From comments to forums: The next step?

Blog comments are often the liveliest and most popular section of many blogs.



Some of the best thoughts are expressed by the blog's reading audience. Good comments will often help the blogger to expand on the ideas expressed in the post, or improve on them.



As you know, I recommend that all blogs have a comment section, to help your readers express their thoughts and opinions. That interaction between bloggers helps to build community.



By creating an ever widening circle of readers, the comments section helps retain those members. Many people who leave comments return to the blog to find out if they received any responses to their own ideas. Those responses could come from the blog owner or from other readers.



The next step in comments is the creation of a message forum on your blog.



While not for everyone, a forum can enlarge the reader and blogger interaction exponentially. By having many thread topics from which to choose, readers can post comments on those that interest them.



Unlike comments on blog postings, that scroll off the bottom of the page in only a few days, forum messages remain much longer. Sometimes popular threads will remain for months at a time, continually adding posts.



The popular and very eclectic Canadian blog The G Spot has just launched a brand new message board.



Thanks to Vicki at Just In From Cowtown for the link.



Always a popular blog for comments, bloggers Kim and Darin have decided to take the next step. By adding message board to their blog, they have decided that they and their readers should share even more interaction, on a wider range of topics.



Kim says about the forum, "It makes a nice addition to the G Spot blog to have a place to carry on longer conversations on some topics. It also provides a nice place for you the reader to share things with other G Spot visitors."



Registration is fairly simple and straighforward, so it's easy to become a member.



The success of the The G Spot in operating an ongoing message board may encourage other bloggers to expand their comments into a forum.



Time will tell.



Good luck to Kim and Darin of The G Spot on the launch and success of their new message board.