Internet forums and chat groups explode in popularity
By Rick Telberg
One problem that almost all accountants face, whether you are in public or private practice, is information overload.
On one hand, there is an abundance of it—between subscription services from CCH, Thomson, and LexisNexis, to name just a few, and web sites maintained by a plethora of agencies and organizations, information is everywhere, and for the most part, affordable.
But that’s information, not necessarily answers. Most accountants turn to these resources when they aren’t sure how to handle a client or company accounting question. And having the applicable code or private letter ruling doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll be able to apply it to your particular situation.
The same problem exists if you need answers in other technical areas.
One place to look for answers, rather than just information, is a forum. When the Roman Empire stretched across much of the known world, the forum was recognized as a place to express one’s views, to debate issues, and to learn from experts (and quasi-experts). Today’s Internet forums have much the same goals, though the delivery system allows forum participants to join from anywhere in the world where an Internet connection exists.
Accountant-oriented forums aren’t a particularly new phenomenon. ARNIE, run by Thomson’s former Creative Solutions, started as a bulletin board system (BBS) and has been around since well before the Internet became popular. More recently, the AICPA’s CPA2BIZ, AccountantsWorld, and others have gained large followings. The popular Topix site has a Business News forum which includes accounting, as do a number of other forum hosting sites. Our own “CPA Trendlines†blog at www.telberg.com offers accountants a place to chat. And Yahoo has a number of accounting-related chat groups, as well. Try, for instance, searching on “tax†or “accounting†at http://groups.yahoo.com/.
Many of these accountant-centric forums are fairly general in focus. You’ll find topics in areas such as marketing, HR, as well as more specific topics such as tax prep, fixed assets, and the like.
Most forums require that you register as a user before posting, but few restrict a “guest†user from reading existing posts. Once registered, you’ll be free to add your comments to a discussion, or post a question. For the most part, forum participants are very willing to lend you the benefit of their expertise. The hard part is weeding out the blowhards from those who actually know what they are talking about.
General accounting forums are interesting, but for more targeted problems and questions (as well as for sharing your knowledge in specific areas), there are plenty of more targeted forums. Many of these are run by vendors. For example, Microsoft hosts a forum for users (and other interested parties) of its Small Business Accounting software. Many other software vendors, including Intuit and Sage, also host forums (sometimes called on-line user groups.)
Organizations and Institutes are also good places to look. For example, the Verasage Institute (www.verasage.com) is a nice mixture of a blog and forum, and is oriented towards the subject of value-based billing in an accounting or consulting practice.
Sometimes, finding the right person to ask is the hardest part of getting an answer. Next time you have a problem or question, try using on-line forums as a resource. You’ll be joining thousands of colleagues already online.
Who would have thought accountants had long been at the forefront of the “social networking†trend long before it was a trend?
[Copyright 2007 Bay Street Group LLC. All rights reserved. Used by permission. First published in HP Technology at Work.]
