The world of internet has seen virtually (literally) an explosion in the field of forums.
You just have to type in the word forums with any combination in the search engines you like and see the result for yourself.
There would be thousands and thousands of results for every search for Online Business Forums or for Network Marketing Forums.
Forums are a common ground for people from all backgrounds to meet and exchange ideas.
The best thing about forums is that people who are experts as well people who are novice in a given field are both present there and communicate with each other.
In this way they are able to learn as well as exchange ideas with each other on a wide range of topics.
But on the same count, it could also be used as a great platform to advertise your business and your products.
If you are going to post keeping in mind the advertisement angle, always look for the threads with the maximum activity.
It is generally seen that the Main Discussion threads on forums get the most posts.
That is why you would do well to concentrate on the same.
If you have a topic that is interesting and has the potential to attract a lot of activity, you can surely start your own thread.
All this would allow you to collect a lot of posts and a number of backlinks to your site.
And that is what, is your primary goal with forums.