Web Board : Descriptive Writing
posted on 19 Nov 2008 20:26 by funguszo in LNG242As technology gradually involves itself in our everyday lives, a lot of things are replaced with technology for the purpose of efficiency, reliability or convenience. One of the things that technology is widely applied to is communication. Humans are social creatures; we can rarely avoid communicating with others. As every day goes on, people socialize all the time. We talk to each other, exchanging opinions and sharing things as desired. Technology just makes life easier. Instead of setting up a bulletin board and pinning papers of messages or advertisements, technology makes it simpler, cleaner and more world-wide using a web board. A web board, or Internet forum, is an on-line discussion web application, which is a modern equivalent to a bulletin board. The functions, common features, and the web board rules, shall be discussed in later parts.
Since a web board is a replacement
of a bulletin board, we could imagine its functions quite easily. As if you
want to look at the message notes sticking on the bulletin board, through the
web browser, you can go to a particular communication group web page consisting
of a list of discussion posts. You can scroll down the page, read and search
for desired topic and learn more of its details by clicking on the particular
texts. A new page then appears with a topic labeled on the top of the page,
ensuring that you are viewing what you have selected. You can also share your
idea to others about what you have read in that particular topic or even
communicate with others within the board by writing comments. You can always
bring up a new scope or topic and create new posts separately from other
topics, unless you are not registered. Registering allows a user to become a
member and have an authorization, just like having a driver’s license to do
things legally. An administrator is the top power user, whose job is to manage
technical details required to run the site, like a coach who supports and
manages the team, keep the site clean from violence or spams as the
administrator can access to the all posts and members.
By default to a web board, the web application should give members the
ability to submit posts and comments. The same way that the restaurant should
give customers the ability to order food and eat, or else it should not be
called a restaurant. There are many other common features a web board usually
provides beside the mentioned default feature. Private messaging, or PM for
short, is a message sent in private from a member to one or more other members.
It is like sending an e-mail but within the web board and among members that
belong to the particular board. There are times that people would like to
communicate to others in private, without any other unwanted ideas or comments.
One more common feature that most web boards have is emoticon or smiley.
Emoticon is a symbol or combination of symbols used to convey emotional content
in written or message form. It makes the message livelier and makes the readers
feel like they are actually talking to the writer face to face. Most web boards
implement a opinion poll system for posts. A member when creating a post is
allowed to add a poll. Members vote in a poll and a statistic is displayed
graphically.
A city needs rules to govern everything to go along right, just like a web board needs rules and guidelines for users to act well, not harming to others. The administrator is responsible for this job. Most web boards contain a board rules section stating the aims and guidelines to use the web board. There is usually a FAQ, or Frequently Asked Question, a section containing basic information for new members and people who are not yet familiar with the use and principles of a web board. It is normal that among good and educated people, there must be some who are harmful to others. They would cause violence and this violence include spam, advertising, swearing or rude words. The people who cause violence will finally be punished usually by banning the account and the right to access the web board, or even get arrested and go to jail if the violence is against the law.
As described earlier, the web board has functions that
are enough to replace the traditional bulletin board, or even better with its
more features. Moreover, the web board isreliable with the rules and policies
preventing such violence. These factors support the webboard to be very useful
and effective, but only if people use it in a creative way.
edit @ 19 Nov 2008 20:35:26 by Funguszo
