If you’re new to online marketing or blogging, you might be overwhelmed with the various platforms where you can launch your content. There are so many options available to you — whether you want to build a blog or a website, or you want to start a YouTube channel — that it can be hard to know where to begin!
While there are many benefits to having so many options, it can also be paralyzing. There are so many platforms where you can put your content, and because they’re all incredibly competitive, it can be hard to know how to stand out amongst the noise.
What’s more is that regardless of which platform you choose, you’re going to need to write well in order to make your content go viral and gain massive audiences. But, since all of these platforms are now judged on their engagement with readers and viewers, you’re going to need to put in the work to ensure that your writing is effective, interesting, and most importantly, perfect!
In this article, we’ll run down some of the basics of writing for online discussion. We’ll cover everything from what style of writing works best on different platforms to effective sentence structure and how to engage your readership. So, sit back, relax, and get ready to write!
The Basics Of Online Discussion
Before you can start writing for an online discussion network, you’re going to need to know a few things about the platform itself.
First off, what is an online discussion forum?
An online discussion forum is exactly what it sounds like: a forum where people can have discussions about topics of interest. In order to ensure that these discussions remain civil, all users must follow a set of rules and guidelines. While there are many benefits to having an online discussion forum, it can also be a bit of a chore to find the right one for your niche.
Unlike a traditional forum, where the discussions remain within the boundaries of the topic at hand, most online discussion forums are open-ended. This means that you, the writer, can discuss anything and everything relating to your niche, including topics that you might not necessarily have thought of before!
The Purpose Of An Online Discussion Forum
The primary purpose of an online discussion forum is to allow people to exchange ideas and opinions relating to a particular topic. Since these communities are open-ended and not bounded by time or place, they can exist almost anywhere and at any time. This makes them ideal for those wanting to launch a blog or website, as you can have an online discussion forum right next to your marketing blog or website in no time at all!
What’s more is that since bloggers and content creators can easily set these forums up, there’s no special training required. You simply need to ensure that you’re following the rules and guidelines of the network (more on these later).
The Importance Of Engagement
One of the biggest differences between traditional and online forums is actually quite subtle, but it goes a long way towards creating a more engaging and enjoyable experience for users. In a traditional forum, you would eventually reach a point where no one is discussing the topic anymore and the conversations are starting to wind down. In an online discussion forum, this never happens. People will always be chatting about your topic of interest, and you, as a writer, will have the opportunity to engage with them at any time.
Since these communities are open to the public and there are no restrictions on the number of posts or participants, the emphasis is always on the ability of the authors to engage with their audience. Traditional forums are incredibly useful when it comes to driving traffic to your website or blog, but if you’re looking for truly engaging content, you should consider an online discussion network. And for those looking for extremely high engagement, we’d recommend considering a membership site where you can post as much as you want, with no restrictions other than the sensible ones that come with a free account.
The Difference In Quality
When we talk about the quality of content in relation to online discussion, it’s quite difficult to put into words just how big of a difference there is compared to a traditional forum. While everyone has access to a keyboard and the ability to write, not everyone puts in the time to ensure that their writing is up to par. This is why we’ve got such a big problem with poor writing and spelling errors, particularly in the online world. People expect perfection and those who do not meet this standard will not fare well in this environment. This is why it’s vital to buckle down and make sure that your writing is error-free before you publish it.
Luckily, this can be easily implemented. Simply go through your work a few times before you post it and make sure that everything is crisp and clean. Spellcheck and grammar checkers are great tools to have as part of your workflow, and in many instances, your web host will even provide you with a free copy of Microsoft Office 365, which includes the spellchecker as part of the package.
The Rules & Guidelines Of Online Discussion
Like any other form of social media, if you want to write for an online discussion forum, you’re going to need to play by their rules and guidelines. While there are a few different sets of rules and guidelines that you’ll need to follow in order to make sure that your content is suitable for publication, most forums will have some sort of general set of rules and guidelines that apply to everyone.
These are the general rules that everyone must follow:
- Be honest
- No spam
- No plagiarism
- No excessive self-promotion
- No sexually explicit material
- No violent, drug-related, or otherwise illegal content
- No content that attacks a person or group based on race, gender, religion, or nationality
- No content that promotes or disparages a competitor’s product or service
- No content that promotes or disparages a company or affiliate
- No provocative material of any kind
- No derogatory statements about other forums or websites (i.e. “These guys are trash, don’t waste your time there,” etc.)
- No content that’s malicious in any way
- No content that infringes on any copyright laws
- No content that’s been posted previously (duplicate content is still content, but it’s prohibited)
These are the general guidelines that apply to everyone:
- Avoid long sentences
- Use active voice
- Capitalize the first letter of every sentence
- Use a consistent formatting scheme, or “formatting voice” (Headings, bold, italics, etc.)
- Use a space after sentences
How To Write For The Internet
If you’re looking to write for the internet and you don’t have a creative writing background, here are some tips to get you started:
Blogging Is The Simplest And Most Basic Form Of Online Discussion
If you’ve never written anything more complicated than a high school report, then why not try out blogging? It’s incredibly easy to get started and more importantly, it requires very little technical knowledge. Anyone with a computer and an internet connection can start a blog in a matter of minutes. And since everyone and their grandmother can have a blog, this is the perfect place for beginners to build their writing skills.
While there are many different styles of blogs and forums, the basics of writing for a blog remain the same. You’re simply giving your opinions on various topics and allowing others to engage with you on those topics. Since this is essentially a discussion forum, you’ll need to make sure that your posts are interesting and well-written, and the perfect place to start is with a few basic tutorials on blogging.
Choose A Few Topics That You’re Familiar With
Once you’ve gotten the basics down, it’s time to start exploring the world of blogging. As previously mentioned, anyone can start a blog for any topic, but this doesn’t mean that all blogs are created equal. Some blogs are simply there to promote a product or service and will do anything to push traffic to their site. This type of blog often has the “best of” type of sections, where the author takes pride in showcasing their “top 10” products or best articles related to a certain subject.