What Are Forums?

In its truest sense, a forum is a meeting place for open discussion. This can be seen as far back as the Roman Empire and continues today on the Internet. Regardless of what software is being used or what you call it – forums also are known as boards, groups and communities – forums are centers for discussion. One advantage the Internet has brought is the ability to create hundreds of thousands of forums, some of which are general enough to include an entire category, such as politics or sports, and others which are highly specialized and focus on one distinct aspect of a much larger category. Internet forums exist without the traditional boundaries of physical location or specific meeting times; rather, they exist to connect people of various backgrounds who share similar interests, and to facilitate discussions among those groups where ideas and opinions can be freely shared.

Let’s take an inside look at forums to get a better understanding of how they work. One of the first things you’ll notice is that most online communities contain several forums.

Typically, there are introductory forums that help new users get accustomed to the rules and etiquette of forum discussions.

Other forums include discussions related to a specific interest, and sometimes to no interest at all.

When entering a forum, you’ll often see entries called sticky posts. These messages usually come from the forum administrator and are important enough that every user of the forum should read and be aware of them.

Below the sticky posts are threads. Threads are individual topics that are currently being discussed on the forum.

Within each thread you’ll find the various posts made by forum users.

As you can see, posts are listed chronologically. Of course, it depends on the forum as to whether the most recent post is at the top of the forum or at the bottom.

People visit forums to learn and converse. When it comes to adding your voice to the conversation, look for buttons that read "New Thread," which you can use to begin a new discussion, or "Post Reply," which you can use to continue an ongoing discussion. You may need to login and/or join the forum before being allowed to post a message.

When replying to a post, it’s much like writing an e-mail. You can add a "Title" to your post and then type in your comments, or your "Message." Many forums also let you add emoticons, which are small graphics used to convey your mood. You can then choose to simply submit your reply and have it added to discussion and preview your post to make sure you’re communicating clearly and effectively. Once you’re confident with your message, you can post it to the thread.

Additional options often can be found beneath the reply box and include things such as the ability to attach a file (document, photo, etc.) to your post, be notified about replies to your post and grade the overall discussion based on its content.

We hope you have a better understanding of the history and inner workings of online communities and forums, and that you go forth and enjoy visiting and participating in as many forums as you have interests.