I get a lot of questions from subscribers and visitors to our web site. Some I can answer outright, others I need to do a little research to find out for myself. We have been online now for about three years and started with little knowledge of some of the technical aspects of the online business process. When someone starts off their question of comments with "Joe, I don't have the slightest inkling of where to start", I know how they feel. I've been there!
One of the places (besides the use of search engines, where you can find a multitude of information on almost any topic) I have been going for years to increase my knowledge are forums and discussions boards. For the new person, or "newbie" as Internet slang designates them, these are great places to learn without getting involved in any discussions.
A lot of newbies and those not so new may be afraid to ask questions because they feel they may be asking dumb questions. Well, to me there are no dumb questions. But if you feel that way anyway, then forums and discussion boards will help you out. You can go there, browse around, observe the questions and responses and LEARN! If you get daring you can even post a question and see what type of responses you get.
I have visited a number of boards regularly over the last couple of years. Sometimes I actively post responses to questions already posted, in some I post a question I might have and sometimes I just browse to see what type of info I can get during that visit.
There are many occasions when I need to find something specific out and I go right to a particular board and post a question. I usually get an answer within a reasonable time. On occasion I get an answer in minutes.
As you get more experienced you will find that posting at forums and discussion boards is also a great way to create more traffic to your site and maybe more subscribers for your ezine. In most cases it just comes down to leaving your website URL or subscribe email address with your posting. Just make sure that you check the posting and/or advertising restrictions that a site might have before you do it.
If you have a particular topic you are interested in, visit http://www.forumone.comIt has a directory of over 310,000 web forums. Just type in the topic you are interested in and click the search button.
As you surf the Net and get more comfortable with your business efforts you will probably develop a couple of favorites. Here are a couple of boards that I go to on a regular basis either to browse, post or respond to items. These are all free and you don't have to log in or subscribe. They are not listed in any specific order.
1) BizWeb2000 CyberMarketing Board
http://www.bizweb2000.com/wwwboard
This board is very active and has a lot of great info aboutonline marketing and other areas. This is one of my favorites.
2) Internet Marketing Discussion Forum
http://www.exchangingideas.com
Another board that can give you some insight and ideas in the
marketing area.
3) Friends In Business - Scams 101 Message Board
http://friendsinbusiness.com/board/index.cgi
This one is an active board too and usually has some great discussions about possible scams online.
4) Dog Byte Marketing Forum
http://homebusiness-websites.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi
This one deals with operating and managing your own online or offline enterprise and is a good source for answering some of those technical questions you might have.
These are just a couple of the boards that you might want to bookmark and check out once and awhile or specifically if you have a question. Remember there are thousands of sources of information online now and you can have access to them for free. All it takes is a little research. And also, when you visit some of these boards, you will without fail, find leads to other resources you might be able to use.
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