Discussion boards need to be somewhat personalized.  Enhance participation with comfortable rules.  Building a community is important by making the situation feel safe for the students and motivating students.  It is important to use rubrics so the students know exactly how they are being assessed. 

It takes a different mindset to partake in an online class.  Those involved need to be open minded, use appropriate communication, be self-disciplined, and have a good sense of time management.  Teachers should be mindful of their responses to students.  If needed, they should write the response, but perhaps walk away before sending it, and come back and read/send later.  

It is important for there to be a code of conduct in place and for every person involved in the online course to understand what is appropriate and what is expected of them.  This should be clear from the very beginning. It is also important to have a clear line of communication. 

It is important to review the types of tools that can be used in the classroom setting and to carefully choose based on what benefits the students, teacher, and the situation.  It is also important to get feedback from students to see what works and doesn't work.