Using Webmaster Boards For Pofit
There are a ton of different webmaster boards out there. So much so that a webmaster could spend his/her entire day just reading boards and making posts. I have actually been told that some affiliate programs have people on their staffs that do just that. They surf the boards answering questions and making posts and using that as a form of marketing or to answer questions about their programs/content or squash any drama that may have cropped up. But most of us don’t have the resources to have a dedicated board surfer so this article is going to give the average webmaster that works by themselves some ideas on how to use the boards for fun and potential profit.
KNOW YOUR LIMIT
This topic point might actually sound like someone giving you advice before you go out drinking, but really it is sound advice for webmaster boards too. As I stated there are many boards out there so a webmaster needs to know how much time they are willing or can afford to put into the boards. It may be fun to cruise around chatting and posting fun pics, but posting the latest pic of Lindsay Lohan accidentally flashing her pussy doesn’t pay the hosting bill. So you need to decide what is needed and what isn’t
I always suggest that people look at “play” time on the boards like they would a water cooler or break room at a regular place of business. When you are working for a company you spend a little time on breaks or on lunch shooting the bull with people, gossiping and so on. The boards can fill that void. When you work at home or alone in an office it can be intimidating and at times lonely so these boards can provide a connection to the outside world. I suggest people set a time limit. Maybe give themselves 15-20 minutes in the morning to do a quick scan and see if there is anything of interest to you then you can move on and start your day then come back to it later in the day as time allows. I often will read the boards and make posts while I eat lunch or have a snack. It gives me something to do and I’m not taking away from work time to do it.
The more time you spend surfing the boards for fun, the less time you spend doing things that make you money. Which would you rather have: 1. A huge post count on a board or 2. A larger savings account?
USING POSTS TO MAKE MONEY
There are several things that a person can do on the boards to help them increase their income. The obvious are people like designers or programmers that are looking for work by responding to threads asking for that type of person, but the less obvious is the use the boards as a form of business networking.
Let’s just say you are person that builds and submits galleries. You don’t build or submit for other people, just yourself. Something you may want to do then is watch the boards for anything that could affect you. Take note of designers and hosting companies that post. You never know when you may want/need to switch hosts or when you may want to try out a pro designer to build you some kick ass galleries. If you mention them by name and tell them where you saw them, they may be willing to make you a good deal. More important is the contact with sponsors. I saw a sponsor make a post asking for comments on a couple of hosted galleries they had for their program. I took a few minutes to shoot them an email with some ideas/advice I had about them and over the course of several emails we talked and they made me a great offer if I joined their program. After a few months they became one of my top sponsors. The offered me all kinds of exclusive content to use, tools, a higher payout rate than advertised and any help I needed. This is all because of that email.
If you are selling something (a product or service) the boards can be a very valuable place to go. First let me warn you against just spamming your program/service/product everywhere. This can get you banned and will turn you off to a lot of other people. A great way to promote your product is to answer threads, provide solutions to people’s problems and make yourself a useful member of the board. Most boards let you have a signature that allows you to advertise your product so as you post people will see what you are offering. Over time the members of the boards will get to know you and they will be more willing to try and/or suggest your product/service. I have suggested certain designers to a lot of people just because I got to know them on a board, I used them and was very happy then I suggested them to others. I have also gotten work myself this way. Someone knew me from a board and hired me to do a job for them. They were happy with my work and suggested me to someone else. I have also gotten to know other webmasters this way. One of them opened up an invite only program and they sent me an invite. There is nothing like promoting exclusive content that is hardly anyone else has access to.
Keep in mind all of this can be a time consuming so you need to be wise. Don’t answer every thread or create a million threads every day. But if you make a few posts every day and prove to be a knowledgeable person, you will be accepted into the community pretty quickly.
MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR TIME
There are a couple of things that can help you maximize your board time. I suggest creating a separate folder in your bookmarks and just keep the boards you regularly visit in that folder. This will make going to and from them faster. With IE 7 or Firefox you can even browse a few at once using different tabs.
-Use the search function on the boards. If you are designer, do a search for that. You may be surprised what you may have missed just in the last 24 hours.
-Some boards allow you to subscribe to threads. If you are involved in a thread subscribe to it so that you don’t have to search for it when you go back to that board later.
-If the board has an email alert feature use it. This feature will send you an email whenever someone posts a reply to a thread of yours or makes a reply to a thread you are posting in. This is a very handy feature because if you check your email regularly you can be Johnny on the spot with answers and replies without having to stay glued to the boards all day.
-Use Boardtracker (www.boardtracker.com). This is an invaluable resource to any webmaster. It tracks many boards and scans them for keywords that you select. Again, if you are a designer you can tell it to scan for any words that have to do with website design. If you are a galley submitter you can enter in keywords that have to do with that. I also have it search for my board usernames that way I know if anyone is looking for me. When a thread or post is made that contains these keywords Boardtracker will send you an email. This can save you uncounted hours of searching and alert you to when someone is looking for something that you may be able to offer.
BE A PRO
It is easy to get drawn into the discussions on a board. Politics seems to always be a heated topic and I would have to admit I am guilty of having partaken in a handful of political threads. In the end these threads really don’t get you anywhere. You are not going to change people’s minds and all you really accomplish is possibly tainting people’s opinions of you. My New Years resolution last year was to stop posting in political threads and I have only broken it once or twice this year. J
When posting on the boards stay professional. Stay away form personal attacks or accusing people of things. Conduct yourself as if the webmaster board was an office. You wouldn’t call a co-worker a dumb fuck or slander someone you worked with in your office would you? The internet allows some form of anonymity, but you still earn a reputation. If you tarnish it, it can take a lot of work to repair it.
Stay on task, be a pro, treat people with respect and spend your time wisely. If you follow these keys you can find the boards to be a fun place to visit and a place that can really help advance your business and earn you more money.
Reader Comments: (1 posts)
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Jaxon says: Thanks for the insight. It binrgs light into the dark! |
October 30th, 2011 at 11:33pm EST Rating:  |
