Postings and replies are kept threaded together by subject line. A consensus building group could have its own listserver, enabling the facilitator or any participant to send a message to all group members simultaneously. Web forums have advantages over e-mail and listservers in that information is maintained in a central repository, available at any time, thus eliminating problems such as mail being missed, wrongly addressed, or accidentally deleted. The benefits of these Internet-based tools for a dispute resolution process are numerous. The beauty of Web forums, for example, is the ability to engage the dialogue at any time.
Participants can stay away from a forum for a while and, upon returning, can catch up quite easily.
They can read a posting and link a reply directly to the wording that stimulated the response. On-line, participants can add replies to a topic that came up several days, months, or years ago. For the facilitator, these characteristics eliminate the challenge of working around the busy and often conflicting schedules of stakeholders. On-line discussions can take place when it best firs each individual's schedule. Internet tools also provide a comfortable communication venue for those who prefer writing to speaking.