How to Write Interesting Forum Posts: Your Role in a Forum

Are you an Internet freelance writer who finds participation in forum posts exciting, intriguing and challenging? Perhaps you are concerned about how to write interesting posts that others will want to read.

Understanding what a forum post is, as well as the format and purpose of a forum, will help you to write more interesting forum posts.   

What is a forum?

The businessdictionary.com suggests that forums are “public medium (such as a newspaper column) or places used for debates in which anyone can participate.” 

Historically, “in Roman times it meant a public place at the center of a market or town where open discussions on judicial, political and other issues were held.”  

Forums are an important part of every era. For example, forums like a recently televised presidential debate, can take the form of public meetings that invite discussion which influence the decision-making process on specific issues.  

On the other hand, Internet forums take on the form of interactive message boards or data entry, suggestion boxes that allow and encourage electronic feedback from readers on websites or individual web pages. Social media websites and blogs or other interactive forms of communication like Twitter, are also forums in their own way.

Consider the following tips regarding how to write interesting Internet forum posts.

Treat the moderator in charge of an Internet forum with respect. In other words, start to build an appropriate relationship with whoever is leading the forum; perhaps he or she is a designated moderator or webmaster. Regard everyone responsible for participation and data contribution to the forum, as equals.

While you may not be in total or even partial agreement with other posted comments, you can agree to disagree. When you treat everyone with respect, you can expect participants to treat you with respect in return. If you take what they write seriously, hopefully, they will regard your forum contribution in the same way. Do not become overly critical or abusive.

Take the time and make an effort to stay informed and current with regard to ongoing forum posts. Let your freelance writing professionalism be manifest in each one of your posts. Avoid continually rehashing outdated issues. Instead, keep moving forward with new insight. Become a forum leader with your input rather than a follower.

In terms of data entry, use proper spelling and good grammar, as well as appropriate search engine optimization (SEO) key words and phrases. This will prove to be a major factor in the growth of your readership and help to expand your global horizons. Contribute new thoughts, ideas and information whenever possible, but always introduce new ideas cautiously.    

Make note of suggestions for data entry that are located outside or inside of the forum feedback area, as this information should be the basis for input contributed to the forum. Abusive or inappropriate data is subject to deletion.

Remain proactive, positive and constructive in your attitude to other data entries. Remember that each forum is important or it would not be included on a web site or web page. Keep your content, input or data entry pertinent and on topic, restricting your participation in the forum to what you know will prove to be unique, challenging and exciting for others to read. Encourage them to respond.

Undertaking appropriate research will ensure your forum posts are timely, clear and to the point making them more interesting to readers. Be aware that the art of communication via forums has not really changed over the generations, but new advances in each era enable more timely and different formatting.

A forum is only as beneficial as the interactive information it conveys and the resulting decisions. Writing interesting posts is vital for the future of freelance writers.

Remember that your words are important and can prove to be powerful in terms of influencing others, so use them wisely when participating in forums as a freelance writer.