I haven’t been able to get into forums too deeply despite the fact that I’m a member of a few that I visit occasionally.
I have found them to be useful and I’ve been able to network with a few people, but I’m certainly no expert in this area.
Perhaps this is another thing to add to my blogging education. :)
Even though I’m still just a forum toe-dipper, when I discover something I like, I feel compelled to share it.
I joined the Blog Engage Forum a few months ago, but I’ve just recently, in response to one of the site owner’s emails, decided to go check it out.
I was actually amazed by the level of activity. There’s a live chat that updates every five seconds and low and behold there was actually a chat going on right then – not something from 39 days ago.
I decided to post an announcement regarding next month’s guest post contest (looking for sponsors – would you like to be one? Contact me!). I had just finished posting it, when maybe 1 minute later I looked again to discover my post already had over 20 views. 20+ views in 60 seconds? And maybe 30 seconds after that I received a reply.
I’m only a member of maybe four or so forums, so like I said, I can’t say that I’m an expert and that my experience is typical – but that’s the first time I’ve seen that type of activity so quickly.
Have you ever logged into a forum and felt like you’ve just stepped into to a ghost town? As if tumble weeds were whipping passed you?
You won’t feel that way on this forum. The entire Blog Engage Community is teeming with bloggers of various skill and experience. I love it because it gives me an opportunity to network with people I might otherwise miss out on – especially when it comes to new bloggers. There are some talented newbies out there and the great thing is that on it doesn’t matter if your blog is new, if you’ve got good content, you’re going to get exposure.
So if you’re looking for a new place to network and get to know other bloggers, go check out this forum.
If you need an invitation to Blog Engage, contact me and include your URL – I’ll check out your blog and if it’s good, I’ll shoot you an invite. I’m always happy to help.
So have you already had an opportunity to check out this forum? Do you know some other great forums that we should check out?
About Kiesha Easley
Hi Kiesha!
This sounds like a GREAT community! Forums are not dead by any means, but you just have to find the proper forums that are properly active with positive construction individuals. And this sounds like one of those! :)
Thanks for the post!
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I look at many blogs and can usually find some thoughts here that feed the creative juices.
.-= Steve´s last blog ..Texting while Driving is a killer =-.
Twitter: weblogbetter
says:
Hi Steve,
Yeah, whenever I need to find some inspiration, I just head on over, and sure enough, I always find something interesting to get me going.
Bbrain is working hard for his blogengage community. I am now being more active on the community, by voting or making comment there. Well I am not so active on his forum.
I will say thanks to Bbrain that I am getting traffic from his community on my new blog.
.-= chandan´s last blog ..7 Best Work At Home Marketplace For Freelancer =-.
Well, forums have never matched my style! I have been an active member of Bloggeries Forum(I have made some 350+ posts). For me, forums start getting boring after 3-4 months. Maybe because same problems are discussed, same questions are asked again and again or spammers start appearing with “Thanks for great post” posts :( !
Blog Engage seems interesting. I would love to join Blog Engage and I have sent you a message from contact form.
.-= Ishan´s last blog ..20 Must Have Chrome Extensions For Bloggers =-.
Hey Kiesha – I do like forums and haven’t engaged in the one on BlogEngage as much as I should – I’m too busy building up my blog, though!
So far, I like BlogEngage but wish that the “votes” would turn into more visits. It’s difficult, though, when there is an incentive – which is popularity – it can be very difficult to get people to see beyond that and I know that Brian tries his best to get people to cooperate.
I’m a member of the forum over at problogger which is not free, but definitely is very active and even though I pay I have hardly taken advantage of it.
All-in-all, they’re a place to learn and share, and I have to keep reminding myself that it’s as much about me giving as it is receiving, and if I don’t receive as much as I get, karma will pay me back in the end!
.-= Tia – BizChickBlogs.com´s last blog ..Common Sense Blogging: BizChickBlogs’ Guide to New Post Ideas (5 Ways) =-.
Twitter: weblogbetter
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Hi Tia!
I’m also a member of problogger’s forum, Lisa Irby’s WebsiteBabble Forum, and also the one on TheInfoPreneur. I’ve been trying to slowly but surely make my rounds to all of them. But of course, building a blog is hard work and sometimes I just run out of time.
Sorry, I am very displeased with the way Brian has handled some simple complaints about BE, his outlook on his site very “cocky” and his banning people for speaking about it is not the proper way to handle things, in my opinion anyway.
Don’t want to turn this into a negative post for you, so I won’t go any further about that.
Blog Engage was a great place, the other bloggers in the community are great. Maybe Brian should let someone else handle the complaint department though :)
.-= Keith´s last blog ..Blog Engage Rant =-.
Twitter: weblogbetter
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Hi Keith!
You haven’t turned this into a negative post – I’m totally open to hearing about the other side of things. Mostly everything has a down side. I’m sorry to hear you’ve had a bad experience – I have no complaints to date, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have valid points. I think every site, this blog included, has areas where things could improve. Thanks for shaking things up and fearlessly bringing a different perspective.
I agree.. I have been there few weeks now and have nothing but good things to say.
So far I am happy with it… not a perfect place, but a good place to meet and network.
.-= John Paul´s last blog ..Breaking Into The Top 20 Internet Marketers Online With No List =-.
Twitter: weblogbetter
says:
Hi John!
There aren’t any perfect places on the internet – even the best sites have their flaws. :) But when the good outweighs the bad, that’s good enough.
Kiesha thanks so much for your kind words about our blog forum. I’ve been trying to make the forums work for a while now and it’s starting to pick up day by day. I appreciate you hanging out and posting about your content.
I think the main reason you got so many views is because I went and tweeted your post and about 20 or 30 people came to see it! I’m glad it helped you find some sponsors.
Hope to see you around the forums every once in a while I’m there daily if you ever need any help. if you want to post in the forums I can help align all your social icons at the top of your post so it’s all evenly laid out left to right.
I also had to adjust it for our social community blog. Always a pleasure well see ya later!
.-= bbrian017´s last blog ..The Blog Engage 45 day SEO keyword Challenge =-.
Twitter: weblogbetter
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Hi Brian!
I truly appreciate all that you do! That’s why I enjoy the community so much, because you do go out of your way to help others. And I’m not just saying that because you’ve helped me, I see you tweeting other members stuff all the time. Your efforts don’t go unnoticed.
Hey Kiesha,
Forums are a great place to meet people. That is were I’ve been able to meet like minded folks. I also been able to do some JV’s with some on some very cool projects.
Not only is it a great place to meet folks. I also use it as a tool to get information for topics to write about or do a video on. Forums gives you the answer to what people are looking for right now. It’s a great tool to havevin your back pocket.
Chat with you later…
Josh
.-= Josh Garcia´s last blog ..The Secrets of Commenting on Blogs… =-.
Twitter: weblogbetter
says:
Hi Josh,
I agree, a forum is a great place to find those topics that people want to read about. That’s one of the reasons I’ve decided to attempt to be a little more active on those forums I am a member of. There’s just so little time and so much to do :)