| The Web conference is another virtual venue for electronic
discussion groups on the Net. Like the newsgroup, the Web conference resembles
an open bulletin board - some people call them message boards, and like the
mailing list, it is a place for the back-and-forth of a discussion - a Web
forum.
This form of discussion group is very established now. Early on, it was
noticed that the Web-based discussion group brings people back to a site and
helps foster a sense of community. People, it was found, were five times more
likely to return if they could participate in discussions. We all need to have
our say.
Any site interested in bulding community will have a board where
members can meet and talk with others. "Register and stay a
while", they say. "Talk to us, join us in a conference." Tell us
what you think, and come back to tell us more. It's called Web conferencing and
it happens on Web pages.
Very simply, "conferencing lets you engage
in group conversations by reading and writing messages in
sequence". (Quoted from Electric
Minds).
Bulletin boards:
The conference areas are very much like the bulletin boards of newsgroups. Many
places call them message boards, and others refer to them as forums or Web
forums. Using an input form on a Web page, one person will post a comment to
the board, and another will come along, read it and reply. There may be several
other postings and collectively they can form a substantial thread on a topic.
Source of information:
These conferences can be a good source of information. Some are searchable by
keyword, date, and contributor. Many are moderated by the sponsoring site and
will have a high quality of discourse. However, as with newsgroups one should
be wary of misinformation.
Features:
Conferences will vary in their features. At many, you do need to register to
set up an identity and provide basic contact data. A conference might be solely
a Web page bulletin board, or be integrated with e-mail for notices of new
messages or direct posting by email of new messages. One large conference area
may be divided into several specific conferences. Characteristics such as
subscription requirements, privacy and searchability of archives are all
determined by the Web conference.
Competition from live-chat:
Message boards do have a competitor. Live-chat rooms are preferred by some for
conferencing. They work best with a moderator and a specific topic.
Group weblogs:
Weblogs offer another form of collaboration online.
Web conferences - What You Need to Know
- Visit some conferences: Settle in
for a fun time. You are sure to get caught up in a message board at one of
these Web conferences.
- Conference advantages: You might
like to set up a Web forum for a professional association you belong to, or use
such a forum inside your organization.
- Find a conference: Today nearly
every major site has a message board area for its visitors but you can search
for the right web conference via special web conference services.
- Learn about group weblogs: Most
weblogs are personal diaries but they can also be used for group discussion.
Check out a few of the most popular community blogs.
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