10 Mistakes Not to Make in a Forum

Being an active member of a forum in your field of interest can be extremely useful and rewarding. However, it is common and easy to make avoidable mistakes in those forums.

Break the Rules

Most forums have a set of community rules that are easily accessible. Take the time to read them, if not look through older threads to see what’s allowed and what’s not. If not, you may find that most of your replies are being deleted.

Repeat Old Posts

It’s a good idea not to bring up old conversation topics that have been discussed sufficiently. For example, if you see that the topic of “Twitter Tools” has been brought up many times and become less and less popular, there’s no need to bring it up again.

“Me Too!”

When replying to threads on forums don’t go with the lazy “Me too!” reply. It adds no value to the thread and will cause other users to think less of you. New information is good; echoing is bad.

Agree with Everything

It’s healthy and normal to disagree. There’s no need to agree with what everyone says on different forums; if you feel differently let them know because it will make it more interesting for everybody.

Lengthy Signature

Most forums allow you to attach a signature to your posts. There is no need to make yours five sentences, a few images, and ten links. It’s enough to just have your name, link, and Twitter. Long signatures with huge unnecessary photos drive me nuts.

Only Self Promoting

If you’re participating in forums solely to promote yourself, don’t. Providing great answers, opinions, and becoming an active member will do a better job of self promotion than only talking about yourself.

Poor Grammar and Spelling

Sorry to all of those who flunked 3rd grade spelling, but misspelling common words will just lower people’s opinions of you. You don’t have to use an English teacher’s vocabulary, just try to spell correctly and use proper grammar.

Spam

Obviously, don’t blatantly spam. That will call for immediate expulsion from the forum, something that I wouldn’t recommend.

Long, Complicated Titles

If you’re starting a thread don’t give it a title that’s too long and impossible to understand. Make everybody’s life easier by using small, meaningful, related titles that everybody could comprehend.

Private Information

Definitely don’t share any private information. Remember anyone could see these posts and your safety and privacy are important when thinking about that.