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Intranets
Chapter 24
How Intranet Discussion Software
Works
CONTENTS
One of the greatest time savers on an intranet is discussion software-software
that allows people to share their ideas in public and private
discussions. These discussions are not held live. Instead, people
come in, post or respond to messages, and then other people at
another time do the same. The best of this discussion software
does more than simply allow people to have discussions: It can
also link those discussions to other intranet resources, such
as Web pages or even databases.
Intranet discussion software has its roots in Internet newsgroups,
which allows people from all over the globe to participate in
public discussions. In fact, intranets may use newsgroup technology
as the basis of their discussion software. Newsgroup discussions
are server-based, and work on a client/server model. The discussions
themselves are on the server, while client software is used to
access the server to read the discussions and respond to them.
Many kinds of clients are used to participate in discussions.
Newsgroup servers all over the world replicate the discussions
they each hold, so that people from anywhere on the globe can
participate by logging into a local server.
Intranet discussion software works in similar ways. It also works
on a client/server model. The discussions themselves are hosted
on servers, and client software is needed to read and participate
in those discussions. Unlike newsgroups, however, most intranet
discussion software requires that special client software be used-you
won't be able to use just any discussion client. Intranets will
often standardize on certain discussion software that's designed
for specific server software.
Intranet discussion servers, like their Internet newsgroup server
counterparts, replicate their discussions so that people across
an entire intranet can participate. A server may host all discussions
in a particular department or division; that server then replicates
its discussions at pre-set intervals with discussions in other
departments and divisions, so that everyone can participate in
all discussions.
The most powerful discussion software goes beyond mere talk. It
will, for example, allow someone to place a link to a Web page
in a discussion. Then, when anyone in the discussion clicks on
the link, a Web browser is launched, and the site is visited.
This makes it easy for people to get feedback on sites they're
designing, or access information contained in those sites. Similarly,
programming tools like Java can be used to link discussions to
intranet resources such as databases, so that in discussions people
can access corporate data and comment on it.
Some discussion software also lets intranet administrators set
security levels for different discussions. Certain discussions
may be open to the entire company, while others are password-protected
so that only certain people can see them. Some discussions can
even allow everyone to read them, but only certain people to participate.
Discussion software allows people to instantly communicate, builds
a sense of community, and lets people brainstorm in ways never
before possible.
Intranet-based discussion software allows people across an intranet-no
matter where they are located-to participate in collaborative
discussions. This discussion software offers far more than the
newsgroups on the Internet offers. It allows links to Web pages
and corporate resources such as databases; gives intranet administrators
tools to create private discussions and to moderate discussions;
and enables intranet programmers to add features using programming
languages such as Java.
- Discussion software is hosted on intranet discussion servers.
These servers handle the processing of all messages. When someone
reads a message, they're reading it from a server, and when they
respond to a message, they're sending it to the server.
- Discussion software can link thousands of employees on a global
intranet. Because of the distances involved and the computing
resources required, it would be impossible for a single server
to host all the discussions. Instead, each server handles a specified
group of people. Each server replicates the discussions it hosts
on all other servers on the network, so that everyone on the intranet
can participate with discussions with each other by interacting
with their own local server.
- Message threads are a basic and fundamental part of
discussion software. Message threads are focused discussions about
a single portion of a larger topic. For example, a discussion
about marketing plans may have separate threads for marketing
plans for last year, this year, and next year.
- Intranet discussion software can be integrated with Internet
newsgroup discussions. The intranet discussion servers can replicate
Internet newsgroup discussions on them, which means that intranet
users can participate in Internet discussions from their own discussion
software and server, without having to go out to the Internet.
- Some discussion software allows intranet administrators to
set up a "discussion firewall." This firewall would
allow people inside the intranet to see Internet newsgroup discussions.
When they respond to them, however, those responses will only
be able to be read by people inside the intranet. The response
won't be allowed to go out to the Internet.
- Some intranet discussion software will read HTML and allow
for links to other intranet and Internet resources, in particular,
the World Wide Web. For example, a link to a specific Web site
can be put into a message. Whenever someone clicks on that link,
a Web browser will be launched, and the site will be visited.
- Discussion software gives intranet administrators a great
deal of control over discussions. It allows for administrators
to moderate discussions, and weed out inappropriate messages,
as well as password-protect certain discussions. So, for example,
there can be public discussions set up as well as private discussions.
- Discussion software can include programming tools, or it can
allow developers to use programming tools such as Java to customize
the software and better integrate it into the intranet. For example,
a Java applet can be built into discussion software that will
allow people to query a database and get results directly from
a discussion. This, for example, would allow someone to place
real-time information about corporate sales, that changes as the
data changes, directly into a sales discussion area.
Contact
reference@developer.com with questions or comments.
Copyright 1998
EarthWeb Inc., All rights reserved.
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Copyright 1998 Macmillan Computer Publishing. All rights reserved.
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