BiggerPockets Founder · HI · Member since 2008 · 16k+ posts · 5k+ votes
I think it is EXTREMELY important for people to understand that there is a decorum for using forums. If you use them properly for marketing, you'll find yourself driving lots of business to yourself and your website. If you get out and SPAM or post useless drivel, you'll see little success and damage to your name/brand/company.
Here's a great post that perfectly explains how to go about establishing a forum policy for marketing.
The link above goes into detail on the following points:
1. Identify where your blogs potential readers are gathering (that would be here on BiggerPockets!)
2. Join up…. and Do Nothing (for a while)
3. Set up your Signature and Avatar (Avatars other than the generic ones that come with your account make people more likely to be interested in who you are)
4. Start Posting
5. Write Resource Content/Tutorials
6. Make Connections
7. Let Others Promote Your Blog (or website)
8. Be Generous, Be Understated and Be Useful
I signed up a few weeks ago to participate here and read that article as affirmation. I love what you've got going on here and that you do a great job of keeping everything on task.
I'm not here to sell anything, I'm not an investor or an agent, I'm the new media director of a local brokerage and a national real estate magazine and what I gain from being here is knowledge. I'm here as a sponge and when I can give back I do/will!
Great encouragement, JD! I hope others pay close attention to forum etiquette.
, I'm not an investor or an agent, I'm the new media director of a local brokerage and a national real estate magazine and what I gain from being here is knowledge.