"While we are seeing businesses successfully leverage these user groups as support centers for their products, I know of some scalps that the groups have claimed as a result of sly sales pitches slipped into a forum."

According to Prentice, the groups are an invaluable access point for customers and should be used to refine business strategy and marketing.

It also provides opportunities, he said, for swift-moving vendors.

System Administrators Guild of Australia (SAGE-AU) executive member Donna Ashelford said for many users such forums are first port-of-call.

"User groups are the primary support point for most users, but this depends on which group is being accessed," Ashelford said.