How I learned to stop worrying and love the forum

When I first got into the internet (which actually seems a lifetime ago but in point of fact was in the year 2000 - yep, I'm a right Johnny-come-lately), I didn't have the first idea about forums, what they were for, or how to conduct myself om them.

I didn't see the point of having a place where your users' could trash your product in full view of all prospective new users.

It's been a steep learning curve.

The first forum I had anything to do with was the Flutter forum.

To be honest, I didn't see the point of having a place where your users' could trash your product in full view of all prospective new users.

And I didn't know how to operate on it, veering from the verbose and patronising (actually, I've not changed much there to this day.) to the clumsy and obvious.

I got Flutter to drop their forum (basically so we could spam Betfair's with no comebacks) but I like to think I've come long way since then.

I launched BackAndlay without a forum and, when OddsAgainst, the guv'nor at Punters' Paradise, first approached me with the idea of a BackAndLay forum within PP, I was lukewarm about the idea.

But he was right and I was wrong, the forum has thrived, and I'm now a firm fan of the concept.

Betfair has a forum, BackAndLay has a forum, but the other exchanges and the sports books as far as I know, do not.

A forum marks your commercial website apart from the rest - it sends all manner of positive messages out to the users.

You want their views so much you actually provide them with a platform, you are inclusive, take criticism on the chin, and want to hear what your users want and, if possible, give it to them.

Following some unfortunate events at EZBoard, Punters' Paradise has migrated to a new and exciting vBulletin platform.

I regard this as a base from which Punters' Paradise can grow to be one of, if not the pre-eminent betting forum(s) on the web.