Forums

How are forums used?

Forums provide an opportunity for asking questions and exchanging ideas freely within a specific group. When participating in a forum you can:

• access the forum at anytime that suits you 24 hours a day
• post a message or start a new thread
• add links to Internet sources that support your message
• read messages, take time to think, research, compose and then return to reply
• open, view and possibly print an attachment to a message to read later. It is now portable.
• return to the forum at a later time to reply to those who have added to your ideas
• work offline (not on the Internet) to create documents and then attach them to your message to explain your ideas in another way
• use emoticons.

Who uses forums?

Forums tend to be developed for specific purposes. They are public (anyone can participate) or private (membership required).

An online learning community may wish to discuss a specific topic for a few weeks. Most hobbies have forums on the Internet where you can go to discuss problems you may be having with others interested in that hobby e.g. pottery making, car mechanics. Social netowrking sites such as MySpace have forums for their members. Online learning courses use forums extensively.

In the CCi Digital Futures Report, The Internet in Australia, published by ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology July 2008 23% of respondents indicated that they posted to forums. A little over half of those stated that they posted weekly.

Why use forums?

Mini Podcast: Lyn Wendtman retired Assistant Director at the Centre for Learning Innovation, recorded in April 2009.