The Internet allows us to interact with each other in many different ways. We can chat in "real time." We can send each other email. We can leave messages for others on bulletin boards and Usenet newsgroups. Internet telephony allows us to talk to each other like we were using a telephone, and to even send a video image. All of these methods of online communication harness the power of the Internet to allow us to communicate over thousands of miles. They each have strengths and weaknesses. As we consider using the Internet to communicate about mental health it will help if we understand some of the differences between these methods of communicating.

Email was one of the first Internet communication modalities. Even before the Internet officially existed students and faculties at colleges and universities were using networks such as BITNET and ARPANET  to communicate with each other. Email is asynchronous. It allows me to send you a message when you are not online. You can then read the message at your leisure. It is (at least in theory) private. You can read my message, but it is not publicly available to others. 

Mailing lists sprang up for the convenience of email users.  Academic computers connected by BITNET hosted listserv mailing lists beginning in the mid 1980s.  This allowed the private medium of email to become a public medium for general discussion.  Every email sent to the list is sent to everyone on the list.  Mental Issues are explored on lots of these lists. 

Email is also the main modality used by online counselors and therapists.  The ability to choose words carefully makes email a good medium for these interactions.  The asynchronous nature of these interactions also adds to their convenience.  There is no need for the counselor and therapist to be online at the same time.   

Newsgroups and bulletin boards are also asynchronous; but they are public rather than private. These are areas for public discussion of issues. Usenet newsgroups are organized around different topics of interest. Usenet was originally a network of computers which ran the Unix operating system. These computers communicated with each other and spread these discussion forums from computer to computer. These forums were going strong before there was an Internet. Early newsgroups were focused on computers and technical topics. Gradually groups were formed to discuss hobbies and literature. Support groups sprang up as computer users banded together to support each other through mutual problems.

Bulletin boards are similar to newsgroups in their function. Computer buffs began creating bulletin boards on their home computers and attaching them to a telephone line. Other users could dial-in and leave public and private messages. These boards often had a local flavor, as most users were calling the local telephone number.

With the relatively recent advent of the World Wide Web many Websites have added web-based bulletin boards.  Some boards are devoted almost entirely to helping groups such as trauma survivors support and assist each other. The board at this site allows our exploration of mental health issues to be interactive. Log on and let the rest of us know what you think.