What is a Message Board?

        Message boards provide a forum for threaded discussion with friends,
colleagues, and complete strangers.  Message boards are composed of a group of people who exchange messages about particular topics. They are often associated with newsgroups. They can also take the form of interactive message boards, thread message forums, and e-mailing lists.   Message boards are considered "online encounters with your own kind".

        Message boards operate as a individual posts a question to the board and other people respond with answers and/or comments.  Typically, message boards post the question and date asked.  Responses are indented and listed below the initial question.  The responses generally appear as subject lines with the date posted.  To view the response, a reader would click on the link to the response of interest.  Message board formats may vary somewhat from site to site.

        Message board topics range from technical support questions to fan clubs of popular music groups.   Message boards can be found on web sites related to businesses, hobbies, sports, health, publications, organizations, or special interest groups.  Choice of topics are limited only by the imagination.  Message groups are a way for families to converse over vast distances, students to discuss class subjects at home, or clients to post comments about a company's product or web site.

          Message boards add a group discussion area to any section of your web site.  Message boards have numerous benefits.  They boost interaction within a web site, hence encouraging repeat visits.  In the business world, message groups give potential customers an easy way to talk to you.  They create an excellent resource for customer service and make a useful market research tool.  Academically, message boards could be used by students to discuss assignments.  Teachers and staff members will find message boards useful for idea exchanges and to locate needed resources.

        There are two main types of message boards: moderated and unmoderated.  Moderated message boards allow the submitted messages to be stored invisibly until the web master or board supervisor has a chance to read them. The moderator can decide which messages post to the board and which ones to want to delete.

        Unmoderated message boards make new messages visible on the board as soon as they are submitted.  Unmoderated message boards compel the board supervisor to determine how long messages will remain posted on the board.  After the specified time expires, the message will be deleted.  Thus, preventing the message board from becoming too full.  Message boards with too many
messages on them get "bogged down" and take a very long time to load.  Message boards which are extremely busy should choose a short message life. If the traffic to a message board is light, then a longer message life would be favorable in order to allow a good number of messages to appear on the board at any given time.

To view some interesting message boards, explore the links listed below.
The Perpetual Preschool
http://www.perpetualpreschool.com

A to Z's Cool Homeschooling Bulletin Board
http://homeschooling.miningco.com/mpboards.htm?pid=2812&cob=home

Inside the Web
http://www.InsideTheWeb.com/

Message Boards for Near Death Experiences
http://www.ndeweb.com/board.htm

Obtain your own message board for FREE by visiting:
Anyboard.net
http://www.anyboard.net/


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