Background

 
 
 

"Paper event posters are the most effective means of publicizing your group’s events to the MIT community. There are many public bulletin boards in high-traffic areas on campus that your group should take advantage of when publicizing for events, however, you should be aware of the public postering policies."  

         ~ Association of Student Activities (ASA)

   
 

 
Public Postering Policies Summary

 

The Public Postering Policies consist of a list of policies and fines that apply when postering the public MIT bulletin boards. Below is a list of the general rules and regulations that are highlighted for this study. To view a complete list, visit the ASA website.

 
   
General Rules:
  • One poster per event per board
  • Poster only in designated spaces
  • MIT groups have priority
  • You must include the sponsoring party and contact information
  • You must date your posters
  • All posters are removed twice per week by authorized personnel only
What you CAN do:
  • Use flat flyers up to 22" x 17"
  • Poster over repeated flyers
  • Poster over flyers of past events
  • Poster over non-MIT flyers if the boards are full
What you CANNOT do:
  • Never, ever, tear down other posters; poster over them, if applicable above, but do not tear them down
  • Never poster outside designated areas (e.g. on windows, doors, walls, etc.)
  • Don't poster over current flyers

 

 
 

 
Bulletin Board Summary

   
 
 

In 1924, George Brooks of Topeka, Kansas patented the concept of the corkboard (patent number 1,494,583). His concept is still one of the most commonly used bulletin boards at MIT.

Cork:
The lightweight elastic outer bark of the cork oak, used especially for bottle closures, insulation, floats, and crafts [2].
[3]

Since Brooks' invention in 1924, physical bulletin boards have not really changed much other than their variety in materials and hanging methods. These boards typically range in price from $100 to $600 and are manufactured by a large number of companies.

As electronics technology advanced, electronic bulletin boards became popular. Two of the most popular examples are (1) managed electronic forums, where a company manages an online advertisement forum for a large group/organization, and (2) public slide shows, where a managed slideshow presentation is viewed on publicly displayed screens. "eBoard: Campus Electronic Bulletin Boards" is an example of managed electronic forums at the university level. This study focuses on physical boards; however, electronic boards are referenced in the redesign process.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Page Reference:

[1] http://web.mit.edu/asa/publicity/public-bulletin-boards.html. 4-March 2008.
[2] http://www.answers.com/topic/cork. 4-March 2008.
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulletin_board. 4-March 2008.

 
 
   
Copyright 2008