I usually include the person’s name (the actual user name that they use in the forum) along with the name of the forum. I don’t provide a link though, because I don’t want the visitor to leave my site. And since I use only one or two key sentences from the post, I am not violating any copyright either.

Be sure to pick the sentences that make your point, and taken together, all the user comments should convince the visitor that the product is a good one, albeit with a minor flaw or two that can easily be ignored. But don’t make it look like an infomercial either!

Do not, ever, make up any user comment or user name. Not only would it be unethical, you might be in violation of the law, no matter how good your intentions are.

If there aren’t enough reviews about a product, you can just include the ones that are available, or you can go to a related forum and start a thread with questions like, “What are your experiences with product X? A friend of mine is thinking about getting it and I wonder what others experiences have been.” Then use the responses in the thread as your material.

Hope that helps, and thanks for the kind words. I am caught up in some family stuff, but will return in a couple of days to write some new stuff.

Great information. I’ve read and re-read and re-read your suggestion about grabbing someone’s cookie. That’s a really interesting idea that I plan to implement asap.

I have one question regarding using feedback borrowed from forums. You say don’t use more than 1-2 sentences. Do you also include the person’s name with the quote? Do you make up a fictitious name? I know I’ve read somewhere before that you have to be careful in implementing this practice, but I don’t remember the details. Any tips on this?

Keep the posts coming. I return often to re-read a number of these posts as I make changes to my site.

Please do not stop writing these! You write in an easy to read style and get right to the point without being overly wordy. I don’t think they are too long either. As you can see by the date I’m way behind on my e-mails. So much to do – so little time! I appreciate what you are doing, I know you are putting a lot of time into it but be assured it does not go unnoticed. The simple fact that you respond to every post shows that you are interested in the individual not just “doing business”.

Lynda

Sometimes it’s just not possible to get to all the emails. I was away and I have well over 100 emails to wade through. With yours, I don’t delete or scan, I like to read them in good time and digest. I wasn’t disappointed with this one either. Thank you.

Kerry.

Our current site is a personal site that we had hoped to build into a help site. But the topic is very hard for many to face and deal with. We can relate, so we are focusing on a new direction.

Your posts are a big help for many of us because the road to success is long and hard. Your experience is always welcome in our inbox.

Good point about shorter posts or longer posts with bite sized chunks vs. longer posts with fewer but bigger chunks. I’ll definitely keep that in mind while writing my next post.

Thanks!