submit urlsubmit rss feedadd directoryMobile Arts Directory

article

An Internet forum is a facility on the World Wide Web for holding discussions, or the web application software used to provide the facility. Web-based forums, which date from around 1995, perform a similar function as the dial-up bulletin boards and Internet newsgroups that were numerous in the 1980s and 1990s. A sense of virtual community often develops around forums that have regular users. Technology, computer games, and politics are popular areas for forum themes, but there are forums for a huge number of different topics .

Internet forums are also commonly referred to as web forums, message boards, discussion boards, discussion forums, discussion groups, bulletin boards (but see also dial-up bulletin boards), fora (the proper Latin plural) or simply forums.

Culture


Internet forums are prevalent in several developed countries. In terms of countable posts, Japan is far in the lead with over two million posts per day on their largest forum, 2channel. The United States does not have any one large forum, but instead several hundred thousand smaller forums, the largest of which are GameFAQs, Gaia Online, and IGN. Other countries such as China, the Netherlands, and France are also home to hundreds of independent forums. Some countries such as Finland and Sweden do not have many prevalent forums despite having open and easily available Internet access. As of yet no study has been done on the prevalence of forums in countries around the world. It is also dubious as to whether any country has its own fora, as - especially in the English language - contributors to a forum often come from outside the country in which the forum is hosted. There is often not a 1-1 relationship between languages and countries: for example, English language fora are contributed to by people all over the world, whilst Japanese language fora are likely to be contributed to only by Japanese people, but Japanese people also contribute to English language fora, so there is no 1-1 relationship between Japanese language fora and Japanese people contributing to fora.

More on [ Internet forum ]


directory of related categories

 

 

 
 
directory of related topics

Chats and Forums :: Arts
Chats and Forums :: Online Writing
Chats and Forums :: Writers Resources

 
Chats_and_Forums RSS feed
L.A. Times - Books & Talks

'The Second Plane' by Martin Amis
Mon, 14 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700
September 11: Terror and Boredom IT would be too easy to read Martin Amis' slim book on Sept. 11 in a day and to dismiss it with a politically correct glare. The dozen essays, columns and reviews and two short stories in "The Second Plane: September 11, Terror and Boredom" are more illuminating than that, though deeply, sometimes self-indulgently flawed.
'The House of Widows' by Askold Melnyczuk
Mon, 07 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Family secrets lie at the end of a dark and twisted path FROM its puzzling opening line ("The most common grammatical error is the lie"), there's an ominous vibe to Askold Melnyczuk's third novel, "The House of Widows," and the sense of unease lingers until the final sentence. It's a mysterious, masterfully taut story in which dread plays a prominent role.
'Marco Polo' by Laurence Bergreen
Wed, 24 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0700
An account of the adventures of the celebrated 13th century world traveler. MARCO POLO was only 17 when he departed for China in 1271 with his father, Niccolò, and his uncle, Maffeo. Those two merchants of Venice were known to the boy primarily as storytellers of their fabulous exploits, writes award-winning biographer and historian Laurence Bergreen, for they had been absent more than 16 years, Marco's entire childhood. The pair had followed trade routes east, encountered exotic countries and customs and survived many perils; they had even lived for a time at the court of Kublai Khan, the leader of the Mongol Empire. Eventually they agreed to accompany his emissary west to the pope, vowing to return to Cambulac (Beijing) with several items the Great Khan had requested.

NYT > Books

Children’s Books: The Greatest’s Story, Told Twice
Mon, 12 May 2008 15:42:56 -0000
Two handsome new books for different age groups take on the formidable challenge of telling the story of Muhammad Ali’s epic life.
Children’s Books: Earth to Young People: Help!
Sat, 10 May 2008 01:28:12 -0000
A “family encyclopedia of ecology” and the first book by “the MySpace community” spell out environmental threats and suggest action to help.
Children’s Books: When We Last Saw Our Heroes ...
Sat, 10 May 2008 12:57:15 -0000
Sequels to the popular children’s books “Not a Box,” “Zen Shorts” and “Little Pea” — plus the latest in Mo Willems’s “Pigeon” series.

