What is a Forum?

A forum is a virtual venue where several individuals or interest groups can correspond. The participants can view a list of messages, reply to any one of these messages or send a new message. These messages are not transmitted by E-mail. Users must access the forum server to view or send messages. Everyone who has access to the forum can see the messages and the replies. Some forums require users to subscribe before they can participate.

Characteristics

Accessing Forums | Posting Messages in Forums | Advertising Published in Forums | Disclosing E-mail Addresses | Monitoring Contributions to Forums | Managing Access to Forums | Moderated Forums | Server Location

Accessing Forums

It may be possible to access a public discussion forum by supplying its URL. Private forums sometimes require users to subscribe. The forum administrator will provide an access code and password. This access code must be supplied along with the URL. If users are required to subscribe, they must provide information that identifies them when they access or subscribe to the forum.

Posting Messages in Forums

Messages published in a forum may be posted for any length of time, and can remain in the archives for several years. Depending on the software used, it is not always possible for users to destroy the messages they have transmitted.

The information found in these messages is not necessarily reliable. Users should be made aware of this.

Advertising published in forums

Some free, open-access forums permanently display an advertising banner.

Disclosing E-mail Addresses

When a user posts a message in a forum, his/her E-mail address as well, sometimes, as his/her name may be displayed along with the message.

Monitoring Contributions to Forums

All contributions made by a user to a forum can easily be tracked. Some software records the time and date at which the user reads or posts messages and makes this information available to all the users of the forum.

Managing Access to Forums

An administrator manages a forum by providing access codes to participants, adding elements or deleting message. This functionality is necessary with certain software and most often concerns private forums. The administrator of a private forum makes sure that only authorised persons have access to the messages posted and keeps a list of all the persons with access to the forum.

Moderated Forums

Some forums are moderated, in which case the messages are first read by a moderator. Content that is deemed acceptable is posted and made available to all the users.

Server location

The server that hosts a public or private forum may not be under the responsibility of the same authority as the participants.

Some servers that offer such services are not under the responsibility of the school board and are often outside the country. In such cases, the school board cannot guarantee the confidentiality of the information provided and cannot always ensure that its obligations will be assumed by the organization that hosts these servers.

The school board must ensure that its obligations as regards the protection of personal information are transferred to the hosting organization.