks like I paid a lot of money for it but doesn’t weigh down on my bank account or my conscience. These forums really are awesome not only because they are free or customizable or even because they are phpBB styling, but because they are yours 100%. Now you can do whatever you want, however you want, wherever you want.
Post threads on piccata, post articles with photos on your favorite pasta dishes, invite people, share your enthusiasm and get people excited! This will become a major hub for you and your friends and for your friends to be! Bon Appetit!
This author is a HUGE fan of Freeforumtoday.com
[tags]Free forum, forum hosting, phpbb forum, Free messageboard, message[/tags]
People build forums for all sorts of reasons such as sports, gaming, electronics, art, celebrities, outdoors, travel, cooking, etc. These sites are plentiful because there are so many different types of people online, from age, creed, sex, nationality and interests. Why is this important? Well if you build a forum for business reasons I would assume your doing it to reach people and not just for your own reasons. Forums allow you to not only communicate with other people on a personal level but to also help people.
By definition a forum or a message board is a website for communication between members to talk about various things that interest them. Forums usually consist of group contributors who must register within the forum before any initial conversing goes on, the members use topics known as threads to communicate with each other using items called posts.
These sites will also have something else called PMs or private messages. If I would make a forum it would probably be to get my service out there, but another great thing for you to do would be to make categories or “sections” so that other people could post information about their businesses as well such as. Sections include affiliate programs, businesses, corporations, products, and services. This not only allows you to be a little selfish in promoting your site, but people will also flock to it because they will be allowed to post threads about their businesses and in turn allow them to market or promote as well. A forum is made for people to converse, share ideas, thoughts, feeling, and such.
You could make a classified section, business, advertising, affiliates, services/marketplace, “off topic”, money making ideas, etc. The point of the forum is to obviously converse with people but to also make them feel at home, and make them feel like its just as much their forum, as it is yours, even if you are the owner.
As of right now there are over 1 million business forums online and every single day more and more people are making new ones. If your going to get a forum going, I suggest trying phpBB forums; phpBB is one of the most popular forms of package written for forums with PHP scripting languages. phpBB is an abbreviation on PHP bulletin Board, available under the GNU General Public License, phpBB is free software.
Forum software packages are also widely obtainable on the Internet and are written in a variety of computer programming languages, such as PHP, Perl, Java and ASP. The conformation and records of posts can be stacked away in text files or in a database.
Every software program provides unique features, from the most standard, supplying text-only postings, to more advanced bundles, offering multimedia support and data formatting code (usually known as BBCode). Numerous packages can be incorporated easily into an existent website to allow visitors to post commentaries on articles, one of these packages is the phpBB package and this is why this kind of programming is one of the most popular options when developing a forum of any kind.
Well rounded, unique, safe, creative, idea consuming forums, are the forums that people love the most. Put some passion, a dash of love, and a lot of thought into these forums and you could just as well have an amazing concept that everyone will want a piece of!
This author is a HUGE fan of Freeforumtoday.com
[tags]Free forum, forum hosting, phpbb forum, Free messageboard, message board[/tags]
For those of us with businesses and websites online, we know that marketing and promotion is one of if not THE most essential attribute possible. After all, no promotion means no visitors and no visitors mean no sales! When most of us start out, we don’t even realize the amount of ways to market online, but after several passes and fails, and tons of reading and research, most of us figure out what makes people tick, what gets them interested, and how to get their attention!
Of course there are all kinds of ways to market your business or your website online, but honestly I prefer the forums. Not only is it easy, but it’s quick and you can make some really great friends and some really great business contacts in the process of all of this.
This really is something you should check out if your starting out or if you haven’t ever tried this technique before! Now if you join a forum and it’s not your own, you will want to try to follow the rules as best as you can, obviously if you don’t then you have a chance of getting in trouble, and that completely defeats the purpose of this process! In my opinion, sig links aren’t enough; forums will allow you to place anchor text and links in your signature which can be seen on any post you make, as well as on your profile.
However, what I do find the be helpful, is to find forums that have marketplaces or service sections. These sections will both allow you to place a thread about your business and in most cases will also allow you to provide your service (if you have one to give) to the members of the board. I’ll be honest, at least 90% of all my sales come from three forums in particular and they have done me well!
It’s important to be “polite” on forums because first off it’s not yours, second off you are in the unknown and really your nothing more than a n00b. People often take offense when a newbie comes storming on to a board and thinks they are exempt of all the rules and regulations. This is a good way to get yourself in trouble quickly, so just don’t do it!
When making your thread be sure to include as much info as you can, but don’t overdo it. I know people are usually cut half and half. 50% of the people don’t mind reading posts that go on and on and on. And the other 50% (like me) hate threads that go on and on and on. Be specific but don’t run on. Don’t use “uhms” and “uhhs”. Be professional, be precise, and be informative! The best thing you can do is tell a little bit about yourself first off, then tell them why you are on the forum promoting your site or service.