Fiction & Poetry

Thirteen Hundred Rats
T. Coraghessan Boyle Mon, 30 Jun 2008 04:00:00 -0000
There was a man in our village who never in his life had a pet of any kind until his wife died. By my calculation, Gerard Loomis was in his mid-fifties when Marietta was taken from him, but at the ceremony in the chapel he looked so scorched and . . .
Songs of a Season
Maureen N. McLane Mon, 30 Jun 2008 04:00:00 -0000
for here or to go-- a glass mug, a paper cup-- life is fast, art slow only a few years before all that I am blows free, subatomic not for me that life the careless joy of the dog not for me that leap how to say beautiful weekend in . . .
After Love
Jack Gilbert Mon, 30 Jun 2008 04:00:00 -0000
He is watching the music with his eyes closed. Hearing the piano like a man moving through the woods thinking by feeling. The orchestra up in the trees, the heart below, step by step. The music hurrying sometimes, but always returning to quiet, like the man remembering and hoping. It . . .

London Review of Books

Gazillions · Neal Ascherson: Organised Crime
Karabas was gunned down in 1997. He and his mob had taken over the port city of Odessa as law and order disintegrated in the wake of the Soviet Union's collapse. One might call his reign a comprehensive protection racket. But, looked at in another way, Karabas became the only reliable source of authority and social discipline. He arbitrated the city's commercial disputes (10 per cent of net profits was his price); he kept the drug peddlers to one area of Odessa, and prevented the horrific people-smuggling in the harbour district from infecting the rest of the town. Using a bare minimum of thuggery, he kept the peace. Karabas seldom carried a gun. Everyone looked up to him, and levels of violence stayed lower in Odessa than in other Russian and Ukrainian cities. His murderers were probably Chechens hired to break Odessa's grip on the local oil industry, a grip coveted by Ukraine's then president, Leonid Kuchma, who 'during his ten years in power . . . presided over the total criminalisation of the Ukrainian government and civil service'.
An Element of Unfairness · Ross McKibbin on the Great Education Disaster
The modern history of English secondary education begins with the 1944 Education Act, usually known as the Butler Act. It was, for better and worse, the most important piece of education legislation of the 20th century, but was expected to reform an educational system already deeply divisive and inequitable. In some ways it promoted the hopes of wartime democracy; in others it betrayed them. It raised the school-leaving age to 15 and made secondary education universal and free. It equalised the payment of teachers in all state secondary schools and devised procedures by which nearly all the religious elementary schools were incorporated into the state system. It didn't specify what kind of secondary education local authorities should establish, and as a result they fell back on what already existed and what conventional opinion thought appropriate: grammar schools for the academically inclined, junior technical schools for those with superior technical aptitudes and secondary moderns for those of a 'practical' turn of mind.
Kick over the Scenery · Stephen Burt on Philip K. Dick
When an art form or genre once dismissed as kids' stuff starts to get taken seriously by gatekeepers - by journals, for example, such as the one you are reading now - respect doesn't come smoothly, or all at once. Often one artist gets lifted above the rest, his principal works exalted for qualities that other works of the same kind seem not to possess. Later on, the quondam genius looks, if no less talented, less solitary: first among equals, or maybe just first past the post. That is what happened to rock music in the late 1960s, when sophisticated critics decided, as Richard Poirier put it, to start 'learning from the Beatles'. It is what happened to comics, too, in the early 1990s, when the Pulitzer Prize committee invented an award for Art Spiegelman's Maus. And it has happened to science fiction, where the anointed author is Philip K. Dick.

