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I’m not entirely sure why I was surprised to discover that people actually pay to have others post on their forums. After all, we pay for everything else, why not pay to make our forums look ‘established’?

Kind of sitting on the fence about this one. On one hand, I’m well aware of how difficult it can be to start a forum, and then keep it running. My Wahm Community has been online for a few years, and it’s only been recently through the efforts of a volunteer that we’re breathing life back into the place.

So, for a brand new forum I can definately understand the need to make it look like the place to be and to encourage interaction. What I have trouble with is that none of the forum posting businesses that I took a look at gave you any indication of what type of post you could expect from their hired posters. Personally, I’d want to know that I was going to get something of quality - and obviously geared toward my forums target market.

Another thing that irked me is the fact that some of these services may send just one poster to your forums, but that same person may register under multiple user names. In one review that I read in a situation like this, some of the dual personalities replied to posts using the typical ‘Me Too’ type of response. How exactly is that beneficial?

You also have the option of paying for traffic… 1000 visitors to your forums for example. Again, other than falsely inflating your traffic stats, what exactly is this doing for you and your community?

I’m still a firm believer that if it’s worth it, people will find their way to you… yes - the good old fashioned ways: advertisements, word of mouth etc. It’s still up to the community owner to ensure there is a welcome environment, and targeted topics for visitors.

Has anyone ever used this type of service? I’d love to hear your opinions.