Tips for effective participation

Choose groups and lists carefully. Look for ones that your customers are likely to frequent. Are you an attorney who specializes in software intellectual property? Look for groups that cater to software developers, Webmasters, and others who would be interested in your services. A group dedicated to legal issues might only net you access to your professional colleagues; this is a good way to learn more about your profession, but won't help you market your services.

Also, limit yourself to 2-3 groups and lists that you can participate in actively. Otherwise, you may be spreading yourself too thin

This is the whole point of marketing through newsgroups and mailing lists. Answer questions that demonstrate your expertise. As people on the groups and lists get to know you and your business, your presence may generate customers. For example, you might be a copywriter who frequents a newsgroup dedicated to small business marketing issues. You can answer someone's posting about writing a direct mail piece by providing some tips on what makes a successful direct mail package. This will show you understand the subject matter, that you have something compelling to contribute, and that you are the kind of person they might hire to do this kind of thing. You're building your reputation without blatantly hyping your business.

Respond to postings directly to the group or list if you believe the information you're providing will benefit everyone who reads it. Respond off-line if you just want to make the poster aware of something. For example, you might find that a poster's question or problem can be solved by your product or service. In that case, send them an email introducing yourself and giving a brief description of your service ("Hi, I saw your posting about widgets, and I though you might be interested in the widgets my company produces..."). Don't post this response to the newsgroup or list.

The general rule of thumb is advertisements are never appropriate for newsgroups or mailing lists. If you're too pushy with a sales pitch, people will see right through you and it will likely net you more flames than customers. Some groups and lists allow limited types of advertising, but you should be totally sure it is appropriate before posting it. Posting a job listing in an appropriate newsgroup is probably okay; posting an ad for your business to a hundred groups is not.

Some other postings that fall into the "must-to-avoid" category: surveys (the results rarely benefit anyone but the poster); personal requests that don't pertain to the group's charter; and chain letters.

You can't know what the real subject of a newsgroup or mailing list is unless you spend some time reading it first. When you first join a group or list, avoid the urge to post your opinion immediately. Instead, read it over for a week or so to get a feel for how people communicate, and what issues are important to them. Groups and lists often have a strong sense of community, and you want to be polite on their turf, and learn the ropes before speaking up. If you're unsure about the right way to participate, consider writing (via email, not through the group or list) to an experienced, friendly-seeming contributor in the group and asking for tips.

Many newsgroups and mailing lists allow you to promote your business in your signature file at the end of your posting. Your signature file should include who you are, what you do, and where people can reach you. This way, if someone wants to contact you off-line, they have a way of doing it. Try to avoid lots of extraneous information like cute quotes or illustrations made up of ASCII keystrokes. These are just distracting.

Observe basic netiquette rules. Use punctuation in your postings, which makes them easier to read and understand. Never post a note in all capital letters; this is considered the online equivalent of screaming at someone, not to mention it's much harder to read. Additionally, proofread your postings -- one that's full of typos or grammatical errors will reflect poorly on your business.