Bulletin Boards Links Guestbooks Banner and Affiliate Ad Tutorials and Articles Lets begin with the assumption that your website should be an accurate and reliable source of information not only about your products or services, but also about your industry. Only a limited number of products have brand recognition. The challenge will be to demonstrate that you are knowledgeable in your field. The more relevant the information your website offers, the more valuable your site will become and, the more likely that your visitors will bookmark your site. If you're uncomfortable with your ability to write, a short writing refresher may be in order.
Bulletin boards are a tool for facilitating that environment.
Bulletin boards can be used to satisfy numerous applications. The most common use is for discussion forums, but I've also seen them used quite successfully for applications such as customer service, technical support, support groups and even newsletter archives. If you're comfortable with CGI, I would strongly recommend a FREE product called Ikonboard from a website with the same name. Amy Jo does a fantastic job presenting a nine step strategy for developing, maintaining and supporting a web community. This book is a definite must for anyone that is contemplating a message board for their site.