An Internet forum is a large group of web discussion forums provides for discussion with online communities or I can define as a forum is an online discussion group, in which participants with common interests can exchange messages online.
Internet forums are also commonly referred to as message boards, web forums, discussion groups, discussion boards or just, forums.
Famous discussion topics include computer games, technology, and politics and also available for infinite number of different topics. The forums are very friendly and interactive discussion areas of your site in which members can ask for as well as share their advice, opinions and experiences. It allows you to create online communities even with low traffic volumes. Forums have various advantages:
Advantages for the web host and clients
• Clients can help each other with questions about hosting and thus save staff time.
• Staff can post announcements in the forum which clients can read even if their email is not working.
• Clients can help each other with web development questions and gives feedback on each other’s sites.
• The company owner as well as staff, can interact with clients in a forum, develop good working relationships and have fun together.
• Clients can read answers to previous questions that they may also have and without asking the same questions again, they get answers faster.
Advantages for prospective clients
These are benefits if the forum is public.
• Prospective clients can ask pre-sales questions in the forum.
• Prospective clients can observe how staff responds to clients, particularly when addressing problems.
• Prospective clients can see from clients’ points of view what the company is like.
Advantages for the web host
• If the forum is public then a website will appear more often in search results when a website with an active forum has more content and active content for bots to index.
• Active forum develops a sense of community and clients are likely to feel loyal to a community than to a faceless company.
So, forums are best for increasing your traffic as well as for increasing the profits you make on your website.