Hi FJ I like the idea of having the posters' signature be their profile page, too. That's Bogdan's call, though. : ) I'm all for forum etiquette, so you're not off topic at all. That's kind of what the article is about anyway. I don't personally think that a forum owner has to respond to every post. I don't think members do, either. As soon as we feel obligation, it tends to erode value of contribution. For example, if I felt "obligated" to post replies to every thread on all my friends forums, I'd never have the time to give one solid and caring response because I'd be too busy posting hundreds of brief atta-boys. Given quality versus quantity, I defer to quality every time. : ) Hope I'm helping with the brainstorming at least a bit. I have no shortage of opinions, as Peter would agree, even if he rolled his eyes while agreeing. For your forum (the ones you're brainstorming) I think a Q/A format could work great. And, no, don't feel obligated to answer every single post. Just the ones you can put your heart into. I think when people see that you're really giving from the heart, they don't mind if you can't reply to every single post. Just do what you can. That's all anyone can do, really. We all have the same 24 hours a day to work with. : ) Linda

Hi Linda, Great post and topic. When I started online marketing, many years back now, I did not have a place like Adland Pro or the help form people in the field that had a proven track record. It was all test and error and alot more on the error side because of taking advice from so called experts. Thatis not to say all the advice or ebooks I bought was bad. However you do have to be as smart as as cow. That is when aa cow eats in the field the bite off and chew every thing in the field, but they then spit out the cude or the bad stuff. Your offering good advice to new comers to adland in the use of forums as more forum owners are moderating their forums. It gives the control of what is posted to the forums. I would also add this if you have not done so is to post a forum on how to use the forum wizard here on Adland Pro. Many knew people try posting the text for the forum in the description area. When they do this and send the invites out and people respond and get the message that no forun is posted yet. I will also say the forums here can also be used for team building where your team that is already working with you in a project or business can colaborate their work and efforts. It is a get place and way to get feedback and new ideals. For the newbie I will suggest to atleast visit all the experts forums and see how the post a forum and glen the great information they offer. Let face it, there is not many places in the world you can get this type of free advice. To all that is new to Adland a warm welcome and I wish you well as you blossum and grow here. You will meet people from all over the world. We all stay very busy here with our online businesses but I have yet to ask for help from someone and been refused. This is a great place to turly cut down on your learning curve not only in how to post to a forum or use a forum, but how to own and opperate your own successful home business. God Bless, Johnny

Hi Johnny; Thank you very much. You said two things that are so good that I want to post them again with bold text so people see them. 1) Thatis not to say all the advice or ebooks I bought was bad. However you do have to be as smart as as cow. That is when a cow eats in the field they bite off and chew every thing in the field, but they then spit out the cude or the bad stuff. This is very, very true. You see, even we "experts" only know what we have learned by experience, and can be wrong too. Here is a very good example. I know two very respectable journalists. One of them says Google Adsense does NOT work because she has made very little money with them. The other one is hopping up and down because he makes $5,000 - $10,000 every month with Adsense. Both speak from their own experience. Many people say long sales letters are the way to sell -- yet I have reduced page length time and time again and improved response by making the copy more compelling and easier to digest. So you see, even "experts" can be wrong. The trick is to keep learning until you discover what works for YOU. (I hope I can help with that) And the second gem in your post; 2) For the newbie I will suggest to at least visit all the experts forums and see how the post a forum and glen the great information they offer. Very good suggestion. The friendly conversation and helpful posts that experts post is why they are experts. While not everyone will be an "expert" at Adland... we can all strive to be that for the people we would like to be our customers. We should ALL strive to be an expert in our own field. Thanks for posting.. : ) Linda

Hi Linda, This is great!! I stumble over myself most of the time trying to figure out what everybody is talking about. I appreciate you taking the time to create this forum. Waiting for the next lesson.

Hello Linda, Thank you for this enlightening article. I must confess, I have probably been guilty of 1 and 2. And because of this, I'm still grateful because none from the Adlandpro community reprimanded me. They were probably kind enough to give me the time to grow up and learn proper forum behavior. But I probably would have stumbled along, making the same mistakes, had I not come across your article. So thanks. This may not probably even rate 2 cents, but I want you to know that your article is well appreciated. Cheers! Ricardo A.