Guardian Unlimited Books

JK Rowling says no to age banding on children's books
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0000
JK Rowling has joined the growing revolt against publishers' plans to brand children's books with "appropriate" age bands
US teacher is suspended for letting pupils read bestseller
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0000
Collection of stories written by inner-city teenagers and collated by teacher is banned by school authorities due to swearing
The Presence wins Welsh award
Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0000
Jul 2: Dannie Abse and Gareth Miles win Wales Book of the Year prizes

NPR Topics: Books

Welsh Awards Snafu Leaves Red Faces
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:41:00 -0400
Welsh Assembly Culture Minister Rhodri Glyn Thomas has apologized for naming the wrong person winner of the Wales Book of the Year. He named Tom Bullough, who briefly thought he had won. Dannie Abse was the actual winner. Thomas apologized to both.
Excerpt: 'Reading Comics: How Graphic Novels Work and What They Mean'
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:19:00 -0400
Douglas Wolk takes graphic novels seriously and dissects today's comic-book landscape.
Excerpt: 'The Great Comic Book Heroes'
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:12:00 -0400
Jules Feiffer offers a critical history of comic books. He labels comics "junk" — only to vigorously defend our need for them.

Slashdot: Book Reviews

Dungeons and Desktops
samzenpus Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:30:00 -0000
Aeonite writes "Dungeons and Desktops: The History of Computer Role-playing Games chronicles the rise and fall of the Computer RPG industry, from Akalabeth to Zelda and everything in between. While the bulk of the book is devoted to the genre's 'Golden Age' in the late '80s and early '90s, author Matt Barton explores the entire history of CRPGs, from their origins in the mid '70s to the very recent past. While not entirely comprehensive, the book covers not only the major players and award-winners, but also dozens of obscure 'also-ran' as well as notable games in related genres." Keep reading for the rest of Michael's review.Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Google Apps Hacks
samzenpus Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:58:00 -0000
stoolpigeon writes "It seems that it wasn't long ago that Google was just a search company. The number of on-line products that fly under the Google moniker, today, is impressive. Google has moved well beyond its office-suite-like applications and excelled with everything from mapping to blogging to 3-D drawing. Google Apps Hacks is a new book from O'Reilly, published in conjunction with their Make magazine. This volume presents the reader with 141 hacks in an attempt to get the most out of a wide array of Google's on-line applications. The result is a quick ride that is rather fun — and while a bit shallow at times, it provides a great overview of just how much is available out there." Read below for the rest of JR's review.Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Terminal Chaos
samzenpus Wed, 25 Jun 2008 17:10:00 -0000
Ben Rothke writes "While Terminal Chaos should be shelved in the current events or business section of a bookstore, it could also be placed in the modern crime section. After reading it, one gets the impression that the state of air traffic today could only come due to criminal neglect or mischief. If one looks at pictures of airline flights from the 1960s, you will see well-dressed passengers enjoying their flight. In 2008, barely a day goes by without an incident of air rage, from irate passengers in the terminal, to those in the air causing flights to be diverted. Today's airline traveler considers it a near miracle if his flight arrives on time with his baggage." Keep reading for the rest of Ben's review.Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Books

Appreciation for storytellers
mkehe Thu, 03 Jul 2008 09:38:31 -0000
The Newbery-Caldecott dinner (the event at which this year’s winners of the prestigious children’s book awards are honored) took place this week and you won’t find a better piece of reporting on that than what appears in the 7/2 edition of “Shelf Awareness,” the e-mail newsletter that goes out daily to independent [...]
How to Be Your Dog’s Best Friend
picks Thu, 03 Jul 2008 09:19:47 -0000
How to Be Your Dog’s Best Friend written by The Monks of New Skete is a pleasant, interesting, and informative training manuals for dog owners. We are gently taught why dogs do what they do and learn kindly ways to change their attitudes and behavior, as well as our own. The Monks of New [...]
Wry views of a fesity generation
reviews Thu, 03 Jul 2008 09:05:35 -0000
If you’ve never read Jane Gardam – and most Americans haven’t – you’re in for a treat. She’s been writing fiction for grown-ups since 1975, and has won numerous literary awards, including the Whitbread twice and the Booker shortlist.

 
Subscribe to Literature RSS feed

directory of related sites

Abe Books - Forum for professional booksellers and avid book readers to interact with one another.

