1. Members or Contributors-anyone who participates in the conversation

2. Moderator- person who [...]]]> So in the last post we discussed why it’s important to participate in industry forums and in this post we’ll discuss the components of a forum so that no matter what forum you visit you’ll be able to navigate with confidence.

1. Members or Contributors-anyone who participates in the conversation

2. Moderator- person who monitors the conversation to be sure that everyone adheres to the rules and regulations set up by the forum owner.  Think of them like a referee.  Moderators are often chosen or employed by the Forum Administrator.

3. Thread-the two-way conversation that happens between members.  Usually only registered members of a forum are allowed to start a “thread” and then any forum member or the moderator can respond to the thread.  Threads are usually visible to non-forum-members but only forum members can respond to and comment on the thread.

4. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)-this is a section where the rules and regulations are posted as well as where other guidelines for the forum are posted.  Some forums do not allow members to post links until they have a certain number of posts.  This type of restriction keeps the level of link spamming to a minimum.

5. Posts-text message or comment that is typed out and submitted. Often forums count the number of posts made by a member and display this number to show how active a member is in the community. Some forums even have levels of distinction based on the number of posts made by a member.

6. Forum Administrator-manages the technical requirements of the forum.  They handle promoting and demoting members to and from positions as moderators and keeping the site running smoothly.

That should be the basics. If I forgot anything, please leave a comment below with your questions or additions.