What is a Discussion Thread?
Within Internet message boards, blogs, email listserves and even on news sites where comments can be posted, there may exist discussion threads, sometimes also called topic threads or threaded discussions. A discussion thread refers to two separate but related things. First they are the act — which may be handled by software or a moderator — of grouping together all comments or discussion on the same topic. Second, a discussion thread can be defined as one topic under discussion by a group. The thread is a single focused topic, in most cases, and all comments concerning the topic are listed with it. For the first definition, there can be a number of ways of grouping a single discussion thread. Each post may simply show up in the order it was received. On sites that are moderated, posts in the same thread may not show up for a while until someone reads and approves the reply. Other times, the most recent post shows up first, and initial comments are grouped in reverse order. Within disc
A discussion thread is a type of asynchronous interaction, where one participant poses a question or makes a statement. Other members of the discussion group may be logged on to the system and respond immediately, but it is more common that they log on to the system at some later time and respond or comment on the original question or statement, or statements made by others. That is, it is not necessary for all the users to be online at the same time. In a discussion thread, main ideas or threads are tracked as people add more and more statements.
Each discussion is organized by broad categories called “threads.” Each thread addresses a different question or topic, making it easier to follow a specific conversation and reply to other users’ questions and responses. Although most Discussion Groups are open to anyone, you will still need to sign up to for the Forum and join a Group to add your own reply. When you post a new inquiry in a discussion group, you will be creating a new thread, and all responses to your inquiry will be organized under this thread. To avoid duplication, before starting a new thread please check to see if your question has already been addressed, or if it can fit under an existing discussion. You can also use the search box in the upper right corner of the page to find related threads.
