I love online forums. I've been a lurker and poster for the past 10 years, ever since a friend told me about a forum for one of my favorite TV shows. Of course, some are rather juvenile such as one my grandson told me about for an online game. He complained the comments were really “lame,” but then the posters' average age is around 11.
I found the answer to a rather obscure equine behavioral problem on an U.K. horse-health site called Horse Active. Business people can take advantage of a plethora of forums to ask and generally receive sound advice on practically anything. Check out the Small Business Community Forums. Another community for you is Business Forums.com, which describes itself as an online discussion forum for entrepreneurs, investors and business owners.
My early career in journalism involved writing construction and engineering articles. I wish the engineers forum had been around then. Almost every category of engineering discipline is covered at Eng-Tips Forums. Engineers can check on their particular discipline such as mechanical, structural, electronic, chemical, solidworks 3D CAD products, HVAC/R, corrosion, the list goes on.
Even the U.S. federal government is open to online comments. The U.S. Government Discussion Forum is a free board for questions or comments about the agencies that govern our lives. Of course, everyone running for office seems to have a forum, including the two who want to be president. Two of many independent forums devoted to the candidates are the Barack Obama Forum and the John McCain Supporters forum.
So, it is no wonder I enjoy the Self-Storage Talk forum hosted by Inside Self-Storage. I can’t recommend it highly enough for asking questions about running your storage business, connecting with movers and shakers in our industry or just hanging out and making friends. If you have not registered, the steps are simple and fast. Give it a visit today. You won’t be sorry.