Searchengineoptimization is a subject matter that is virtually asking for discussions and questions: Too much is unknown, changing or is being judged differently by different people. As a consequence, many discussion forums on this topic have evolved, including many on the German speaking Internet. Those who post there would prefer to get good answers to their questions and plenty thereof. Here are some pointers that could be helpful in such a case.

search first, then ask questions – Many questions have shown up in the past and were answered successfully. This makes it crucial to first use the forums search function or a general searchengine like Google; if your question is still unanswered afterwards, note in your question that you have already searched for an answer (“I already looked, but Threads A and B are only relevant to a different aspect of this topic, therefore ...”).

chose the correct sub-forum – nearly all SEO-forums have many, thematically well defined sub-forums. Chose the sub-forum that comes closest to your topic and post there – and only there. It is considered rude if you post your question in more than one sub-forum.

chose the correct subject heading – the subject header is the part of your question that others will read first, be it on the forums homepage, in their RSS-readers or in the sub-forums. Chose one with care so that it is correct. A subject heading with “IMPORTANT! Google sux!” will generate considerably less qualified answers than “linkpurchase – homepage or pre-sellpage?”. Continuous capitalization is considered “shouting” and should be avoided.

intelligible and concise content – the number of forum users with working crystal balls is sadly declining rapidly for years now, this makes it important that your submission is being presented in a clear and understandable fashion. Statements like “Since yesterday I can't find my site anymore, what should I do !!11” can not be answered and the tendency for users to painstakingly ask you for all the details on the case is rather minute. Make sure you detail your problem directly, in a comprehensive and reasonable way. Another thing that is looked upon favorably is the proper use of capitalization and correct grammar.

label speculations – Just because your aviary-forum suddenly has a PageRank of 2, does not directly mean that there must have been an update. Please label your suspicions as such, there are already enough misinformations and incorrect presumptions in the “general-SEO-knowledge” of the SEO-department.

Now go and train at Abakus, after that all of you are welcome at OMTalk :-)