Forums and Chatter
Forums and Chatter are the number one way of encouraging contributions and ownership of the church web site. They help keep people connected throughout the week: building real community.
Forums are message boards, where people can leave notes for each other and a conversation is built up over time. Chatter supports real time conversation between people who are online at the same time.
Forums
 Forums work well for potentially lengthy topics of discussion that give the opportunity for many people to contribute. A Forum contains a list of discussion topics (message threads), and users can add individual messages to the end of a topic. Users can start new topics at any time.
When an article is published on the web site, readers are also able to post comments and responses to that article. These responses are actually a discussion topic that is automatically associated with that article, and the feedback works in the same way as for regular forums..
Forums are created and moderated using the Web Office. A set of security permissions on each forum control who is able to read and write messages. For example your church may want to have a Guestbook that the public can post messages to (ie, the public are given Write permission), but a Prayer Requests forum that only logged-in members can access (ie only site members are given Read permission). You can give permission to individuals to become Forum moderators - who are able to edit messages if necessary to ensure that messages are appropriate.
Before launching your site it is important to post some discussion topics within the Forums to encourage interaction amongst your members. Forums are one of the most immediately accessible features to new users, and also encourage repeated visits. If users begin by getting comfortable with contributing to the web site then they are more likely to return to the web site on a regular basis to review the ongoing discussions.
Discussion topics where members have differing opinions will encourage stronger debates, but make sure you have reviewed your site's Acceptable Use Policy to make sure things do not get out of hand. Encourage people to initiate topics of discussion in order to build traffic to your site.
When setting up Forums for your web site launch you should:
Review the initial set of forums created in the Church Life group, and modify as required.
Assign permissions to appropriate trusted individuals.
Review the Acceptable Use Policy and modify as required.
Create any additional forums in specific groups – for example a youth group may want a forum that is private to them.
Intiate topics of discussion and encourage others to do so to.
For more help with setting up forums please refer to the help system within the Web Office or read the Forums Quickguide.
Chatter
Chatter allows users to interact with each other in real time, suiting immediate conversations that would include fewer people.
For example when you advertise the launch of your new web site there will be a surge of site activity. Users will look to interact with each other in a casual manner ("Hello is anyone there?.2) This type of conversation would best be served through Chatter because they are looking for an instant reply and the topic isn't significant enough for a lengthy ongoing debate.
 Chatter relies upon more than one user visiting a zone at the same time, so it is important to promote the Chatter Zone from the site launch. Directing users to this area from the beginning can capture the initial interest in the web site, making it more likely that when users visit a Chatter Zone there will be other users to hold a conversation with. This will in turn encourage them to visit the area in the future.
Your site contains a default Chatter Zone created in the 'church life' group that can be accessed by all church members. New Chatter Zones can be created through the Web Office by those that have the relevant permission on the group. These moderators are able to review current discussions and can ban users who have been reported for unsocial behaviour from entering the Chatter Zone.
Other uses of the Chatter Zone would be to hold scheduled conversations online. For example if leaders are out of town they could create a zone just for them and hold a conversation in private online at a specific time.
When setting up Chatter for your web site launch you should:
1. Review the initial Chatter Zone description and modify as required. 2. Assign permissions to appropriate trusted individuals - Forums and Chatter are contained within the same permission so this may have therefore been given already.3. Promote the Chatter area through an advert and article. An advert and article promoting Chatter are provided within the Web Site Guide group (found under features) for you to publish.
For more help with setting up Chatter please refer the the help system within the Web Office or read the Chatter Quickguide.
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