Are forums going to go no-follow?

**MrToad** · 20 January, 2011, 02:00 AM

I'm pretty sure I read it here a few months ago, but now I can't find it.
Someone (maybe Will.Spencer?) made a statement that forums would be going no-follow by default in the future - I'm thinking like wordpress decided to go no-follow by default.
I think there are two or three big forum software providers, so I don't know if this was one or more or all...
Anyway, I'm not asking for guesses or opinions, or what they should or shouldn't do...
I'm just wondering if anyone has read or heard about any plans for future versions and upgrades of forum XYZ software to be no-follow by default? Thanks.

CLARIFICATION: Some posters below are answering whether or not individual forum websites will decide to change to no follow. That isn't my question...
Let me clarify my question...
Are the forum software makers going to make future versions of forum software have their links be no-follow by default, and website owners and admins needs to know how to and decide to change the to follow if they want them to be follow? I'm thinking like what wordpress and other blogging software decided to do... comments are no-follow by default unless the blogger changes the set-up, and very few blogs do change the default settings.

**TopDogger** · 20 January, 2011, 10:39 AM

Depending upon the industry, a lot of forums have already gone nofollow. I recently looked for a travel forum and could not find one that was not nofollow.

**MrToad** · 20 January, 2011, 13:17 PM

Let me clarify my question...
Are the forum software makers going to make future versions of forum software have their links be no-follow by default, and the website needs to know how to and decide to change the to follow if they want them to be follow. I thinking like what wordpress and other blogging software decided to do... comments are no-follow by default unless the blogger changes the set-up.
I know individual forums can decide to change to no-follow, but that wasn't what I meant to ask.

**Aquarezz** · 20 January, 2011, 14:59 PM

Originally Posted by TopDogger

Depending upon the industry, a lot of forums have already gone nofollow. I recently looked for a travel forum and could not find one that was not nofollow.

Going a bit off-topic, but wouldn't it be an awesome idea to start a travel forum with a few people that actually allows dofollow links? But with a good management and strict rules.. Just wondering

**Brandon Sheley** · 20 January, 2011, 16:33 PM

It depends on the forum owner, most forums can be setup as no-follow or not.
I have mine setup that way because the members don't really care about links. If it was a webmaster forum, I would make sure all links could be followed because that's what the members would want.

**SusanR** · 4 February, 2011, 15:41 PM

I think it's quite normal when CMS goes with nofollow by default. But it should be up to a webmaster to change the attribute to dofollow. I don't see any difficulties here.

**bogart** · 16 January, 2012, 22:32 PM

Originally Posted by MrToad

Let me clarify my question...
Are the forum software makers going to make future versions of forum software have their links be no-follow by default, and the website needs to know how to and decide to change the to follow if they want them to be follow. I thinking like what wordpress and other blogging software decided to do... comments are no-follow by default unless the blogger changes the set-up.
I know individual forums can decide to change to no-follow, but that wasn't what I meant to ask.

I don't think that it matters. The people installing forums should have the technical knowledge to make the links either "follow" or "nofollow".

I'm also seeing quite a few non-webmaster forums that don't allow signature links.

**iowadawg** · 17 January, 2012, 01:32 AM

Has been for some time, that a lot of niche forums just did not allow signature links.

I think that at some point, most if not all types of forums will not have signature links.
For the unpaid!
Look at DP, you may not like that forum, but it pulls in some serious cash on those who upgrade.

**TopDogger** · 17 January, 2012, 11:56 AM

IMHO, It won't really matter very much if the signature links in all forums go nofollow. We have tested signature links extensively and have found no ranking benefit unless the forum is directly related to the theme for a site. In other words, the signature links in this forum only appear to benefit tech sites.

If you are using signature links for driving traffic, it won't matter if the signature links are nofollow. The signature links will still drive traffic.

**garfish** · 18 January, 2012, 03:58 AM

Originally Posted by TopDogger

IMHO, It won't really matter very much if the signature links in all forums go nofollow. We have tested signature links extensively and have found no ranking benefit unless the forum is directly related to the theme for a site. In other words, the signature links in this forum only appear to benefit tech sites.
If you are using signature links for driving traffic, it won't matter if the signature links are nofollow. The signature links will still drive traffic.

indeed for traffic it don't matter whether it be no or dofollow but in SEO's perceptive is does. however, it still depend to the forum owner.