Are forum links still in play??

[sulbha]

Main benefit of forum posting is that you can add links through signatures that are added at the end of your comment but in some forums, to make signatures that contain a link with a keyword, you need to earn a certain level of reputation.
Forums are also used for direct marketing of products as you can market your products or product page in certain discussions where other users are asking for some good products and providers of certain kind.