Article Contributed by Tami Stodghill
Back in my professional life before working at home for myself, I was part of the desktop publishing and graphic design software industry for 20 years. I was a Press Relations Manager and my duties included, of course, writing press releases and working with editors and publications to circulate the news of new and updated software products, and working with the software developers to produce information about the upcoming or soon to ship products. To keep informed in the industry, I made it a point to read industry-related publications and to actively participate on the forums.
These forums produced a plethora of information in a number of different ways. There were users on there who had “wish lists” for products they would love to see developed, users who were having problems with products, and still others who had knowledge or tips based on their own experiences. It was the latter that I found most intriguing and the most valuable.
See, none of us are experts in all areas. And we all started somewhere on our quest to own a business or to work at home. We have – every one of us – developed knowledge and skills along the way that make our job easier, make us work more efficiently, assist us in marketing or to gain exposure, help us to better deal with clients or prospects, and more. But we developed or learned those skills over time, and so there will always be people out there that know things we don¹t. This is where the forums come in.
There are all kinds of forums that target businesses‹business owners, small business owners, entrepreneurs, home-based businesses, business start-ups, etc. And each of those forums has a variety of topics at any one time in which we can garner information and learn from others what has worked for them or not worked for them. Either way, it benefits us. There are all kinds of people on those forums. Some are specialists – writers, marketing professionals, advertising professionals, business advisors, etc – and in a lot of cases, they can provide some pretty valuable information.
Another important use of forums is to be able to see what people are asking and inquiring about. Many people turn to forums as a way to find out what opportunities are out there, how they worked for other people and what they would need to plan on to be successful themselves. In many cases, I respond to forum users by introducing myself and offer any helpful input I have. Sometimes I can provide them links to information that will better enable them to find the answers they are seeking, and other times, I can answer them directly. I put myself in their place, just starting out or trying to overcome a hurdle, and I offer whatever I can in the way of support.
Forums are made up of people from all types of businesses, in all kinds of places, from all walks of life, and with all kind of experience and backgrounds. If you find time on your hands, and you haven’t before, check them out. They are a superb collection of knowledge, sharing and inquiring minds that want to know, and your business may just be the answer they are looking for.
About the Author
Tami Stodghill was the Press-Relations manager, for a world-wide extensible-technology distributor based in London and the US for 20 years. She was also a freelance writer for several industry publications and is now a home-based business owner with WMI. She makes her home in Page-Lake Powell, Arizona, in the summers and Palm Harbor, Florida in the winters where she enjoys boating and reading, camping, hiking and meeting new people. She runs a blog site exclusively to offer tips for success for any small or home-based business.