Top 5 Benefits of Online Forums You Can’t Ignore

What are forums?

Internet forums are online discussion groups where people can ask questions and get advice from others. The first Internet forum was created in 1995, when it was found that people needed a place to go to inquire about questions, connect with other members of the community, share ideas and experiences, and have conversation. Today, there are countless discussions on every imaginable topic at an internet forum.

If you want to learn more about the history of some of the major social media networks, then keep reading. Online forums have come a long way since their BBS and Usenet origins, and are still hugely popular. A 2015 survey by Pew Research Center found that 15% of all internet users read or post comments on an online discussion site.

Community forum software is a type of software that allows users to create and manage forums. Community forum software can be used to create forums for a variety of purposes, such as communicating with customers, sharing ideas, or exchanging information.Some community forum software applications allow users to create and manage forums using a user interface or portal.

Other applications allow users to create and manage forums using embedded features within other applications.Community forum software can be used to create forums for a variety of purposes, such as communicating with customers, sharing ideas, or exchanging information. Some community forum software applications allow users to create and manage forums using a user interface or portal. Other applications allow users to create and manage forums using embedded features within other applications.

Do you still question why forums are still so rampant in an age where Facebook and other social media sites are the norm? We have compiled the top 5 reasons that are worth knowing, and why they make an invaluable part of your team's productivity.

Encourage engagement on discussion forums

Online forums allow you to interact with potential customers in a wild and free environment.

It's a great way for your team members and stakeholders to connect over shared experiences.

"Providing communities for different user groups is a great way to effectively connect with your customers. This will ensure that they stay engaged with the conversations you've created and that they're having a good time". Says Jeroen van Gils of LiFi in an interview.

Improve communication

As the importance of email-related productivity and efficiency continue to rise, businesses need to find new ways to improve communications.

What if you could fully utilize the power of your company's website? An online discussion forum can help provide a crucial interface for customer communication. It creates a space where questions and needs can be easily disseminated and addressed in a clear, chronological order.

Besides the benefit of being able to answer questions, another advantage is that the key points raised in the online discussion won't be lost. With pinning specific posts to the top of discussion, no-one misses any key statements.

Increase collaboration

If you want to see the best results from your efforts, one of the best things you can do is improve collaboration.

As a company, we believe in teamwork and collaboration. Check out our blog post to find out why more than 75% of employers rate it as "very important".

Online collaboration can help your business expand through the idea exchange and creativity of your active members. All members benefit from increased engagement, contributions and new ideas.

This is where I would argue that discussion forums are an optimal place to do this. Discussion forums can host conversations, contribute ideas, and refer back to them at any time. As discussed by Jeroen van Gils, CEO of LiFi.

Better engagement

An engaged workforce is one of the many benefits of having employees. The increased productivity and less absenteeism from having happy employees are just two important examples of that.

Employees are more productive when they're happy in the workplace.

By promoting your project online with a thriving online community, you'll be able to make connections across different stakeholders and create the type of momentum that will keep your project on track and moving forward.

Nowadays, creativity and expression comes in many forms, including photo sharing platforms. What these platforms offer is a platform to share their views and creativity in a positive manner that ultimately contributes to helping the company's success.

Seek assistance and support

We have to overcome problems all the time here.

There may be times when the only people there to help you are managers or colleagues, but what happens if they're in a meeting or away from their desk? What do you do when there's no one to call for help?

When you're working with a community, one of the best ways to create meaningful dialogue is through an online forum. With our live chat feature, your members can reach out and ask for help. If their peers are around to respond, it creates a network amongst colleagues who actively support each other.

Add the forum post to your project's resource list and refer back to it when you have questions. It can help grow into an FAQ or Wikipedia-style approach that everyone in your company or organization benefits from.

Help drive usage of your online collaboration tool

Some people may dismiss forums as something that just happens to fit around the edges of their website's design. However, most websites have forums where they invite users to come together. Your forum doesn't have to be standalone. It can also form part of your existing or new online collaboration tools, serving as a useful extension of your company's website.

Social technologies are being used by more and more organizations. It's worthwhile if you decide to invest yourself in a certain platform. Plus, Gartner recently stated that 70% of organizations use social media at the moment.

A study from Gartner's Social Business Hype Cycle – the annual organizational growth and adoption prediction of emerging business trends in the market – revealed that while a majority of social collaboration initiatives have been successful, they only reach a 10% success rate.

To avoid these problems, you need to do one thing. One reason is good enough for your stakeholders to agree with you and collaborate.

It's often said that a website needs people who share the same interest. This is especially useful when discussing certain topics, or any related topics. That way, users can engage in conversations and help encourage stakeholders to regularly log in and be involved with your tool.

So, to make this easier on you, we've arranged for some of our leading suppliers to give you the option of "@mentioning" specific people. This will help increase participation and bring in more people into the conversation for your ads!

The next steps

If you want to compare a supplier's products with your competitors, it's important to ask a lot of questions in an interview. When you make decisions based on the answers you're given, you may as well make informed decisions that don't leave room for error.