May 19, 2007

This site has been hosting three message boards since the summer of 2004:  a General Message Board, a Grammar Discussion Board, and an ESL Board.  A Literature Board  was added in 2006, and an Education Board was added in May 2007.  Visitors may read what is on these boards without registering.  Instructions for registration to participate (post) are on the three original message board home pages.  Registration requires only a username, a private password, and an e-mail address.  Applications are manually approved by me.  Only one approval is required to permit you to participate on all boards.

Although I monitor the boards daily and often respond to posts, the message boards are considered "community property," in a sense.  They belong to the people who ask and answer questions, post comments, and express their thoughts.  The boards thus constitute a sort of virtual community, currently with about 350 "residents," ranging from those who post rather frequently to many who are content to observe.

In the year since they began, the message boards have constituted a usually friendly and courteous community.  We have our disagreements, of course, as the members of any community will, but we try to respect each others' views.  Flaming (personal attacks and inappropriate language) is not tolerated, and, as the webmaster, I have the power to expel offenders.  Happily, since the boards were launched, I have had to expel only three or four individuals, all of whom became intolerable not only to me but to other members of the community as well.

Unlike generic question-and-answer sites The Grammar Curmudgeon's message boards do not attempt to cover all topics.  Since this site attracts people who are interested in the English language, the Grammar Discussion Board and ESL Board tend to be the most active, with content focusing on grammar, usage, and writing.  The General Message Board, however, allows participants/members to introduce any topic they choose.

To date, the conversations on these boards have been rather serious, and discussions can sometimes become tediously academic (at least, that's what I hear from some private e-mail).  While we expect serious discussion to dominate, we welcome posts of a lighter nature.  After all, even a classroom needs some humor to break the monotony.  We might want to keep in mind that English is a funny language.  Grammarians and English professors can be a dreary lot, moaning that grammatical errors "mark the end of civilization as we know it," but the peculiarities of the language (and the oddball mistakes that people make with it) can be sources of considerable humor.

Nor do the boards need to be confined to language.  As noted, the General Message Board permits the introduction of any reasonable topic.  If some general area of discussion begins to spark widespread interest, I will launch another message board to cover that area.  Suggestions are welcome, and you may make them – where else? – on the General Message Board.