Discussion forums can be a great addition to any site.
Not only do they allow users to interact with each other, but they also provide a way for the site's creators to get and provide feedback. When archived and searchable, forums can become an indispensable information tool. Mailing lists and live chat also provide options for building your community, but discussion forums may give you the best of both. While chat rooms are in real time, they require that users interact online concurrently. Client software is often needed, and technical difficulties can make chat software harder to deploy than forums.