As an instructor you would want to keep students from posting items that are not relevant to the course in discussion boards and forums.  You also want to allow students an opportunity to socialize as they would in a standard classroom before or after class.  Creating a STUDENT CAFE or CHAT ROOM provides for the social interaction common to classes.  It also provides an outlet for students to express their reactions to rather disturbing events that occur in the world during the course of the semester.

You can make use of a feature of BB8 in the discussion board area that enhances communication amongst members and fosters interactions amongst learning community members.  BB8 allows for members of the class to subscribe to a forum and then when anything is posted an email is sent out to the subscribers to their email address in the BB roster.  The email can simply indicate an item is posted or it can contain the body of the post.  This latter feature allows this feature to become a TWITTER for the class that permits more than 140 characters in the message. 

How to do it?

• Create a DB forum

• Make forum available

• Title forum e.g.,  STUDENT CAFE or CHAT ROOM

• Allow members to subscribe

• Include body of post in email

• Submit

Then anyone entering the forum can subscribe by clicking on that option in the upper right.  They get a confirmation and all is set.

I place this Chat Room /Cafe forum in a permanent position near the top of the DB

Here is my title and message to students.  It has worked just fine.

This is an area for the students to talk to one another, to get to know one another, to chat, to gossip and to help one another. You may discuss your written assignments and even share ideas on how to approach topics. You may arrange to email materials to one another. Start by INTRODUCING yourselves to one another. The instructor will refrain from participating in this discussion area but will observe. Please observe the rules of politeness and decorum. If this area is abused by impolite behavior it may be removed.
In this area you need not worry about spelling and grammar. Write as you are and believe most effective.