My first introduction to internet discussion forums was through needing to find information. Usually it had to with finding a solution to an obscure technical problem I was having. I never did "hang out" much in forums because I figured I had better things to do with my time.

What I've learned over the years is that I actually have knowledge and experiences that can help other people. What you also find is that these online forums can be a source of meeting people of a similar mindset and can even set the foundation for both business and personal relationships. Since there is a certain amount of anonymity available with internet communication you need to be a bit more careful with developing these relationship than you might with someone in person.

As it happens, you can find online forums for any interest you might have. Different forums will have different characteristics, personalities and flavors so it's a matter of spending some time "lurking" (which is just reading posts without posting responses). This will give you an idea of where the forum lies on a particular spectrum from "family friendly" to "explicit", "liberal" to "conservative", "beginner" to "expert" or whatever scale is important for you. Being a lurker on a particular forum can help you get the gist of a conversation before making your own contributions.

Since they are a very interactive medium, it's possible to get answers to questions that may not yet have been posed. This can promote further discussion and give people insight that might not have come about without your simple question. This was when I realized that just because something hadn't been asked or posted yet, didn't mean the answer was obvious to everyone except me. You will often get responses like, "hey, I was wondering that too, glad you asked".

This has been especially valuable in my [tag-tec]marketing training[/tag-tec]. I have had access to an exclusive [tag-tec]training program for marketing on the internet[/tag-tec] which has included a closed forum open to a limited number of marketers. This closed system has developed a sense of community which has been fostered by the program's faculty and moderators. This has developed to the point where there have been quite a bit of correspondence outside of the forum.

Like minded people can get together for a project or to form a Joint Venture (JV) partnership. This can be one of the most effective was to give a boost to your business and the great part about it is that both (or all) partners get something from it. This lays the foundation for future partnerships and business growth. Finding the right kind of person through these partnerships can lead to forming a "mastermind" group which is another way to get new ideas and develop existing ones through frank discussion and advice.

I've heard more than once that "the only people who hang out in forums are the ones who are not making any money". While most of the business and marketing forums have a high percentage of "newbies" and people getting started, a healthy forum will have a core group that has "been there, done that" and can help advise the newer members.

This core group also learns from each other, so I see participation on forums an important piece of not only developing a "presence" on the internet for your business, but as tool for helping others and finding partners in collaboration.