Message Boards
Message Boards - A discussion board (known also by various other names such as discussion group, discussion forum, message board, and online forum) is a general term for any online "bulletin board" where you can leave and expect to see responses to messages you have left. Or you can just read the board.
Examples: Yahoo Message Boards, iVillage Message Boards, Aimoo Message Boards
Forums differ from chat rooms and instant messaging in that forum participants do not have to be online simultaneously to receive or send messages. Messages posted to a forum are publicly available for some time, which is uncommon in chat rooms that maintain frequent activity (Technical Glossary, 2002).
Benefits for using: It potentially allows adolescents who cannot get to meetings to be able to participate in a discussion. Because the chat is not in real-time, adolescents can get online when they have an opportunity and access the discussion. They can ask questions, look up answers and connect to peers in one place.
Concerns for using: When the discussion is not real-time, it means adolescents can log on anytime of day and post a comment. What this means for the monitor is consistent moderation must be done for the message board to monitor the discussion and messages could be up for some time without being edited unless you are using a message board that requires a moderator to approve a post before it is posted to the group.
How much control does one have: You can monitor the conversation but you cannot prevent teens from saying what they want at the time, and lack of consistent monitoring could delay correction of action if something inappropriate has been posted. Setting up rules ahead of time for expectations will help keep problems at bay. An ideal message board would be one where the moderator would receive email notifications for every message posted to the message board so they can follow the discussion through email, monitor who can participate in the message board, and be able to delete posts that are deemed inappropriate.
What are security and privacy concerns: Using a message board anyone can enter into may put adolescents at risk of coming in contact with people that could be dangerous or that may post inappropriate posts just for the fun of it (Troll), but have an IT set up an environment can also be risky. Hackers are great at breaking into code. Finding a strong and stable third-party program and encouraging group members to use the board is a cheaper possibility but is potentially more risky, and having an IT person create a password entry message board where group members are assigned a login is the safest possibility but will be very time consuming and costly. The fewer people that know about it, the less likely it is to get hacked, so only tell your group members and their families about the message board and monitor it well.
What are legality concerns: Check with your agency what their policy is to be in contact with teens online. Most agencies do not allow Internet communications so policies may need to be updated and protocol may need to be create for online discussions. Always keep records of the conversations with clients either by saving emails or printing and saving them in a locked file at the office for documentation purposes.
Time management: Message boards need to be monitored on regular basis, especially if you cannot receive notifications of new posts or posts are not approved prior to posting. If you can receive notifications, you can be informed of updates just by checking your email and can do that at your leisure, but you'll want to keep a good eye on the discussion to keep it a positive and safe environment for all group members.
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