Barry Schwartz of Search Engine Roundtable shows you how to get the most out of publisher message boards (without looking like a jerk)

You are a publisher; you signed up with the Yahoo! Publisher Network beta to earn some cash. Wouldn’t you want to learn how to squeeze out higher earnings every month? Wouldn’t you want to learn how to make your ads more targeted and more appealing to your visitors? Wouldn’t you want to share your success with your Yahoo! Publisher Network fellow travelers?

Part of the niche that I cover on my blog, the Search Engine Roundtable, is on the topic of contextual ads, including the Yahoo Publisher Network. And so I know that there are tons of great resources out there to help you monetize your site content with Yahoo!. Some of the best of these resources are the numerous discussion forums and message boards–I personally spend a healthy chunk of my day researching and documenting the discussions at dozens of forums.

Discussion forums are a great way to learn and share information, because you can usually find someone who has experienced first-hand the exact thing you may have questions about. There are hundreds of people on the boards who enjoy answering questions and helping others achieve great results with Yahoo! Publisher Network.

Here are some forums that specifically discuss the Yahoo! Publisher Network:

WebmasterWorld
Because of WebmasterWorld’s size, they have set up strict rules to ensure that the forum operates in a calm and professional manner. Don’t go on this forum if all you’re looking to do is drop a link for your Web site and say, “Hey, this is my site, what do you think?” But for any type of issue or advice, WebmasterWorld is a great place to start.

DigitalPoint Forums
This is a relatively young forum, but one that has earned the respect of many Webmasters in a short time. DigitalPoint Forums has one of the largest groups of publishers who focus on earning money with contextual advertising programs. You can learn a ton here and the rules are very lax, so enjoy.

Search Engine Watch Forums
One of the most respected forums on the Internet, Search Engine Watch is backed by Danny Sullivan, the name most synonymous with search marketing. This forum can be a great place to talk about some higher-level concepts.

Search Engine Roundtable Forums
Search Engine Roundtable is my forum. It’s basically a place to sit back, relax and talk with friends within the search community. The rules for both Search Engine Watch and Search Engine Roundtable are right in between WebmasterWorld and DigitalPoint Forums.

Of these four, DigitalPoint and WebmasterWorld have the largest population of Yahoo! Publisher Network members and contributors. 

Each forum has its own personality, so take some time to read the posts in each of those forums. After you do your lurking, pick the one or two forums of which you’d like to become a member. And be sure to read the forum policies carefully: Some forums do not allow you to place a link to your site, but others do. Read the rules and then feel free to ask questions or share knowledge.

Also, if you are strapped for time, you can go directly to the threads on the Yahoo! Publisher Network that I featured on my blog.

—Barry Schwartz, Publisher, Search Engine Roundtable