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The creation of site interest is an aspect of design that can make or break one's potential for success. With return visits playing an integral role in overall traffic, and product exposure potential, interactivity is a tool receiving significant attention in today's online business medium.

Bulletin boards, or forums as they are sometimes referred to, are a means of involving your clientelle in your site, and if done correctly, can draw your visitors back again and again, through their interest in participating in the community your site has to offer.

Bulletin boards come in all shapes and sizes, and are available through a variety of providers. Options can vary from free services that allow integration of your own site's headers and/or logos, with outside advertising often utilized to pay the provider for the service, to pay for service models that meld seamlessly with your site's design. Many hosting providers also include scripts with your package that offer a basic model at no cost.

The option you select will depend largely on the level of professionalism you wish to project, as well as the potential of such a community to grow within your area of expertise.

Online has assembled a sampling of available services below:

QuickTopic

Bravenet.com

Bravenet offers a free forum package with good customization ability, and easy installation. Outside advertising will be featured in the forum area to cover the cost of the service. Bravenet's other website development services include add-on polls, java based chat, messenger, and mailing list management.

EZ Board

Ranked one of the top 100 sites in the world, EZBoard.com provides a variety of services in the area of community forums. Their basic bulletin board is free, and does incorporate outside advertising as a means of funding. The boards are highly customizable, and can meld well with your current site design. Low cost pay for service models without advertising are available.

VBulletin

VBulletin offers a robust pay per license bulletin board software that can meld perfectly with your site design. Requires installation on your server, but assistance is available for a fee. A quality product targeting medium to large sites whose intent is a completely professional and integrated design.

Webaga.com

Providing a range of services designed to improve site stickiness through enhanced interactivity, Webaga's message board platform is highly customizable, professional in appearance, includes installation, and is affordable for even the smallest e-business. Webaga also offers a suite of polling, and mailing list managers.

http://www.cocomment.com/

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