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Most of forums I frequent have a place to put a homepage URL in your profile page, but not all do. I see some members with a link to their blogs in their sig. lines, but I've always been under the assumption that it's bad form to give out a link that way.
I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing to put your URL in your signature line. I know that I like visiting the websites of people I engage with in forums.
There are also different ways to do it, I mean there's blatant advertising which is kind of offensive, and a brief "check out my website" sort of thing. In forums that offer profile pages, I think that the profile is a better place for that kind of thing, so that you can save a witty, pithy quote for your signature line.
Sometimes it's hard to know what is and isn't bad form. I'd posted something in my blog about whether or not editing a blog entry past a certain point was in bad form. I don't get an incredible amount of traffic (understatement), so getting an answer there didn't seem likely. I then posted a discussion here to get more feedback. I linked to my specific blog entry on the topic because I'd expanded a bit on the topic there and, well, sure I wouldn't mind a few extra visitors. In my mind, that's hardly nefarious. That's the only time I've ever done it.
I've actually been surprised (not pleasantly) to learn about how much thought and scheming people put into garnering traffic, farming friends, and increasing authority ratings.
If there's one thing I've learned, is that forums and message boards differ wildly in what they consider appropriate. I wish there were a rule book. I know on BlogHer it's acceptable, even expected to put a link to your blog in your sig. line, but other boards I've been on think of it as outright spamming. I'm usually careful, and opt not to, but yeah, there are times when I wish I could just to get a bit more traffic thrown my way.
Lurking in the forum/message board before beginning to post is a good idea. That way, it is possible to pick up what the form is for putting in blog links without making any potentially embarrassing mistakes. Putting in a blog link where it fits into the conversation generally works, as long as you have something relevant to the conversation at the other end. Otherwise, it's play by ear.
And yes, a rule book would be appreciated for that sort of netiquette.
You have to think of online social interaction in much the same way you do offline. The etiquette is slightly different, but not remarkably so. In real life we meet new people through work, other friends, our interests, and randomly. Same here. In life we share our interests and what we're doing with those people at what feels like appropriate times.
I will put my blog URL in email signatures and on forum profiles but not always. It depends on who I'm talking to. I figure most people would want the opportunity to get to know me more this way, but putting it in signatures and in profiles always allows them the OPTION to choose. Yelling it in their ear and then forcing their hand onto the mouse is an entirely different story.
If it isn't easy to find the homepage of a person posting, then I think it is a good thing to add it in a sig line. I like to easily find other posts by someone who writes an astute comment and adding your URL in your sig is far from unnecessary pimping, it is being helpful to the readers.
Aldon Orient Lodge (In case you found my comment interesting and want to read more) ;-)
I agree with Velvet Verbosity. If I were to meet you face-to-face, I would probably first tell you about my Web site and its related Blog. Not the other way around. Also, our site and blog are not our daily meanderings but rather useful (we hope) information for white-knuckled parents.
I don't see any harm in posting URLs. The reader does not have to visit if she/he does not wish to.
Now you got me worried. Is my post on A Wild Ride today considered "pimping?" By asking you to check it out, is that adding more unnecessary self-promotion?
I haven't been as blatant as to ask people specifically to check out my blog, Orient Lodge; there isn't any information there right now that is tied to the issue of blog pimping, although I have written on it in the past.
However, I considering your linking to A Wild Ride, completely appropriate.
I've been attending various conferences on online advertising and a recurring theme is the question of what the advertiser is giving the targeted consumer. In your case, I got more information about A Wild Ride, which was worthwhile to me, so I didn't feel bad about clicking the link.
Perhaps that gets to a key component, if you ask someone to visit your website, what are they getting in exchange for the visit? In the context of the discussion, does the ask make sense?
Thanks for visiting and for validating my post. I felt a little guilty so I added a shorter post just now. But the original post is still visible. This can make me crazy!
Some people are hypercritical and hypersensitive so sharing space on a forum with them is akin to negotiating a mine field. I avoid those types of forums because you can't be constantly second-guessing your actions.
I also find the atmosphere turns a funny kind of puce if someone makes a faux pas and it is followed by critical comments. It is best to ignore the clumsy or even the trollish. A quick word with the mod is normally the best remedy.
Links in sigs seem natural to me. I use such a sig for most of my emails. I've never had a complaint and at times of stress people have gone to my blog to check for signs of life. Sigs with links are less necessary with social networking, where you can click through to someone's profile, but they are still pretty subtle.
Posting links to personal blogs in forums is fine and I enjoy them just as long as you don't Spam or behave like a Troll.
With professional sites I think you have to be careful that it is relevant, like your post here Elizabeth.
But this is a social networking site, we are supposed to be interested in what other members are getting up to.
I love it when people hotlink their names and sign at the bottom of posts. I like being able to click right through to their blog if the comment inspires me to learn more about that person. I don't have a ton of spare time, and if I have to click through to the profile page, then it might just never happen. lol. OK. I'm also a tad lazy...
II feel like a hotlinked name is totally un-intrusive, but that's just my opinion. ;-)
In the NaBloPoMo forums, I think it helps to have your blog link in the body of the message, because there are so many clicks to get to it from here (click on the person's name/image, scroll around on their profile page till you find it). Also, if you're linking to something that's relevant to the question, it's really helpful and a good idea (for example, I responded to the "what did you blog about today?" question then forgot to link to the actual post, which probably would have been helpful if anyone wanted to read it!)
I think it depends on how much you're contributing to the conversation. If it's just your blog URL at the end of a well thought-out comment/response, it will go over a lot better than someone who's just spamming the community with "Hey u need 2 c my blog its teh best: www.annoyingblogger.com"
When I was using an older version of wordpress without askimet, I had to weed through all my comments, spam or not, and I'd hate those. I'm pretty sure they were legit commenters, not spambots, but I never approved those comments that ended "hey check out my blog."
I think it has something to do with the spirit of the discussion, too. The NaBloPoMo forums are pretty much designed for people to find each other, read each other and support each other, so giving your link at the end of a post just helps that out. If people are coming to your blog and leaving comments that show that they didn't read/care about your post, that's pretty rude. That's like showing up at a stranger's party and cutting off everyone's conversation to talk about yourself. The NBPM forums are more like a meet-and-greet where everyone's a stranger and came with the purpose of getting to know each other.
A very successful blogger I know and now consider a friend once told me that if you aren't pimping your blog at every possible opportunity, you aren't working hard enough. I do try to excercise some margin of restraint but I have so far done all the usual (signature line citations, social networking sites, etc.) as well as some of the less common (printed blog cards, having the name and address embroidered on the back of my field vest, a small quantity of ball caps produced with the logo and address). So far it's all been beneficial and I haven't had anyone yet say I was "over the line."
LOL..............I wish I wore a field vest to have my blog name and address embroidered on the back. The way I look at signature lines, etc, is to not overdue it, but to get your blog out there to anyone who might be interested in reading it. It's great to be a blogger, but isn't the main purpose of writing a blog having people read what your wrote? And because the Internet is so large, a potenial reader might miss out if you don't put in a link within your signature line.
