<s>
An	O
Internet	B-Application
forum	I-Application
,	O
or	O
message	B-Application
board	I-Application
,	O
is	O
an	O
online	O
discussion	B-Application
site	I-Application
where	O
people	O
can	O
hold	O
conversations	O
in	O
the	O
form	O
of	O
posted	O
messages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
differ	O
from	O
chat	B-Protocol
rooms	O
in	O
that	O
messages	O
are	O
often	O
longer	O
than	O
one	O
line	O
of	O
text	O
,	O
and	O
are	O
at	O
least	O
temporarily	O
archived	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
,	O
depending	O
on	O
the	O
access	O
level	O
of	O
a	O
user	O
or	O
the	O
forum	O
set-up	O
,	O
a	O
posted	O
message	O
might	O
need	O
to	O
be	O
approved	O
by	O
a	O
moderator	O
before	O
it	B-General_Concept
becomes	O
publicly	O
visible	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Forums	O
have	O
a	O
specific	O
set	O
of	O
jargon	O
associated	O
with	O
them	O
;	O
for	O
example	O
:	O
a	O
single	O
conversation	O
is	O
called	O
a	O
"	O
thread	B-Operating_System
"	O
,	O
or	O
topic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
discussion	B-Application
forum	I-Application
is	O
hierarchical	O
or	O
tree-like	O
in	O
structure	O
:	O
a	O
forum	O
can	O
contain	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
subforums	O
,	O
each	O
of	O
which	O
may	O
have	O
several	O
topics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Within	O
a	O
forum	O
's	O
topic	O
,	O
each	O
new	O
discussion	O
started	O
is	O
called	O
a	O
thread	B-Operating_System
and	O
can	O
be	O
replied	O
to	O
by	O
as	O
many	O
people	O
as	O
so	O
wish	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Depending	O
on	O
the	O
forum	O
's	O
settings	O
,	O
users	O
can	O
be	O
anonymous	O
or	O
have	O
to	O
register	O
with	O
the	O
forum	O
and	O
then	O
subsequently	O
log	B-General_Concept
in	I-General_Concept
to	O
post	O
messages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
most	O
forums	O
,	O
users	O
do	O
not	O
have	O
to	O
log	B-General_Concept
in	I-General_Concept
to	O
read	O
existing	O
messages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
modern	O
forum	O
originated	O
from	O
bulletin	B-Application
boards	I-Application
,	O
and	O
so-called	O
computer	O
conferencing	O
systems	O
,	O
and	O
are	O
a	O
technological	O
evolution	O
of	O
the	O
dialup	O
bulletin	B-Application
board	I-Application
system	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
From	O
a	O
technological	O
standpoint	O
,	O
forums	O
or	O
boards	O
are	O
web	B-Application
applications	I-Application
managing	O
user-generated	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Early	O
Internet	B-Application
forums	I-Application
could	O
be	O
described	O
as	O
a	O
web	O
version	O
of	O
an	O
electronic	O
mailing	O
list	O
or	O
newsgroup	B-Application
(	O
such	O
as	O
exist	O
on	O
Usenet	B-Application
)	O
;	O
allowing	O
people	O
to	O
post	O
messages	O
and	O
comment	O
on	O
other	O
messages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
developments	O
emulated	O
the	O
different	O
newsgroups	B-Application
or	O
individual	O
lists	O
,	O
providing	O
more	O
than	O
one	O
forum	O
,	O
dedicated	O
to	O
a	O
particular	O
topic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Internet	B-Application
forums	I-Application
are	O
prevalent	O
in	O
several	O
developed	O
countries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
forum	O
systems	O
were	O
the	O
Planet-Forum	O
system	O
,	O
developed	O
at	O
the	O
beginning	O
of	O
the	O
1970s	O
,	O
the	O
EIES	B-Protocol
system	I-Protocol
,	O
first	O
operational	O
in	O
1976	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
KOM	O
system	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
first	O
operational	O
in	O
1977	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Forums	O
perform	O
a	O
function	O
similar	O
to	O
that	O
of	O
dial-up	O
bulletin	B-Application
board	I-Application
systems	I-Application
and	O
Usenet	B-Application
networks	O
that	O
were	O
first	O
created	O
starting	O
in	O
the	O
late	O
1970s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Early	O
web-based	B-Application
forums	O
date	O
back	O
as	O
far	O
as	O
1994	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
WIT	O
project	O
from	O
W3	O
Consortium	O
and	O
starting	O
from	O
this	O
time	O
,	O
many	O
alternatives	O
were	O
created	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
sense	O
of	O
virtual	B-Architecture
community	I-Architecture
often	O
develops	O
around	O
forums	O
that	O
have	O
