We all have our own reasons for joining message boards. Maybe its to meet some friends, or find some ideas for your business. Maybe you just needed a place to announce your party. Whatever the reason, are you using them properly?

There are several purposes of a message board:

1. Meet new people/network ~ This does not mean finding people to advertise to. Networking means just meeting people. A person you meet can do several different things:

- Become a customer

- Introduce you to another customer

- Open up other networking opportunities

- Become a partner

- Become a friend

2. Share Idea/Get Opinions ~ Key word here being SHARE. Asking for ideas and opinions is good, but giving them is more important. Be sure you are giving back to the community.

3. Announce Specials and Events ~ This should be done only in appropriate categories and only if you are active in the community.

Some "don'ts" of message boards:

- Don't spam the board by posting your ads in inappropriate categories or threads. For example, in a category called "Parenting Advice", don't post your special on toys.

- Don't just post when someone is looking for a business. Get involved with the community and help people as much as you can without promoting your business to them.

- Don't rely on everyone else to start posts, start some yourself. If everyone else waited for someone else to post, no one would be posting. Share and experience with a party, or about an interesting article you read. Just get the conversation going!

- Don't join just to promote your business. If you join expecting your sales to explode, think again. Remember you are here for support, to share ideas, and make some friends. Sales will come eventually, and will probably not be directly.

There are all kinds of message boards, so be sure to follow the rules on each. A few of my favorite boards are:

Mommy's Helper Community: http://www.mommyshelperonline.com/phpBB2/index.php

WAHM.com: http://www.wahm.com

Self Starters Weekly: http://www.selfstartersweeklytips.com/forum/

Most importantly - Have Fun!

About the author: Kara Kelso is a work at home mom of two, and the co-owner of Direct Sales Helpers, which is dedicated to helping mothers succeed in direct sales. For more information, visit: http://www.DirectSalesHelpers.com