BookChatCentral - A community for discussion of authors and books of any genre.
Meta Description: [ BOARD DISCUSSIONS AND LIVE CHATS WEEKLY discuss all types of books in a friendly atmosphere Newbies welcome. We vote to choose a group read each month. Join Our OPEN CHATs Wednesdays @ 9 PM EASTERN (8 Central, 6 Pacific) in our AIM chat room: BCC Chat. Check our current READING SCHEDULES ]

Books and Reading Forum - Literature forum at msn.com.
Meta Description: [ If you love to read, then this is the place for you! Join us and make new friends as we explore the wonderful world of books. Please tell us about yourself when applying! ]

Bookshelved Wiki - A wiki dedicated to books; an online discussion where the primary topic is books read by the people who contribute.

Dictionary of Imaginary Places - Assembled descriptions of locales created for literary works; intended to fill in the gaps in the book of the same name. Users may submit their own content.
Meta Description: [ A guide to places that never were ]

English Literature Message Board - Questions and discussions about English Literature.

Enter The Muse - Online creative writing community. Members provide critical commentary, as well as a place for writers, poets and lyricists to post their work for general perusal.

Jollyroger.com Classical Portal - Forums and chat rooms for classic books and their authors.
Meta Description: [ The Jolly Roger & The Great Books: Books, forums, poetry, and stories in the context of Shakespeare, the Bible, and the Western Canon. ]

Literature Forums - Talk about fiction and non-fiction books, post your own works and take part in a active community.
Meta Description: [ Talk about literature, books, poetry or anything else on LiteratureForums.net ]

Literature Network Forums - A forum with discussions on classic literature, poetry, quotes, Shakespeare, and the Bible.
Meta Description: [ Free discussion forums for literature and poetry. ]

LiteratureClassics - Interactive discussion forum for classic literature and philosophy.
Meta Description: [ Visit the Classics Network Forums to discuss literature, philosophy, and other areas in the humanities. ]

Michael Marshall Smith Forum - Forum for fans to discuss the books of Michael Marshall Smith.

Neil Gaiman Message Board - Forum for fans to discuss the works of Neil Gaiman.

Ninja Books - Book reviews and discussion forums for all topics and genres.

Palimpsest - An online literary community and Book Group.
Meta Description: [ The Home of Informed Debate on the Web ]

Reader's Paradise Forum - Forum for the discussion of all topics related to reading and literature.
Meta Description: [ GardenWeb - The Internet's Garden Community ]

SHARP-L - History of print culture.

Talkaboutbooks Discussion Forums - Discuss or review your favorite works and interact with those who share your interests. Includes forums to post stories, poetry, book reviews and literary community news.
Meta Description: [ Talk about books. ]

The Book Forum - Online community for bookworms. Talk about books you've read, or post your own work for others to read. As well as a forum the site also boasts a library in which members can post their own reviews.
Meta Description: [ News, reviews and discussions about all types of books. ]

The Jasper Fforde Forum - Forum for fans to discuss the books of Jasper Fforde.
Meta Description: [ The Jasper Fforde Forum ]

The Reader's Place - A literature discussion forum. Registration required to post.
Meta Description: [ The Readers Place an online community for book lovers featuring extensive book discussions, chats, book news, articles and other information for readers. Genres include mystery, science fiction, horror, biography, romance, poetry, childrens literature, and general literature from all over the w... ]

Zone of Plenty - Discussions of books and authors, music and life in general.
Meta Description: [ Anything goes- no matter your interest, you can talk about it here, and make new friends. From book discussions in every genre, to music and general chat..we have something for everyone. Stop in and say hello, we would love to meet you! And oh yeah, bring a friend!! :) ]

Chats_and_Forums related videos
nr for episode on time and special and alot more like a arcade and forum and chat and a AMV every week. the amv thing is ...
Next Video

 

HOMEADVERTISINGABOUT US

articlesartsbusinesscomputersgameshealthhospitalshomekids & teensnewsmobilephysiciansrecreationreferenceregionalscienceshoppingsocietysportsworld


Submit a Site About Become an Editor