What is the message? How many students do you want to include in your communication? What is the importance or urgency of your message? Do you want a record of your message. Now consider the various ways to use Blackboard to communicate with your students:

• Announcements - This is probably the most common method to communicate with students. The announcement page is the default entry page when students go to their course in Bb. Remember that announcements go away after seven days (unless you make them permamant) and students need to click on the 30-day tab to see previous announcements. Blackboard does keep an archive of your announcements.
• e-mail - Sending e-mail from Bb allows you to send one or more students an e-mail. Blackboard only facilitates sending e-mail, it is not an e-mail server. Students need to have a current e-mail address, one that they frequently read, in Blackboard.
• Discussion Board - You can create a forum in Blackboard and have students participate in an electronic discussion. This method is asynchronous which has a built in delay in responses.
• Internal Message - This is useful only if your students are in the habit of checking their messages from within Blackboard. There is no notification that they have a message.