Online Forums Attract Dedicated Users, Host Robust Debates and Provide Outstanding Advertising Venue
LAKE FOREST, Calif., Dec. 19, 2012 — ProBoards, the world's largest host of free forums on the Internet, said the growth of Internet forums continues to grow at a steady pace in 2012 and new tools designed to enhance user interaction in 2013 will continue to increase user participation in the New Year.
According to Patrick Clinger, CEO and founder of ProBoards, thousands of new forums are created every week using ProBoards, along with the tens of thousands of members that join existing ProBoards forums each week. In 2012, the company reached the milestone of over 3.5 million forums created using their service.
"Online forums are essentially the first social media networks and they haven't gone away," said Clinger. "Our studies of online forum users show they are loyal to forums they read and post in regularly. Forum users are very likely to be active in multiple forums. Because these forum participants are so active, they provide a valuable place for sharing information, opinions, and advice. Further, as online forums are very focused on specific topics, they offer a high value to Internet advertisers."
Clinger describes an Internet forum, or message board, as an online discussion website where individuals can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. These messages can then be viewed at any future time, even if the person was not online when they were posted. Forums foster interaction, discussion, and improve customer loyalty.
Since its founding in 2000, ProBoards has attracted more than 22 million registered users. The company’s site boasts over 15 million monthly unique visitors with more than 200 million page views per month.
ProBoards, which provides an easy to create, simple to use, and reliable free forum hosting solution that lets anyone create an online forum, was voted "Best Hosted Forum" in 2011 by Forum-Software.org. The company leads the voting for a repeat award this year.
To create your own online forum, simply go to www.proboards.com and follow the instructions for setting up a forum and customizing the look of your site.
"While we're very grateful to have been recognized for our current contributions to the online forum community, we're even more excited about our new ProBoards Version 5.0 free forum hosting platform that will be released early next year," said Clinger. "We believe this new, easier to use and easy to customize platform will revitalize the end-user forum experience with full Web 2.0 interactivity."
About ProBoardsFounded in 2000, ProBoards (www.proboards.com) is the largest provider of free forum hosting on the Internet. With millions of members, ProBoards is the preferred service provider for forum enthusiasts across the globe. At the core of this achievement is ProBoards' award-winning forum software, exceptional customer support, and dedication to continuous improvement.
For more information on ProBoards, go to www.proboards.com.