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A forum is essentially a website
composed of a number of member-written threads. Each thread entails a discussion
or conversation in the form of a series of member-written posts. These threads
remain saved on the forum website for future reading indefinitely or until
deletion by a moderator. However, forum software can be considerably more
advanced.
Most forum software allows more
than one forum to be created. These forums are containers for threads
started by the community. Depending on the permissions of community members as
defined by the board's administrator, they can post replies to existing threads
and start new threads as they wish.
Each forum usually has it own rules and
regulations. Be sure to read details and FAQs before logging into a forum. In
general common sense prevails. Most forums do not allow "flaming", or being rude
to other forum users. Most forums prefer to stay on topic but some do have areas
set up to provide places for off topic discussions.
Like all online areas that are interactive, common
sense Internet safety rules should be followed. Never give out personal
information in a public area. Remember, anyone, anywhere will be reading what
you have posted.
You can have a forum called
"Apples" where users would chat about different kinds of apples, a forum called
"Oranges" where they would chat about different kinds of oranges, and a forum
called "Bananas" where they would chat about different kinds of bananas.
You could then create a Category
called "Fruits" and put all those forums into that category. The category would
just be used to organize those forums. Categories are very helpful when you have
many forums. It allows the user to easily choose the forum that is appropriate
for their discussion.
Please note that the forum is
not a "chat room." That is, users cannot participate in real-time discussions.
However, users can ask and respond to questions, explain service techniques and
strategies, share helpful anecdotes, and lend their expertise to others in the
field.
Forums Four Free
offers free forum hosting, with automatic, easy creation. Your free
message board will be set up by us to get you started- all that is
required is your email address, and the name and description of the forum
, to have your forum fully functional and installed on one of our
dedicated servers. You pick the topic you want and we will get you
started, Go to the
Forum Directory
to view forums already set up for our customers.
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