Learning Tips: Use forums effectively

Jackych

Use Forums Effectively 1

First find a forum you like. It's not difficult. Nowadays you can find a forum on just about any topic you can think of. If you have a hobby or sport, why not share your passion?

A good forum should be well moderated and have enough active members.

Forums where you have to register to participate are better than free for alls, where you may get trouble from spammers etc.

Post an introductory message and wait...

Source: English Magazine

sunwaydeng

Very good. Thanks.

Jackych

supporting myself.

Jackych

Use Forums Effectively 5

There are lots of forums out there, so try searching Google to see if someone has already written about your topic or asked that burning question.

If you are in a busy forum try the forum's own search engine to see if your question or answer has already been posted. If it has, respond to the original post instead of starting a new thread.

Jackych

Use Forums Effectively 4

The best way to learn, is to teach.

Read other posts and try to spot any errors, if you are confident enough point out the error. This way you may help someone else as well. Of course you could end up in a blazing argument, so be discrete and maybe save this tip for English learning forums.

Jackych

Use Forums Effectively 3

The English forum is becoming very popular. However not everyone seems to "get it". Forum is a Latin word, it was the main public square at the centre of a Roman town, which acted as the main meeting place and shopping area. Generally speaking a forum on the internet is a place to share knowledge and thoughts.

Your messages should be concise, think carefully about the content, intent, and tone. If you want to encourage people to talk with you try this five-stage process for writing your messages:

1. Get to know the forum.
When you find a forum you like just start by reading the forum's messages carefully. Try reading the discussion boards for a week or so without actually responding or posting anything yourself. In chat rooms, just sit quietly for a while to see if the discussions that are going on are truly something in which you wish to engage. Don't respond to private messages in that time either, just make a note of things you want to follow up in your message.

2. What do you want to discuss?
Identify the core content of your message. Jot down the basics of what you want to say (e.g., a paragraph about the 3-4 most important issues raised by the group so far, a sentence about one area you'd like to explore in more depth, and an open-ended question to encourage more discussion).

Imagine that you are one of the forum participants. Read the message aloud to check your tone. Does it foster a spirit of community building, co-learning, etc.? Does it "sound" like the way you talk?

3. Keep it topical.
Revise your message, checking to make sure that what you say is appropriate for the forum and it is in the correct topic area.

4. Keep it friendly.
Reread / revise the message again, this time adding finishing touches such as a greeting or opening sentence.

5. Be correct.
Check for spelling and grammatical errors.

6. Ask for feedback
Don't be afraid to admit that English isn't your first language. Ask people for help.

Jackych

Use Forums Effectively 2

Once you have found a forum that suits you you may find that some individuals want you to start corresponding through e-mail. However, there's a downside to this, others won't be aware of those conversations and the person you are in contact with may drop out after a while.

Whenever possible/appropriate, write your thoughts, comments, and questions on the forum. That way you will be corresponding with a whole group of people, you will be more visible and everyone will benefit from any response / feedback.