## TL;DR

Profile and signature links are permanent, so tagged versions give steady per-venue data.
UTM source set to the forum name keeps every venue comparable in one analytics view.
Applies to any forum that allows links in profiles or signatures.

## The query

```text
UTM tagging forum profile links
```

## Use this when

- You maintain profiles on several forums or communities.
- You want per-venue attribution in your analytics.
- Profile and signature links are allowed to carry parameters.

## Not for

- The forum strips or rewrites URLs in profiles (check with a test profile first).
- You are tagging links inside reply bodies (many moderators treat tracked links as promotional).
- You only have one forum profile (attribution is trivial without tags).

## Steps

1. Decide the naming scheme: utm_source=[forum-slug], utm_medium=forum, utm_campaign=profile.
   Expected output: One consistent scheme used across every venue, so analytics reports stay clean.
2. Generate the tagged URL and paste it into the profile website field or signature.
   Expected output: The public profile link carries the three UTM parameters intact.
3. In analytics, filter sessions by utm_source to see visits, signups, and conversions per forum.
   Expected output: A per-forum breakdown showing which venues send real traffic.
4. Revisit quarterly and prune or refresh venues that send zero engaged sessions.
   Expected output: Effort concentrated on the forums that actually convert.

## Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_85CtQKFTwQYzaWB_yrLb-A