Advantages of Bulletin Boards

Bulletin boards impart information and facilitate communication. Both traditional and online bulletin boards save time, keep people informed and can serve a variety of purposes, from inspiring students to providing information about community resources.

Bulletin boards keep people abreast of events, opportunities and peer activities in school or at work. A college bulletin board, for example, provides information about everything from summer vacation job opportunities and forthcoming poetry readings to graduate research opportunities and student accommodation.

Traditional and online bulletin boards can symbolize a sense of belonging and social cohesion. Libraries, for example, serve their local population and are a center of community activity, while a library's bulletin board is an extension of this service and is a communal facility. Someone running a computer education program for seniors, for example, could post information about this on the library's bulletin board. Online bulletin boards, such as one for writers, also help impart a sense that people who make use of the board are part of a wider community.

Bulletin boards sometimes serve to inspire and motivate. Classroom bulletin boards, for example, showcase students' pictures, poems and stories to encourage them and make them feel that their talents are valued and appreciated. They can also serve as a useful learning tool. A Shakespeare bulletin board, for example, might make students feel less daunted by the archaic Elizabethan language, particularly if it is a vehicle for the students' own thoughts and insights about Shakespeare's poetry and plays.

In a workplace environment, bulletin boards can save time and promote productivity. A staff bulletin board offered as part of a company's internal extranet communication systems saves people the hassle of sorting through superfluous emails that aren't work-related. Instead, assignments, memos and messages from clients can be posted on the company's bulletin board.