An Ode to The Forgotten Forum
August 17th, 2009Author: Alex Payne
In a world where some marketers are bombarding consumers with blog posts, tweets and Facebook applications, its not surprising that some of the older discussion tools get left-behind for their newer, quicker counterparts. While this list could arguably include social bookmarking, wikis and podcasts, one medium stands alone as the most forgotten, the forum.
Forums are the Waffle House of the World Wide Web. When you are cruising the Information Superhighway or Interstate 85, you can find one in any site where a few people stop. Each one is going to have a wide range of people there, from the old-timers looking to get their latest fix of news to the average American family that’s just passing through or the group of people looking to cause a little controversy after the bar closes at 2AM. Plus its all being closely guarded by Flo (or Alice or whoever), who doesn’t mind you staying for that extra cup of coffee but you better be nice or don’t bother coming in at all.
So why are people coming to these quaint establishments and these Waffle Houses? It’s fairly simple, if you are looking for a strange meal in a new place you make sure to go to where you know the food. I don’t care what Waffle House you go into, most people know to stick to the breakfast and be wary of Bert’s Chili.
The same goes with any forum. Most people visit a forum because you trust that site and its readers. Its a safe place to ask any question and get a truthful response from a healthy mix of people (and a few who’ve just had one post too many.) In this space you don’t mind asking or answering the trusted threads, because you expect to hear good advice each time and you know when to avoid Bert’s Chili.
When was the last time you stopped into your local forum?
Next time, I’ll look at the best ways to use forums in your social media strategy. What are some of your favorite tactics?
Photo taken by Rekkid.
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Tags: Forums, Marketing, Social Media Strategy, Waffle House
