With the popularity of blogs as the new “online community driver” one might think that forums are a thing of the past. And indeed, you see much less discussion about forums these days than you might have a few years ago. (Although some more detailed research shows that there are tons of thriving communities out there, and people making money with forums; there’s just less buzz about it.) But, that doesn’t mean there aren’t some great forums out there, with thriving communities, that can be of immense benefit. Here’s two that I’ve just started participating on, and hope to become more involved with in the future:

1. StartupNation Forums: The StartupNation site has more than just forums (including blogs, podcasts, articles, etc.) but the forums are a great place for entrepreneurs, with topics covering marketing, websites, financing, etc.
2. EarnersForum: I found this one through Shoemoney. It’s relatively new but the community is already bustling like crazy. The huge contest EarnersForum has going on might have something to do with it. They’re giving away something in the range of $20,000 worth of cash and prizes. The focus of EarnersForum is on making money online, which is extremely appropriate for a lot of entrepreneurs and bloggers.

Unlike blogs, forums do tend to create more communication (or they’ll fade, since forums can’t succeed on one-way communication alone) and you can find yourself meeting a lot of interesting and worthwhile people very quickly once you start participating. Enjoy!