Faculty members at those schools have used Course Info to create fairly robust Web sites on which they upload content, manage discussion boards and chat rooms, post announcements and track what students view at the schools' Web sites, Pittinsky said.

CNN: Web brings radical changes to higher education

The Manhattan Virtual Classroom is a web-based course management system that includes a variety of discussion groups, live chat, areas for the teacher to post the syllabus and other handouts and notices, a module for organizing online assignments, a grades module, a surveys module, and a unique, web-based email system open only to students in the class.

UNESCO: Free and Open Source Software for E-learning

Japanese police began investigating the hacker after he started threatening to bomb schools and nurseries via messages posted to chat forums and discussion boards.

BBC: Keyboard

Start the transformation by integrating live chat, communities, discussion areas, social media feeds, into your existing corporate website.

FORBES: Why Your Old Corporate Website Should Die

The latter has been virtual, haphazard and shrill, often involving young people who congregated on IRC (chat) networks and unruly discussion forums like 4chan.

FORBES: Anonymous, London's Rioters And The Power Of Internet-Organized Insurgencies

Jones ended up on third and Pirates manager Clint Hurdle came out for a quick chat with crew chief Joe West, who cracked a smile as the discussion began.

WSJ: Marcum exits early again, Mets lose to Pirates 7-3