Aug

Basics of Social Media – Lesson Three: Online Forums

Michael Wangbickler on August 11th, 2008

What is an Online Forum?

An Online Forum is an online community for holding discussions and posting user-generated content. Online forums are also commonly referred to as Internet forums, Web forums, newsgroups, message boards, discussion boards, discussion groups, discussion forums, bulletin boards, or simply forums. The terms “forum” and “board” may refer to the entire community or to a specific sub-forum dealing with a distinct topic.

What Makes Online Forums Different from Blogs?

A good question since both technologies share a lot in common. Both techniques engage the reader in a “conversation” and both involve some degree of community building. Both harness the power of the Internet to communicate in new ways, although forums and user groups have been around for a long time (even before the Internet) and blogs are relatively new.

But there are some distinct differences between these two forms of social media. Online forums were created specifically to build community on the Web around some specific interest or concern, for example, a group comprised of wine enthusiasts or slow food devotees. Another distinct difference is that forums are often moderated, by one or even several moderators, whose role is to ensure that the group stays on topic, that good behavior is enforced and to help with any technical problems. The forum members sets the agenda, and the users have a great deal of control. Because internet forums are built to be moderated, the moderators can control how the site is accessed, limit user posts, and even keep problem members from posting. Finally, one of the biggest differences is that online forums can be read in order, in threaded conversations.

Blogs, by comparison, are first and foremost, a means to provide a voice to the individual or author. Whereas an online community has many authors and represents many view points, blogs offer their readers a single point-of-view, that of the author’s. As mentioned above, because blogs often include the ability for readers to comment on blog posts, a community often ensues. But this interaction is a byproduct of the dialogue between author and reader, and not the primary purpose of the blog. While readers can comment on a blog post, they don’t generally set the conversation’s agenda or subject. This differs greatly from the bilateral nature of online forums, where each member can be author or reader or both.

How Does This Apply to Wine Marketing and PR?

Wine specific online forums are a strong, existing community of readers and wine drinkers. Like bloggers, these community members can often be quite influential in some markets or with some consumers and trade. Some of them even attract participation from journalists in the field. This provides us with an opportunity to enter into conversations with key influencers and establish ourselves as a trusted resource for information. A CAUTIONARY NOTE: Do not approach online forums with the expectation of overtly promoting your brands. This is probably the single most serious “no-no” when posting on forums. Rather, use the indirect approach and establish yourself as a participant or expert. The rest will come later.

There are a number of points of etiquette (or netiquette) one should keep in mind when participating in online discussions.

Refrain from abusive, negative, or unproductive comments
Do not use rude or offensive language
Avoid excessive commercial promotion or recruiting efforts (we walk a fine line here)
When posting, fully disclose who you are in the interest of honest conversations
Before posting your question or comment, search the forum. Your question or comment may have already been discussed, answered, or resolved.
Create a concise subject that adequately summarizes your topic.
Also, do not use words such as “Urgent” or “Important” in your subject line. This is considered spam.
Do not use all capital letters, excessive question marks (?), or exclamation points (!) in your subject or content.
Increase the likelihood of starting a discussion by providing details in your comment or question and by choosing a relevant category, release, and platform for your topic.
Be patient. All the participants are using the forum and participating in discussions on their own time.
Help others. The forum is a community and works best when people share information.
Give feedback. If someone helps you by answering your question, try to add a follow-up response thanking them.
Welcome newcomers. Do not chastise them for not reading the forum etiquette. Make them feel welcome in the community.