As a writer, half of my job is straight research, and every so often I get stuck in the research rut known as Google. It doesn't matter if I'm researching sales techniques or consumer psychology or environmentally-conscious mobile apps: my first instinct will always be to Google it, then peruse the highest ranked articles.

For kicks, here's a random sampling of things I’ve googled in the past few months:

• email tracking software
• horse-hair vs wool mattress filling
• crowdfunding tools
• companies with tuition assistance programs
• LLC vs. sole proprietor
• Disqus pros and cons
• sauerkraut recipes
• how to get rid of lingering sauerkraut smell
• value-added service
• minimalist web design
• Febreze in bulk.

I can find valuable information on most of the topics I research, barring a few (seriously, this sauerkraut smell is getting ridiculous). The internet being the ever-expanding universe of information that it is, I can often locate articles, interviews or videos concerning the topic. Fortunately, sources are aplenty.

But while I don't have an issue mining secondary sources for background information, I don’t enjoy parroting these sources throughout the entire article. I'd much rather introduce the reader to something new on whatever topic I'm discussing (a new perspective, a new piece of data, etc.). Well, new to the internet, at least.

To find the new, I may seek out a subject matter expert and request an interview. I may speak to friends, family or scour my network for someone in the know.

Or I may seek wisdom of the crowd, and turn my attention to the mighty forum.

Forums as a Source of Information, Guidance and Inspiration

Also known as message boards, an internet forum (yes, I'm actually going to explain what an internet forum is) is an online discussion platform where users can communicate with each other via posted text messages. The forum was one of the very first internet contraptions, and some of the earliest internet forums include the Delphi Forums and The Well.

Forum topics can range from video games and proper wood carving techniques to conspiracy theories and base jumping, and because of this diversity, I can almost always find a forum dedicated to the topic I’m researching.

Some of my favorite forums and forum platforms to use for research purposes are Quora, Warrior Forum, Inbound, HTML Forums, Creative Cow, the ever-expanding inventory of Reddit subreddits, and of course, the SitePoint forums.

Users of these forums are surprisingly willing to help me with my research, as long as I take the right approach.

Continue reading %How to Use Forums to Research an Article%

Source: SitePoint