A well known Internet marketing forum (no, I’m not giving you the name) has activated some very interesting code that is going to change the way people use the forum itself. I’m going to fill you in on what the code does and then give you my opinion of how effective I think it’s going to be in the long run. Please note, this is just my opinion so take it with a grain of salt.

The code in question is very simple. Members can use the word YOU in brackets, like this [YOU] and what happens is this. The member reading the thread or post thinks that the thread is referencing that person’s name. When the code was first instituted it got quite a reception. The responses were off the charts. However, upon examining this functionality, I saw the dangers of using it, especially when in the wrong hands.

A clever mind can compose threads that will make the person think that some terrible things are being said about them, unless of course the thread is deleted before it manages to do any damage. But there is an even bigger problem than the damage that the code itself can do. The problem is that whenever a thread legitimately mentions a member’s name, the member reading it (if it’s THEIR name) won’t know if it’s real or just part of the forum code fun.

And that’s where the trouble begins. For example, right now at that forum, there is a thread started by somebody looking for somebody who COULD be another member. Now, imagine that member knows about the code, sees the thread and decides that it’s just a joke and ignores it. In the meantime, the person looking for help from this member is not going to get it because they’re going to be ignored. This is going to be very true for the members who have been there long enough to know the code exists.

Will it be effective in advertising sections? Maybe for new people coming to them, but for the majority, it will probably have little effect, if any at all. As a matter of fact, senior forum members might look at the thread as a cheap advertising tactic, ignore it, and thus actually lower the number of sales the advertiser gets.

As I said, this is just my opinion and I could be wrong. So let me know what you think. Is this code a good idea or a bad one?

I guess time will tell.

To YOUR Success,

Steven Wagenheim

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