The second best thing you can do is to make sure you provide some sort of proof that you’re not just some joker off the Internet highway looking to make a quick buck!
Make sure you have a website (as always) to show these people or any other people for that matter. Having a website is like pulling up in a Ferrari and having all the right pieces. Not having a website, is like pulling up in a Ferrari with a ford engine, Chevy wheels, and a horn that sounds like that of a fog horn. If you’re going to play the part you gotta look the part as well! Be sure to reply as soon as possible to threads, replies, questions, and PMs. Even if these questions may seem mundane and tawdry. Just do it.
After all that’s what you’re on this forum for, to interest people and to get then to trust you and like you! After you make your thread and you have things going, be sure to ask your customers (the happy ones) to post some good reviews ON your thread. This will not only bump your thread but it will also make people want to trust you and in turn bring you more work for your service and more visitors to your website which could lead to potential leads or even better yet, potential sales!
This author is a HUGE fan of Freeforumtoday.com
2c6bForums are an incredibly great and fun way to converse with other people on a more personal level but, they can also cost a lot of money to develop, design, and host. However, recently I found a few websites online that will actually build your forum for you, customize it, and host it, for free! These forums are awesome because they integrate one of the most popular forms of coding which is that of the phpBB; phpBB is an abbreviation on PHP bulletin Board, Available under the GNU General Public License, phpBB is free software. Forum software packages are also widely obtainable on the Internet and are written in a variety of computer programming languages, such as PHP, Perl, Java and ASP. The conformation and records of posts can be stacked away in text files or in a database.
Every software program provides unique features, from the most standard, supplying text-only postings, to more advanced bundles, offering multimedia support and data formatting code (usually known as BBCode). PHPBB is a terrific forum, one that doesn’t charge set up fees or an annual license charge [unlike vBulletin] and is certain to help you make your site a success. Download PHPBB today to get started on building your online community! Seriously, if you want to do something great online, starting a forum just could be the route you want to take! You can choose from more than 200 templates to customize your own forum, get free hosting, get free support, get free designs; I mean really, why would you build a forum any other way than this?
You could save a ton of time, and money on a phpBB forum, rather than spending upwards to thousands of dollars, frustrating yourself over the coding, and the hosting, which can get really confusing on a lot of occasions, believe me! I’m pretty technically inclined but even I couldn’t figure out something as easy as a wordpress! If you too get confused with this kind of stuff that other people think of as “easy” then really these free phpBB forums are the best choice for you! Really there are no cons to this situation or to this process, only pros! Why make it hard on yourself, when you could make it easier?
It’s a free process, an easy process and a heck of a fun way to meet new like minded people just like you online. Use it for fun or use it for business, use it for electronics or use it for recipes. Remember, this is your forum, make it fun, make it snappy, make it interesting!
This author is a HUGE fan of Freeforumtoday.com
Every single day people are trying to figure out how they can make money online, if only they realized how easy it was, they would probably be kicking themselves right now! You can actually start earning money on a forum! Yep, it’s true, you can earn money several different ways on a forum, either a new or an old one. I actually prefer starting from scratch and would advise you to try this out with a clean slate but really you can try whatever you want and do it however you want to do it!
Obviously forums are a HUGE part of the Internet, there are well over millions of them available all over the place, in every single category and niche you can think of such as; sports, gaming, electronics, art, celebrities, outdoors, travel, cooking, etc. These sites are plentiful because there are so many different types of people online, from age, creed, sex, nationality and interests which is why even if you build a brand new forum and market it, masses of people will join it, which is obviously what you want. For the most part making money on a forum isn’t an instant money maker, first you need to design it, host it, get the topics together, and then of course, get people to join it.
But for the most part sites like Warrior Forum, Name Pros, and Site Point make thousands a dollars a month off of their forums and you can too, once you receive a certain amount of people. Usually I don’t like to introduce ads until about a thousand members because then people think “hm, this site is all about the ads”. And people don’t like being sold on the spot. Give it some time. Let your backlinks flourish with article marketing, directories, blogs and advertising. Once you reach about 500 members or so, you can then introduce ads and other money making strategies. Some of these strategies are listed below, in no particular order.
- AdSense - You can place ads on your site, have it be contextual or otherwise. When people click these ads you will be paid a certain “affiliate” commission. There are some people out there making thousands of dollars a month just on AdSense alone, so this is a great idea that is not only quick but easy.
- Google makes all the ads for you, all you have to do is customize them and to place them on your website. Simple stuff.
- CPM banners - These are banners from CPM (click per thousand) that you can place on your websites. Now depending on what type of CPM site it is, you will either get paid per click or per action. If you get paid per click then you will receive a percentage per every click. If its a pay per action then all you have to do is get people to “view” the ad on the page it’s on. Notice on most CPM programs, the click is worth more than the view because anyone can get a view! These banners can be relevant or irrelevant to your website, again it depends on the website you use! In some cases they will let you customize your campaign and pick the category of the banner. If you have a gaming forum, place gaming ads. If you have a cooking forum, place food ads.
