How to Make Effective Post Exchanges

I wrote up this article to explain to others how to make effective post exchanges to promote the exchange partner's motivation to return good quality post exchanges to you. Enjoy this article and please reply with any comments, opinions, success stories and any other information you would like to provide.

First, we need to understand what a post exchange is. A post exchange is a partnership between one forum owner and another. The partnership is a mutual exchange of a certain number or continuing Post Exchange. Basically when a new forum is created, the owner need posts to help start it. He/she could make the posts themselves but other member posts will help boost traffic and get other users to join up. So the Post Exchange method has become popular in forum administration. You simply post on another forum and in exchange, the forum owner posts on your forum. This usually allows both of you to leave your forum link on your signature and open up more advertisement opportunities.

Now we need to focus on how to make effective post exchanges. If you want good content on your forum, then you must give good content on other forums. Many people who conduct post partnerships don't really care about the content they give but when it comes to the posts they receive, they require the best. That is not a good exchange partnership. Do onto others as you want others to do onto you. Make quality posts and get them back in return.

There are three guidelines to keep in mind when wanting to have the best post partnership as possible and they are:

Be a member – This means that you should be seen as a regular member when you join the community. When you join, dress up your profile and select the options you wish to have displayed such as quick reply, forum time and so on. Your first post should be in the introduction section (if applicable). Your introduction should be at least a brief paragraph. Tell other members a little bit about yourself, where you are from and some of your most devoted interests. Be friendly and act as if you really want to be a part of the community and meet new people.

Show trust – Many exchange partnerships begin with one partner saying "Once you start posting on my forum, I will start on yours". This is a bad partnership attitude to have. To avoid it, simply be the first one (without complaint) to start posting. Be friendly to the exchange partner whether or not they are friendly or give good content. If they don't give good posts, simply finish your exchange with them and then never partner up with them again. This will show others you are mature, trustworthy and not one to complain about what others give you. If you must confront the partner about the Post Exchange conditions or issues, do so in private with use of Private Messages or email. Do not create drama for other users to have to deal with.

Quality Posts – This is one of the most important guidelines to have. I remember once when I asked a former exchange partner to have another exchange. He said that he was extremely satisfied with my posts from the last time and was very happy to do another exchange with me. The best posts to create are ones that keep the thread going. Tell a little story and ask questions so the thread gets replies. Avoid making too many "one liner" replies or topics. One liner posts are posts with 1-4 words that really don't ask a question or motivate the thread. Post more in unpopulated boards and threads to get them active. Be friendly and be on topic. It is also a good idea to read the board guidelines to make sure you don't post any unwanted content.

Use this article as a guidebook to Post Exchanges and I wish you the best of luck with your forum. To request post exchanges, click here.