Anyone can post a new topic or reply to an existing topic. Some boards require visitors to register before allowing them to post messages. You can create forums and topics about particular subjects to get your students thinking, then see their replies and watch the board grow as other students reply to those replies. An interesting side effect of a public bulletin board is that experts from outside your class may find your site and participate in the board and add other perspectives. Bulletin boards are also a good way to pass along assignments, sample exam questions, or other relevant items.
Bulletin boards are essentially the same as discussion groups and newsgroups.
When you send an e-mail message to the listserv, your message is automatically forwarded to all of the other subscribers. However, the messages aren't stored in one place like on a discussion group which means you'll have to store and keep track of all the messages yourself. You can set up a 'formal' Listserv through the campus, or you can set up a 'virtual' Listserv with Eudora Pro on your own computer using Mailboxes, Address Books, and Filters. The idea of testing on the internet is gaining momentum. While formal testing is complicated by security issues, informal reviews are fairly easy to implement.