Forums are a great way to meet new people that might
be interested in what you do or that have interests that
you want to learn more about. They also make a great
way to promote your site.
However, there are some, often unwritten, rules to
promoting your site on forums.
In no particular order...
If the forum allows you to add your site's URL to your
profile, do it. This is a perfectly acceptable way to
let other members know about your site.
If the forum allows you to have a signature add a text
link to your site. Just remember to keep it simple and
concise. People, forum Admins in particular, tend to
take a dim view of someone that has huge billboard
like ad for their site in their signature line.
A side note:
Myself, I will usually use two links in my signature on
forums. One to the main site and one to a joke page
I made sometime ago just to let them know I am not
some stiff. ;-)
Post content from your site. This has to be done
within a certain level of reason though. If you have
a forum of your own, most people consider it rude
to post part of a forum post with a link to the thread
at your own forum. However, if you have a blog or
write articles on any given topic that people might
find entertaining or useful, feel free to post it with
a link back to the original. You are not required to
post the full article but a lot of forum Admins do
generally prefer it. About half of the article and a
link to the original is generally enough. If people
found the part you posted interesting enough they
will visit your site for the rest. On the other side of
that is, if you choose to post the full article, some
people will click your link to see the original anyway.
Another side note:
Remember to keep it on topic. If the forum covers
everything under the sun, feel free to post whatever
you want. However, if the forum is focused on one
topic stay on that topic. Example: If the forum is
about hot rods don't post an article about how
to prune a rubber plant. Your topic will likely be
deleted and anyone who sees it will think you have
lost your last marble.
If you register an account at a forum, for pity's sake,
take the time to discuss things. Don't go there with
the sole intention of promoting your site. If every
post you make is a promotion for your site, people
will class you as either a spammer or a spam bot.
If the Admin has to take a hand in the matter, you
could well find yourself banned and any posts you
made deleted or edited to the point of being little
better than a blank page.
If you own an online store, don't make ever post an
offer for the goods you sell. This relates to the last
paragraph. If, on the other hand, someone mentions
that they are looking for something you sell, mention
that you have such an item for sale and send them
a personal message. Just don't be crass about it. No
one likes a hard sell in their forum PM inbox.
