Discussion Forums

What is a Discussion Forum?

Discussion forums are places for online communities to discuss topics of common interest. Posts are organized into related threads around questions and answers, or community discussions.

These forums work like a bulletin board: You post a message and return later to see if people responded. A forum helps create communities around shared interests.

In a discussion forum, you can:

• Search or browse through messages to learn more about a topic
• Post a question
• Answer a question

Discussion forums are also known as discussion groups, community boards, message boards, and online forums.

Why Forums are Useful in Government

Agencies use forums for a variety of reasons:

• To share tips or ask questions
• To find people who deal with similar types of issues
• To create a centralized place to answer questions, also called a Help Forum

Examples of Government Groups Using Forums

• Business.gov Community
• Web Content Managers Forum

Resources

• EPA’s Open Government discussion forum
• Create a Web Site Forum—How forum hosting works—YouTube video
• Common Craft Blog: What are the Differences Between Message Boards and Weblogs?