Discussion Board

Discussion boards are locations on the Internet where users can post and read messages. Discussion boards are known by many names, including discussion group, discussion forum, message board, and online forum. Discussion boards are most often used to share and discuss information and opinions about specific topics or interests. There are literally thousands of discussion boards available on the Internet, and topics range from Arabic religion to Zimbabwe.

The software Web sites use for discussion boards defines the parameters for the activities online users can engage in. For example, some discussion boards require users to register before posting or reading a message. Other discussion boards allow users to rate and evaluate other users' messages. In addition, some Web sites allow users to upload audio and video files to the discussion board. Discussion boards usually include guidelines or rules for their members. Failure to comply with those rules usually results in a member being barred from posting future messages. In addition to these rules, online users are expected to engage in netiquette—online etiquette. Discussion boards differ from chat rooms in that chat rooms offer real-time, ephemeral, text-based communication. With discussion boards, users can read and often search for messages that have previously been posted. Most discussions boards are kept on a single server maintained by the creator of the discussion board. The location of the discussion board distinguishes it from newsgroups, which are also forums that facilitate discussions about topics and areas of interests. However, newsgroups' messages are not maintained on a single server. Instead, the messages are replicated to hundreds of servers around the world.

Discussion boards have become an integral form of communication on the Internet. Online newspapers such as The New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal include discussion boards on their Web sites, as do other news organizations such as CNN, MSNBC, and http://Salon.com. In addition to the media, discussion boards are widely used by organizations, corporations, and communities to facilitate communication.

For communication practitioners, keeping up with information and opinions posted on discussion boards has become quite a challenge. Services such as PR Newswire's eWatch and CyberAlert monitor discussion boards that are relevant to a communication practitioner's organization. Discussion boards sponsored by disgruntled employees, advocacy and special interest groups, and online news services that can affect communication practitioners' organizations are often monitored. Further, communication practitioners and monitoring services frequently read messages posted in investor relations message boards because information and opinions posted in these communication forums can threaten a public company's share price.

Corporate “cyber-smearing” occurs when users post on the Internet false or disparaging untrue comments about a company, its management, or its stock that is intended to affect a company's market [Page 260]value. Communication practitioners need to consider whether to respond to rumors and misinformation, and whether they should seek legal action against users who anonymously post false or confidential information that can harm their organization. In addition to cyber-smearing, communication practitioners monitor discussion boards for copyright and trademark infringement as well as defamatory comments about their organization.

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