Anonwaha: Created initial article

2026-05-14T05:57:18Z

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A '''bulletin board''' (Japanese: 掲示板; keijiban; often shortened to '''BBS''') is a dedicated space where messages and information are posted, typically for the purpose of other people being able to see the messages and information. Online bulletin boards are where to transmit and receive messages and information over the [[Internet]].

== Types of bulletin board ==

=== Dial-up BBS (Bulletin Board System) ===

Main article: [[Dial-up BBS]]

A (typically) non-Internet, pre-[[World Wide Web|WWW]] form of terminal-based bulletin board that works using telephone lines and modems. Often has extra features like mail, games, etc. Fell out of popularity with the adoption of the Internet and web, though some still exist and have even adopted Internet/web technologies.

=== Tree-type bulletin board ===

A threaded bulletin board format where threads and their replies are presented in a tree-like layout similar to many [[Usenet]] newsreaders and email clients. Was mostly seen in the early days of the web, mid-to-late 1990s.

=== Internet forum ===

Main article: [[Internet forum]]

"Internet form", or "forum" for short, usually refers to web-based multi-bulletin board system where topics are categorized into separate topic/genre boards, and typically requires account registration. The forum format was popularized by Ultimate Bulletin Board (UBB) in the late 1990s (first released in 1997) and was further popularized in the early 2000s by the likes of vBulletin and phpBB (both released in 2000).

This format never really took off in Japan—likely due to the lack of Japanese translations of the software (would have been much more work than simpler formats like tree-type), and possibly the account registration requirements they typically had.

=== Thread float bulletin board ===

Main article: [[Thread float bulletin board]]

Japanese: スレッドフロート掲示板. A Japanese-origin bulletin board type where threads "float" (bump) to the top of the page when new replies are made.

Examples:

* [[Amezou]]
* [[2channel]]

=== Imageboard ===

Main article: [[Imageboard]]

Japanese: 画像掲示板 (gazou keijiban). Another Japanese-origin bulletin board format, this time centered around the sharing of images.

Examples:

* [[Futaba Channel|Futaba☆Channel]]
* [[4chan]]
* [[Heyuri]]

Bulletin board - Revision history

Anonwaha: Created initial article