What is it

When a group is spread across a large region such as our own, organising meetings with full attendance can be a difficult thing to do. Discussion forums can help these groups by hosting the communications online.

The PHINE dicussion forum function allows members to post topics, comment on resources and engage in existing discussions. In the past chain emails may have served a similar purpose but these often resulted in filled 'in boxes' and a loss of information. Hosting the discussion online keeps the debate in an ordered list which all members can access.

Some regional groups are already using the discussion function to discuss working papers and projects 'virtually' on these forums so that when they do meet in person they have more time to spend on other agenda items.

How it works

To start a discussion

You can start a discussion in a number of ways. First is to click on the Discussion tab and then select Add a new Discussion. This will generate a simple form with a text area for the subject matter and a larger text area for the body of your topic.
Below that there is a tick box which, if selected, will send an email to all the members of that group to alert them to your new topic.

Another way to start a discussion is to comment on a resource. In the Resource tab browse to an item. You will see a button which says Comments. Click on this button and you will see other members comments on that resource or you will be shown a simple form if you're the first to make a comment on that article. Using the comment function is a great way to give feedback on papers and other resources you might share in the group.

Subscribing to discussions

Some discussions will be of interest to you, others may not. If you wish to keep informed about developments to a particular discussion you can select the subscribe button at the top of that discussion thread. Likewise you can unsubscribe if you no longer wish to take a part in it.

Sharing discussion topics with other groups

We developed a function to share topics following feedback from some of our existing users. On some topics you may wish to engage with other working groups but only share the one topic. To do this, create a discussion, then select the share this discussion with another group pull down menu and find the group with which you wish to share the discussion. Press share when you have selected the group. You can share a topic with as many groups as you like.
This topic will then also be visible to members of the group(s) you share the topic with. Members from all sharing groups can post and view items in that discussion topic, but they cannot view the other groups discussions and resources.

Any questions?

If you have questions about how to use this function, or comments on how it might be improved, please comment below.

Useful Links

• Joining Discussion Groups
• Creating Discussion Groups