Internet Services: Websites, Chat Rooms, and Newsgroups

Websites are discussed above, along with tips for choosing an ISP.

Bulletin Boards

Bulletin boards are "threaded" online discussion forums. Messages are posted in topics or threads, and may quote previous messages. Bulletin boards are built with software that allows the setting of topics and topics and automates the linking of related messages. Bulletin-board software offers features for user registration, administrator privileges, and searching. There are several bulletin board packages available, including Ultimate BBI, and blogging software behaves in a very similar way. For more about blogging, see the discussion in "Internet and Web Resources" and "About this site."

Chat rooms

Chat rooms are real-time spots where individuals can gather and have a group conversation. Chat rooms usually support public conversation and private messages. Chat rooms may be accessed through an application, called a client, which resides on a Web site or on your computer. The client connects to the chat area and lets you talk publicly with others or have private messages one-on-one.

If you host a mailing list with a service such as Yahoo!, chat services may be included. If you are choosing an ISP for a Web site you are developing, you may wish to check and see whether the ISP you select supports chat or has any restrictions against using chat programs (which can put a heavy "load" on a server, so companies may be careful about where they allow them).

As with mailing lists, you must have a Terms of Service for your chat area, and you may wish to place restrictions on how people can identify themselves. While you and your members will almost certainly only use your chat for sincere and mutually helpful reasons, people do occasionally abuse the trust that makes chat rooms work, and by considering that possibility in advance can ensure that even if problems arise, they are quickly solved.

Newsgroups

When people began using Internet resources for communication, one of the first shared resources was a collection of public "bulletin boards" called Usenet. Usenet was divided in several general areas, each with subdivisions devoted to specific subjects, from Celtic culture to Star Trek. It also gave rise to a large list of online support groups, which are still accessible using applications called News Readers (Netscape comes bundled with one) or Web-based indexes such as Google.

Newsgroups may provide another useful way to communicate with others about your condition or issues related to it, but Usenet is a good example of an long-standing Internet resource with a full set of idiosyncratic rules. The "netiquette" listed in the PXE mailing list Terms of Service are a good guideline for all electronic communication, but especially on Usenet, it's a good idea to "lurk" for a while before you participate. Ease into newsgroups, and observe their ethic of mutual aid - which extends far beyond the support-group topics - and you may find Usenet an amazing source of information and support.

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