Don't talk politics or religion.

 It's happened again. Baen Publishing evidently had an issue with material on one of their forums that has caused an explosion in science fiction fandom, or at least those who follow the Internet drama. 

I'm not going to talk about who is right or wrong, because as far as marketing your books goes--it doesn't matter. 

Pictured: Typical political discussion on an internet forum. 

If you have a forum, you may have a similar problem, unless you follow the wise advice of my Granddad: Don't talk politics or religion.  This doesn't mean that you shouldn't have opinions (though not many people enjoy being preached at) but political forums? No.  

The thing is that debates over politics and religion have winners and losers, even if it's just someone getting tired of the argument. And especially for something important (and most people who argue this type of thing feel it's important) losing, or even winning may leave a bad taste in their mouth. 

A bad taste associated with you.  Maybe enough of a bad taste that they go somewhere else to buy books. 

Not good, is it?

There are plenty of places on the Internet to talk politics, or as happens often, bloviate and howl like a gored hippo. Lots of places not associated with you.  You want people to, as much as possible, walk away from your forums with smiles on their faces, or if they've had an argument, at least not one about subjects that many people consider to be of life and death importance.  

Lastly, this can be especially important to smaller authors. People like us don't have the money to buy big ads, or a widely known publisher brand. Often our online advertising and social media presence is a huge part of our ability to sell things.  And if the first thing a visitor to our forums sees is a screaming argument, complete with the kind of vulgarity that causes soldiers to blush... Well, as they say, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. 

Now there is one exception--if you're a political writer. In that case, having forums that occasionally go off like a strategic nuclear device may actually be a plus. If so, invest in moderators and asbestos gloves--you'll need 'em. 

Of course, this doesn't get into the question of whether or not you should have a native forum, and we'll talk about that later. 

But for now, remember: No politics or religion at the dinner table keeps food fights from breaking out.