Network marketing forums offer network marketing — also known as multi-level-marketing or MLM — distributors with the opportunity to learn from and interact with each other. Some network marketing forums are geared toward distributors for specific network marketing companies, others are open to representatives from any company. Forums may be sponsored by a specific MLM trainer or speaker, or the forum may simply be owned by an individual with his own website. MLM forums operate can operate in different formats, such as blogs, discussion boards, social networking sites, or mailing lists.
Many forums operate as discussion boards. These boards often have several discussions going on at once, which lets participants select which conversations they wish to enter into. A company-specific network marketing forum will usually focus on that company’s news, products, promotions and events. A general MLM forum typically encourages a wide range of discussions between distributors from different companies. Topics in these general forums often include network marketing industry news, recommendations for books, training materials and speakers, as well as marketing strategies. Many bulletin boards are public, which means that anyone with Internet access can read and enter into the discussions.
Some network marketing forums exist as online mailing lists. Messages by a list member are sent to the entire group, who have the opportunity to respond. Some mailing lists are closed, in that a new member must be approved before joining the group. This can give group members some privacy. Mailing list forums are sometimes used by individual distributors who need to interact with their own recruits on a regular basis.
Social media sites sometimes offer individuals and businesses the chance to establish their own online community which often features discussion boards, photo albums, and the ability to contact members with news. Access to these network marketing forums can be limited just to approved members, or open to the public. These social networking communities have the advantage of being accessible to network marketing distributors who are already using social networking as a marketing strategy.
Blogs written by network marketing distributors have the potential to turn into forums, too. While not all bloggers permit comments, those that do may find that their blog takes on the characteristic of a forum. The difference between a blog and other types of forums is that the blogger can usually direct the conversation based on what he or she chooses to write about. While this can limit the topics of discussion, it can also create a forum that encourages deeper conversations about network marketing issues.