Forums

While I like the wiki notion, I'm still working on learning more about them. I have blogged with classes and as a daily (or weekly) class update for students, parents, and any helpers to students to access. With my creative writing class, I want something that students will use to interact with one another, free-form. Designing a blog for this was easy, getting students to participate freely and willingly was is more of a struggle. Comments ranged from, "I only do those for class when it's part of my grade, and then only sometimes," to, "Do we have to?"

When my answer to the 'have to' is, "No, you don't HAVE to; I thought it'd be a nice place for claiming victory over wrting struggles or venting through writer's block," I shy away from dictating exact numbers of posts required per student. I realize I can dress up the blog much more to help lure students to it, but I am considering the notion the class overwhelming suggested of a forum. Not only would it perfectly direct my aims to target free conversation on-line about writing, students 'promised' they'd partake. Either way, I would like to try one.

Any thoughts on how to start a forum or what requirements are needed, or limitations, for that matter? Last year I did jump into a on-line forum and found the interaction much different than blogging. It's more like a major party-line, phone conversation than a blog induced stack of letters, notes, and messages; forum felt more phone-like while blog felt more pony express like, in terms of idea and thought exchange. That was just my experience on one forum, though. It's something I'd like to try, if anyone has thoughts on how best to do so....