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They use it to talk about a wide range of issues that affect them where they live. Much more powerful, but that's not Nori's audience.

The above example was for a forum that is more "gossip/talk"-oriented. What about a forum that is more task-oriented?

Obviously, the SBI! Forums are probably the best forums about building a profitable e-business online. I can't imagine SBI! without them. But I waited quite a while before setting up our own forums.

Why?

Because I wanted to be sure we had critical mass. I can't tell you how important it is to wait. You only get one good chance to start with a bang. There is nothing quite so sad online as a quiet forum. So make sure you have...

1) Sufficient traffic volume, enough of whom want a forum, and that brings me to...

2) Reason to be (relevance)

3) Grrrrrrrrrrreat moderators.

If you have those 3 criteria, and the inclination to participate yourself obviously, I don't see how you can regret hosting one. It will...

• build repeat visits and PREsell,
• attract new visitors through word-of-mouth (and specific keyword searches for "forums" and "discussion" about your topic) who are interested in your topic and want to participate (if you have relevance),
• create content that gets found for long tail searches (attracting more new visitors) and...
• ultimately grow your brand and business to greater heights.

Setting up a forum is not a must. But if the fit is right (and like I said earlier, I don't think it is for Nori's site) and the other stars all align, go for it. (And don't miss the TNT HQ article about how to add a phpBB forum to your site using SBI!'s Infin It!.)

All the best,