A discussion forum on Internet , like a forum Usenet or a forum Web , is a Forum of discussion using the resources of Internet.

Nature of forums Internet

This meeting place and of exchange which is forum Internet can be a Web site with whole share, or simply one of its components. It offers the same possibilities of discussion as the forums Usenet, but in the form and on a Web site scale. They are accessible via a Navigateur Web, and offer an interesting interactivity.

A forum is before a whole site of exchange, by the means of messages, that these are available on Internet or of course an internal network like a Intranet or a Extranet. The discussions take seat in “the wire” shape there of messages, with instantaneous or differed publication; this publication is often durable, because the messages are not unobtrusive. It is by nature does it several authors. In certain forums with inscription, the messages are modifiable a posteriori by their authors.

Functionalities offered by the various forums (quotation, existence of titles or not, put on page Indentation, administration/rights of access, moderation a priori or a posteriori…) can vary, and the forums can treat the messages differently: thus some only make it possible to answer in a total way on a subject of discussion, while others make it possible to answer a message in particular.

Need for a code of conduct

Many forums require the acceptance of a Charte before any participation. Such a charter governs the use which can be made forum. The Webmestre normally has a function of moderating Administrateur and , the latter being able to be deputy with one or more people regular users of the forum. The regulators are charged to take care of the respect of the charter and to limit possible tensions between participants (for example, by publishing the generating messages of tensions or by prohibiting the sending of new messages to one of the participants). Certain countries obtained a precise legislation which imposes to the managers of forum a preventive monitoring of the contents of the posted messages.

Historically speaking, the forum is the one of oldest applications available on the Internet, and one most used of. Within the forums developed customs and habits, générationnelles attitudes and legends. The great diversity of the technical shapes of forum Internet testify to its intrinsic promptness like modern vector of communication, mondialized.

Organization of the discussions and the messages

The whole of the discussions is generally visible by its participants, and possibly by the members of the forum or even by all the Net surfers.

The majority of the forums are organized in wire of discussion ( threads or topics , by amalgam with topic , subject, in English) and are posted with a Indentation. See an example of wire of discussion: Indentation#Technologies de Communication. An initial message launches a new wire. Then, each new answer to this implicitly chronological wire opens a new wire of discussion, as an answer to a preceding message. The indentations and titles of the messages visualize the possible courses of reading, in the shape of a tree, following the example Gestionnaire of files organized in files and under-files.

One thus distinguishes two possibilities from presentation: a chronological model, where each message is on the same level and does nothing but follow or precede another message in time; a hierarchical model, where each message is seen like an answer to a former message.

All these wire of discussions are often gathered in sets of themes, the same forum which can accommodate several sets of themes, even several regroupings of sets of themes.

On certain forums which one could describe as “progressive”, an initial message determines a single wire in which all the messages are followed chronologically.

Importance of an animation

One of the essential characteristics of a forum is its interactivity, related to the number of people who express themselves there, but the number of people who read these exchanges, without necessarily reacting, is very important (they are called Lurker S).

Just as the control of a meeting strongly profits from the presence of a " animateur" , the Forums are sometimes " animés" by organizers, to stimulate/start again the exchanges. The organizers are generally also moderating S.

Some key factors of success

A forum badly launched risk very quickly to decay, fault of sufficiently many contributions to obtain answers and to attract readers. The favorable factors to launch a forum are in particular:

  • obtaining a Critical mass of contributions: in lower part of a minimal number of messages, that which will be connected for the first time to the forum is likely to find little interest to return there. On the other hand, as soon as a sufficient number and a minimal variety of the messages are reached, the chance that each one finds something which interests it is strong. The opposite phenomenon will occur: an acceleration, by positive feedback '': the participants will speak around them, will make known about it this forum, etc…
  • On the other hand, certain forums have an excessive number of participants. Of this fact the wire of discussion there are too numerous and develop too quickly so that one can answer it. One generally answers this phenomenon by creating sub-sections of the forum. On the other hand, on a forum too little attended one will reduce the number of the sections so as to keep a good level of animation.

The very varied shapes of the forums

There exist the other shapes of forum using the technology of the data-processing networks:

  • public forums: " Forums of news " (newsgroup, Usenet), accessible since a messaging software

  • forums private, accessible to (created by) an small group from people, for example on a specific site, like " Mayetic Village" or " Yahoo groups" , to be created, temporarily or not, a place of exchange
  • forums Intranet and extranet, often created (Intranet) within a company, of an organization, or a team-project, but being able to bring together (extranet) participants belonging to various organizations, companies and associations.
  • audio forums on teamspeak. For example to type hardware in the filter waiter.

See too

List software of forums

It is possible to easily install a software of forum on its Web site or its local waiter, without having to carry out a software by oneself. Very many software of forums is available on Internet, some being free. Here a list of software of forum usually met on Internet:

Internal bonds

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