- Affiliate link - Links can be placed anywhere on your forum, as long as they follow the regulations and rules of the website your getting the ads from. I link to join affiliate hubs like Amazon, Linkshare and Kolimbo, because they have a huge amount of affiliates available right in their network and everything is organized. When you belong to an affiliate program like Amazon, Linkshare or Kolimbo, you can be an affiliate with as many companies/businesses as you want. There isn’t a limit. But more often than not I find it a good idea to focus on no more than 3 brands/products/services. After you get over three it just becomes more work. And if your can’t figure out how to make money on three, how in the world will you be able to make money on 30? Its common sense. Only do as many as you can do while making profits in the process.
- Membership Fees - Obviously I wouldn’t charge a fee right off the bat, instead make it so everyone can join for free, but that they can only go to certain parts of the website. I know of one website which has free memberships, but if you want to visit say, the download section, you have to pay a membership fee. Obviously this section needs to be incredible because you really don’t want your members to feel cheated but also because you want to give them a reason TO upgrade and TO pay TO visit that section. You can also make members pay per thread. Obviously don’t do this for every thread on the forum because it’s not viable and it’s also not very fair.
Instead, make them pay a fee to post a thread in a special section like the service or marketplace area. Some sites charge $10, some sites charge $20. But really if you think about it, you can use the fees for threads as profit or as a terrific way to make money for hosting, which on some servers can get expensive, especially if you have 500,000 members that are active!
- Banner Space / Sponsor Ads - Personally I wouldn’t offer this service and one of the other banner options at the same time because A) the member who bought the space could as well feel that peoples attention is diverted away from his or her ad, but also because too many ads leads to less members. Ads can sometimes get annoying when forum owners go overboard. So just make sure you pick a happy medium. You can charge people X amount of dollars per day/week/month/year and let them place one of their text links, or banners on your site (where space is available aka ad space).
I don’t recommend starting a forum solely for making money off of itself. You have to be interested and passionate about your forum and then when people see that enthusiasm behind it, they would be much more willing to join, however, it is a good way to make money once you start receiving enough members and enough posts. Remember a forum can have 100,000 members, but if there are only 2 posts, people are probably going to wonder what’s up.
Some people make the mistake of trying those services like Forum Booster which makes you pay X amount of dollars to receive membership sign ups. Listen if you are going to do something like this, I would say pay for posts, not members. Members won’t bring more members (who are active) but helpful non spammy posts will bring more members and make more people want to post, plus this is a good way of getting your forum indexed by Google, Alexa, and Yahoo bots!
This author is a HUGE fan of Freeforumtoday.com
cf9aYou know, a Ferrari isn’t awesome because its $250,000 and a cup of coffee isn’t awesome because its $4.00 (I go to starbucks). Its awesome because of the passion, craftsmanship and yummy biscotti that goes along with it! A free forum doesn’t make the forum worth any less or any more, what makes it worthy or unworthy is the work you put into it, the advertising, marketing, posts, customizations, niches, thoughts, ideas, etc. If you think you can really spruce up a forum and make people want to join it, it doesn’t matter if its $250k or $4, they will join it.
The point isn’t in the amount you buy it for, but the amount of money people SEE it worth. If you expect a free forum to take off, you gotta have tons of info, you have to be inviting, you have to be fun and or professional (whatever your using the forum for). These free forums are really nice for people that really need a forum but cant pay for designs, templates, hosting or even a developer, which can cost on upwards to thousands of dollars! They will utilize the very popular phpBB 3 board to attain the highest security measures and flexibility.
You can select from more than 200 templates to custom-make your own forum. I like this option because I love to customize sites and make them “mine.” Another reason these free forums might be perfect for you, is if your not very technically inclined. Not only will sites offer a free forum to you but they also offer free hosting. This is great for those of us who got confused over something as easy as Wordpress! Hey I’m just as smart as the next person, but when it comes to DNS servers and all that stuff? You completely lose me.
I don’t know left from right or Jack from Jill. What can get really confusing is the coding, and that’s just not something you want to mess with if you haven’t had experience with it before! Another nice thing about these forums is that they provide phpBB coding! phpBB is one of the most popular forms of packaging written for forums with PHP scripting languages. phpBB is an abbreviation on PHP bulletin Board, obtainable under the GNU General Public License, phpBB is free software package.
Forum software packages are also widely ready on the Internet and are written in a assortment of computer programming languages, such as PHP, Perl, Java and ASP.
You really could make a forum work and make it popular if its free or if its paid. But honestly I think its really amazing that people would even bothering offering a service like this, I mean this really is a kind gesture of sorts, don’t you think? Its kind but its also viable. These forums are nothing short of great! Don’t trust me? Well the next time your online looking around for something free like this, visit your favorite search engine, try it out, and see for yourself!
This author is a HUGE fan of Freeforumtoday.com





