I’m a huge fan of forums. They are a massive collection of useful information (hopefully) and a place to network and meet new people in your niche. I have seen some forums come and go, and I have also seen some respectable forums fall by the way-side and become over-run with spammers.

That’s a real shame. I hate to see that happen. There are some reasons why this may happen to a particular forum, but I’ll get into that a little later.

I’m sure there are many forums that focus on entrepreneurship, but I have yet to find one as comprehensive and complete as the EvanCarmichael.com Forums.

Who is Evan Carmichael?

Simply put, Evan is an entrepreneurship expert. He’s been interviewed by numerous media outlets across North America. Evan has worked with many different brands to help them connect with the entrepreneur community. He has been an entrepreneur his entire life and owned his first company at the early age of 19.

Watch this short, five minute video and listen to Evan talk about how he got started and the success he has had…

I wasn’t kidding when I said he was an expert. If you want to view his official bio, check out Evan’s About Page.

Even though the focus of this post is to outline the Forums, I think it’s worth mentioning that the entire site is one massive resource for entrepreneurs. There is so much you can learn from Famous Entrepreneurs – Their business strategies, failures, successes, tips, etc.

Other noteworthy sections of the site include entrepreneur Advice, Blogs, Tools, Articles…

And of course… the Entrepreneur Forums.

The Entrepreneur Forums

The Entrepreneur Forums are comprised of several different sections: From Evan’s Desk, Starting Your Own Business, Making Money in 2011, Other Entrepreneur Topics, and Private MasterMind Groups.

Each of these sections contain various forum categories, and each category has various threads in which members can discuss different topics.

What makes the Forums valuable is the wide range of topics that are covered. Pretty much any and every aspect pertaining to business, both offline and online, can be found there.

What Makes this Forum Different?

The Forums are a friendly community comprised of both successful and aspiring entrepreneurs, who are involved in many different types of business. One aspect that sets them apart from other online forums is that each forum category has its own Moderator.

I happen to be one of the moderators, and have been for over a year now. It’s been an honor for me to be part of such a great community, and I have learned so much, not only from other forum moderators, but also from other forum members.

Each moderator is diligent in welcoming new members and replying to topics, questions and comments left in the Forums. They are also vigilant when it comes forum spam. There is a no spam policy, which is greatly enforced and dealt with quickly.

That, I believe, is commendable on so many levels. The fact that Evan and his team are that committed to ensuring a friendly and spam-free forum says a lot. I have seen other forums become over-run with spammers, with no action being taken against them.

What happens when spammers are left to do as they please? Regular, honest members – pretty much those who have a conscience, get fed up and leave and go elsewhere where the forum owner does care. I’ve seen it happen.

What Say You?

Have you heard of Evan Carmichael before? Ever checked out his website or been to the Forums?

Does this sound like a forum you would want to be a part of or could learn from?

Share your thoughts below…

When it comes to online branding, one must make the decision whether to brand the business or brand him/her self. In the online business world, it’s hard to be transparent with site visitors. You don’t have that personal connection as you do with a traditional offline business.

One question that gets asked many times is, “Should I brand myself or my business?” This would depend on what kind of business you have or plan to have. If you’re marketing a specific product or service, you may want to brand that product/service. If you’re an affiliate marketer and promote many different programs, you’ll definitely want to brand yourself.

When it comes to online branding, it’s all about trust. People want to trust you, so you need to give them a reason to trust you or your product/service. Without that trust and personal connection established, your potential clients/customers will go somewhere else where they feel more safe.

I must say, it’s a lot harder to brand yourself online. I’ve made my best effort to make myself known to my site visitors, utilizing a picture of myself and having contact information available. This Work From Home Blog is probably the best way for visitors to see who I really am and learn more about me. That’s important for me, and it helps me build trust in my readers.

While online branding can be difficult, it’s not impossible by any means. Here’s some tips on how you can brand yourself online with social network sites:

• Use a picture whenever possible
• Complete your profile
• Network with others with the same interests

If your branding a specific product/service, you want to make sure you talk about it within your profile. You could even use the product as the picture. Anything to get your product/service or yourself out there and known.

While I was planning this post on branding, I came across a video about Tony Hawk talking about how to brand a business. I thought it was quite interesting, so if you have some time, check it out.

No matter what business you’re in, branding is essential to success. Want more tips on how to brand yourself or your business online? Check out this insightful post on the Even Carmichael Forums about Personal Branding.

Do you have any other online branding tips? Share your thoughts below…

Participating in forums has many benefits which I’ve covered here in the past. There’s the knowledge, recognition, and backlinks that you can gain, as well as the satisfaction of helping others.

With all that said, there may be some other reasons why you choose a particular forum over others as your first choice. I think it’s safe to say that each forum has its own benefits, but what makes the forum you spend the most time in so great?

This topic came up just recently in the Evan Carmichael Entrepreneur Forums, and I thought it would be nice to get some of my readers’ feedback on the issue.

Most agreed, including myself, that our number one reason for spending the most time in a particular forum is due to the friendly atmosphere. Everyone is willing to help another out, including newbies. I was a newbie once, and still am in many areas. It feels nice to be treated like an equal and given help without facing ridicule and harassment from those more experienced.

The Bible verse that says “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” quickly comes to my mind here. I’ve been disrespected and spat upon in the past from forum members who thought they were the bigshot. It’ doesn’t feel good at all and makes me leave and go somewhere else for answers.

I would say that most people have been treated like this at some point in their lives, whether in real life or online. It’s no wonder why this subject comes up often when this same attitude is portrayed in various forums. People like myself usually avoid them at all cost, never to return.

However, those same forums are usually full of valuable information. Because of this, I will usually lurk around and gobble up as much of it as possible, but if I have a question about something I read, I’ll ask elsewhere.

You want to know what my favorite forum is? I have two favorites for two different reasons. One is of course the Evan Carmichael Entrepreneur Forums because of the very friendly and helpful atmosphere. The other is the PIPS Support Forum which is part of the Warrior Forum because I’m always on the lookout for new marketing strategies to build my online business. If you’re wondering what PIPS is, you can learn more about that here.

So, the question for you is, what makes the forum you spend the most time in so great? It can be for any reason at all. Feel free to also list the forums you participate in.