What is a Forum?

In earlier Blog Posts I have discussed the differences between Forums, or Message Boards, and their popular counterpart, the Blog.  I had a client today send a note asking us if we had a document that explained what a forum was and how it operated so they could in turn release this document to their membership prior to the soft launch of their Forum we constructed for them.  I took a few minutes and put together this explanation, thought it might be useful for someone else down the road.  It’s real basic and intended to be that way…

What is a Forum?

A forum is an online discussion board consisting of threads, or comments, posted by registered members in response to topics or other comments posted by other registered members.  Forums are an excellent tool to engage conversations between a group of people on a variety of topics. 

Who Uses a Forum?

Anyone wishing to participate in a forum needs to register their information online.  A moderator or administrator will typically approve a member prior to their being allowed to exchange information or participate in a forum.  Who is allowed to participate in a forum is entirely up to the administrators or moderators managing the forum.

How do Forums Work?

Forums typically are arranged by topics, for example, there might be a topic called “movies” and another topic called “music”.  Inside each of these topics, or categories, there might be subcategories or posts.  For example, inside the topic Movies there might be a subcategory called Comedy, etc.  Inside these categories and subcategories there will be posts that have been made by other members.  These posts, or threads, are followed up by other members who are exchanging in dialog with each other on the topic. 

How are Users Notified of Responses?

When a user posts a response to a message online they are “subscribing” to that post.  They are then notified by email of responses that are made to their post in the future by other members. 

This is probably not the most in-depth description as to how a forum typically works but I thought that it was simple and to the point.