What's the difference betrween a board and a forum

Thanks all

You use a board to build things with, and a forum is a gathering of people to discuss a topic.

Seriously, I don't see any difference between an electronic forum and discussion board. Is there?

The way it's used here is that this site is the Wordcraft board. Within the board are a number of forums, (Questions & Answers about Words, Wordplay, The Written Word, etc.) Each forum contains individual threads about a particular topic.

message board – SCRIPT on WEBSITE with submission form that allows visitors to post messages...usu sorted within discussion categories, or topics [THREADS] chosen by host, or possibly visitor...also called a WEB BOARD or FORUM--free-webhosts Definition: ~

Doesn't The above def conflict with arnie's def, depending on your interpretation of "submission form," and doesn't his contain the implication that a topic is the same as a forum

Yet many use "thread" to mean "topic"

While we're on the subject, am I not correct in asserting that a thread contains a reply and usu one or more followups; that a reply to a followup is also called a "followup"

Incidentally I had never heard a website referred to as a "script," ad I wonder whether anyone can verify the usage

Am I not also correct in observing that the reply is often (incorrectly?) referred to as a followup

Thanks all

This message has been edited. Last edited by: dalehileman,

The first in a thread is usually called the original post or variants; sometimes abbreviated to OP. Further posts are usually called replies.

Other boards may use slightly different nomenclature because of custom or what the software developer decides to call the various aspects.

arnie, what a diligent fellow

Your reply appeared even before I was done editing, but thank you for the clarification

It is becoming increasingly clear however that meanings for all these terms are yet being established. Does anyone know of an "authoritative" dictionary-jargon-lexicon-glossary dealing specifically with such variations or should I go to Wiki

The "Links for Linguaphiles" forum contains this sort of thing. You might like to try the resource mentioned in https://wordcraft.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1576025271/m/9781076103

I must make it clear that there is no right or wrong name for these. What we call things may well go by another name on a different board. Even among ourselves I feel sure that we are liable to give them different names, particularly if we have already used one word and don't want to repeat ourselves.

The individual messages in a forum are probably most frequently called posts; this has the advantage of also referring to the original message that started the thread, which "replies" or "followups" cannot.

quote:

Originally posted by arnie:
The way it's used here is that this site is the Wordcraft board. Within the board are a number of forums, (Questions & Answers about Words, Wordplay, The Written Word, etc.) Each forum contains individual threads about a particular topic.

So, a board is a bunch of forums sewn together with threads?

Tinman

Exactly!

What's lacking here is a term for the post that's a followup to a followup

Incidentallly arnie, without a thorough Googling I can't find much support for "variant" as you used it. If you would care to elucidate I would be much indebted

This message has been edited. Last edited by: dalehileman,

(Further) post or reply?

Try OneLook.

arnie: By coincidence OneLook was the first source I tried. There was one link to "variant" under "Computers" but it had apparently been deleted

I had supposed that "variants" was a neologism relating somehow to a reply to a thread But then it occurred to me upon re-reading the post...

"The first in a thread is usually called the original post or variants"

...that you weren't using the word in some obscure new sense but in its more conventional usage; that what you undoubtedly meant was "variants thereof," or other terms synonynymous with "first post"

I have this bad habit at first take of seeing things as more complex than needbe

PS: Yes a followup to a followup would certainly qualify as a further post or a reply. I was exercising a bit of persiflage in hoping that there might be a more specific term

This message has been edited. Last edited by: dalehileman,