It's always a smart idea to have a plan of action for everything you do in business including forum marketing. You can reach many of your goals, but you need to know what they are and what forums can give you. Online marketers who become more successful than others approach their business in this manner. First, they take the time and learn about various marketing methods. Then they take that knowledge and figure out the best ways to leverage it.
Most people are going to behave based upon their own personality. Others will be more extrovert or even introvert. So, unless you are a rude person, just be yourself. If you're more reserved and unsure, then just observe the forum until you become comfortable enough to contribute. This is what is known as lurking and many people do it until they feel comfortable enough to contribute to the forum. It can feel a little daunting to make your first post, and it's a lot like being in a new city or town and going to a new school. Just post in other threads and add something to the conversation. Forum marketing has many rules, but one of the most important is to provide value to the community. This will provide valuable info to someone who really needs it. People can become resentful or insecure for a lot of reasons. One might be because you think that you know everything. But it just depends on how you present your knowledge in the forum. Yes, you might know a lot about your subject, but don't come off as a know it all. If people do not feel right about you, then it will have a bad effect on your forum reputation. It does not matter how much you know if others do not think highly of you.
Some people in forums start threads all the time. Not all forum members appreciate that. But, if you have a lot of good topics for threads, then that's great but just spread them out.
Don't forget to make posts and comment on other threads too. Human my latest blog post nature still rules the day when it comes to forums too. You can't always bend to the will of others though-even in a situation like this. Forum marketing provides marketers with many different gray areas. If you really want to make a positive impression, find different ways to share your knowledge. In conclusion, if you have spent time doing online marketing on forums, this is probably old news. Really, it's all about knowing the rules, and abiding by them. It really comes down to common sense and experience. Your goal is to offer value, and to contribute to the community in any way that you can.