Discussion Boards

Discussion boards, also known as electronic bulletin boards or message boards, are used to host Internet forums in which participants with shared interests exchange messages on a wide range of topics—from politics, the environment, education, and religion, to sports, fashion, video gaming, and parenting.

As one of the earliest formats for fostering virtual communities over the Internet, discussion boards were extensively used in the movement toward enhancing a deliberative democracy—by providing the means for facilitating the exchange of online messages with users sharing experiences and ideas. News organizations were early adopters of the technology, hoping to increase the economic value of their online presence by generating traffic and providing a source of entertainment. However, as social media and other new technologies arose during the early years ...