Communities Rolling Talk Is Cheap.
And Good for Sales Too. Businesses are embracing the humble message board to speed up problem solving and share ideas. It was just a local inspiration, one of those good ideas that small-business owners come up with every day. Tom Green, an Ace Hardware commercial dealer in Pittsburg, Calif., wanted to attract corporate customers, so he gave away a few cans of paint in a promotion aimed at local businesses. Green's effort brought in some new sales, but more important, he wrote up the experience on a message board that Ace Hardware had set up for its 300 dealers.