Blogging can be very addictive and most bloggers like to have a look at what other bloggers are writing about. Why do they do this? Well, there are several reasons, but the main ones are:

1. curiosity - what are other bloggers writing about?
2. inspiration - what are the recent hot topics that you can write about in your own blog?
3. interest - what can you learn from other blogs?
4. promotion - how can other blogs be used to drive more traffic to your own blog?

All good and valid reasons for searching around the blog-o-sphere.

But if you are a serious blogger and visiting other blogs is your only means of satisfying the above reasons, maybe there is another huge social networking medium that you haven’t yet taken advantage of.

Forums.

Forums have been around since long before terms like social networking and web 2.0 were bandied about, but they have always satisfied the true definition of social networking! Forums have been places where like-minded people have gotten together to exchange ideas, ask questions and answer them, promote yourself and your business opportunities (by conforming to the rules of the forums) and to make new friends online. Very much social networking!

There are forums that cover most specific topics. But in our sphere of interest - which is mainly work from home, internet marketing, online business, promotion and branding as well as blogging and the whole social networking structure - there are several top forums that are very well worth anyone’s while signing up with if they haven’t already done so.

One of the best in terms of accessibility, friendliness and community oriented is WhyDoWork.com which is the first “work from home” forum I joined when I first blundered back into the world of internet marketing. The site is much more than just a forum, with an up to date and well written blog, several pages covering online jobs, work from home opportunities and reviews of new products. There is a lot more besides, but it would take me too long to list them all here. Best that you get on over and see for yourself. Of all the forums within the sphere of our general theme, I would recommend this as a first point of call if you would like to get involved with forums.

Second on my list of forums too join is ConquerYourNiche.com (CYN) for similar reasons as the former. The added extra you get with CYN is the ability to post blatant ads in a specially reserved section for that purpose. It’s another friendly place to meet new friends and promote yourself through your writing ability.

Third on the list has to be Warriors Forum, mainly because it’s probably the oldest of them all and is frequented by some of the top marketers in the business. I don’t find it quite so friendly as the other forums, as some of the older members there can be a little overwhelming to a newcomer, but it’s worth getting past that to be a member.

Lastly on my list of forums to belong to is a newcomer to the family of the thousands of forums that are our there to be found, called Forum KnowHow. It’s also the only one that is not free to join. I’m recommending this one because for a modest annual fee, you get direct access to the knowledge and experience of ten of the top marketers in their fields. These people are all moderators, so they also look out for anyone giving our bad advice and will delete it and give people the right advice on any issues they are having problems with. This forum is a mine of information for the internet marketer, blogger, lensmaster, webmaster, writer and many more.

So if you hadn’t thought about using forums as a means of expanding your sphere of promote-ability for your blog and yourself, try one of the above free ones first and see how you like it. Be aware that all forums have their own rules and you should abide by them if you don’t want that valuable line of promotion taken away from you, because forum moderators hate spammers and people who try to promote their wares in the wrong places - so it always pays to read the rules before you post!

That said, I hope you enjoy your journey into social networking pastures new. If you’re already there, then you already know exactly what I’m talking about.

Forums may be the social networking of the past, but they sure pack a punch when it comes to promoting your blogging and writing skills and showing yourself off to even more of the online world.

Terry Didcott
Blogging Web 2.0

Filed under: Blogging