Hackers are often portrayed with negative connotations in popular media. They’re expected to be misanthropic individuals with a sinister plan to destroy the world, but this isn’t always the case. In fact, most hackers are simply individuals who possess an above-average interest in computers and cybersecurity.
With so many different hacking forums available, it’s not difficult for anyone to join one if they want to. However, you should consider your situation and determine if joining an online forum is right for you. Here are some things that you should consider before deciding to join an online hacking forum.
Determine What You Want From a Forum
While it may be tempting to join one with a large number of members and posts, you should instead focus on quality over quantity. If you want to improve your general cybersecurity knowledge and skills, then it’s better to join a smaller but more specialized forum than a large and general one.
Smaller forums will allow you to learn more and ask questions without being lost in the noise of a large, general forum. If you want to network with other hackers and cybersecurity professionals, then a specialized forum focused on cybersecurity will be better. There, you’ll be able to network and find people who are interested in the same things as you.
Balance Between Networking and Learning
While joining a forum will allow you to network and meet other people interested in your field, you shouldn’t solely focus on networking with people. Instead, you should try and balance meeting new people with learning as much as you can from them.
This is one of the major differences between joining hacking forums and joining an online course or a virtual training course. In those cases, you’re focused on learning and growing solely from yourself and what you can provide yourself.
Understanding the Culture of Hacking Forums
All forums have their own culture, and you should understand the culture of a forum before you decide to join it. You can do this by reading forum posts and threads, or by searching for information on the forum itself.
You’ll learn a lot about how people interact with each other, what they value, and what they find important. This will help you to better understand the people who are part of the forum, which will make it easier to network with them. This will also help you to avoid embarrassing mistakes, such as saying something that’s considered taboo in the forum’s culture.
Consider How Much Time You’ll Commit
Lastly, when you join an online forum, you’ll need to be committed to the time that you’re spending on it. You should be prepared to spend time reading posts and threads, engaging with other members, as well as posting your own content.
You should also be prepared to spend time reading the rules of the forum and trying to follow them as closely as possible. This is important because if you violate the rules of the forum, you risk getting banned. If you violate the rules of a large forum, it’s unlikely that moderators will notice. If you violate the rules of a smaller forum, however, it’s much more likely that moderators will notice and ban you.