regular	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Internet	O
slang	O
and	O
image	O
macros	O
popular	O
across	O
the	O
Internet	O
are	O
abundant	O
and	O
widely	O
used	O
in	O
Internet	B-Application
forums	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Forum	B-Application
software	I-Application
packages	O
are	O
widely	O
available	O
on	O
the	O
Internet	O
and	O
are	O
written	O
in	O
a	O
variety	O
of	O
programming	O
languages	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
PHP	B-Application
,	O
Perl	B-Language
,	O
Java	B-Language
and	O
ASP	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
configuration	O
and	O
records	O
of	O
posts	O
can	O
be	O
stored	O
in	O
text	B-General_Concept
files	I-General_Concept
or	O
in	O
a	O
database	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
package	O
offers	O
different	O
features	O
,	O
from	O
the	O
most	O
basic	O
,	O
providing	O
text-only	O
postings	O
,	O
to	O
more	O
advanced	O
packages	O
,	O
offering	O
multimedia	O
support	O
and	O
formatting	O
code	O
(	O
usually	O
known	O
as	O
BBCode	B-Language
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
other	O
web	B-Application
applications	I-Application
,	O
such	O
as	O
blog	O
software	O
,	O
also	O
incorporate	O
forum	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WordPress	B-Application
comments	O
at	O
the	O
bottom	O
of	O
a	O
blog	O
post	O
allow	O
for	O
a	O
single-threaded	B-Operating_System
discussion	O
of	O
any	O
given	O
blog	O
post	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Slashcode	B-Protocol
,	O
on	O
the	O
other	O
hand	O
,	O
is	O
far	O
more	O
complicated	O
,	O
allowing	O
fully	O
threaded	O
discussions	O
and	O
incorporating	O
a	O
robust	O
moderation	O
and	O
meta-moderation	O
system	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
profile	O
features	O
available	O
to	O
forum	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
stand	O
alone	O
threads	B-Operating_System
on	O
forums	O
have	O
reached	O
fame	O
and	O
notability	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
"	O
I	O
am	O
lonely	O
will	O
anyone	O
speak	O
to	O
me	O
"	O
thread	B-Operating_System
on	O
com	O
's	O
forums	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
described	O
as	O
the	O
"	O
web	O
's	O
top	O
hangout	O
for	O
lonely	O
folk	O
"	O
by	O
Wired	O
magazine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
topics	O
(	O
commonly	O
called	O
threads	B-Operating_System
)	O
come	O
under	O
the	O
lowest	O
level	O
of	O
sub-forums	O
and	O
these	O
are	O
the	O
places	O
under	O
which	O
members	O
can	O
start	O
their	O
discussions	O
or	O
posts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	B-General_Concept
can	O
also	O
have	O
a	O
graph	O
structure	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
message	B-Application
boards	I-Application
will	O
use	O
one	O
of	O
three	O
possible	O
display	O
formats	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
of	O
the	O
three	O
basic	O
message	B-Application
board	I-Application
display	O
formats	O
:	O
Non-Threaded/Semi-Threaded/Fully	O
Threaded	O
,	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
person	O
viewing	O
a	O
closed	O
thread	B-Operating_System
as	O
a	O
member	O
will	O
see	O
a	O
box	O
saying	O
he	O
does	O
not	O
have	O
the	O
right	O
to	O
submit	O
messages	O
there	O
,	O
but	O
a	O
moderator	O
will	O
likely	O
see	O
the	O
same	O
box	O
granting	O
him	O
access	O
to	O
more	O
than	O
just	O
posting	O
messages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
person	O
who	O
is	O
a	O
very	O
frequent	O
visitor	O
of	O
the	O
forum	O
,	O
a	O
section	O
or	O
even	O
a	O
thread	B-Operating_System
is	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
a	O
lurker	O
and	O
the	O
habit	O
is	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
lurking	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Registered	O
members	O
often	O
will	O
refer	O
to	O
themselves	O
as	O
lurking	O
in	O
a	O
particular	O
location	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
to	O
say	O
they	O
have	O
no	O
intention	O
of	O
participating	O
in	O
that	O
section	O
but	O
enjoy	O
reading	O
the	O
contributions	O
to	O
it	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
moderators	O
(	O
short	O
singular	O
form	O
:	O
"	O
mod	O
"	O
)	O
are	O
users	O
(	O
or	O
employees	O
)	O
of	O
the	O
forum	O
who	O
are	O
granted	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
posts	O
and	O
threads	B-Operating_System
of	O
all	O
members	O
for	O
the	O
purpose	O
of	O
moderating	O
discussion	O
(	O
similar	O
to	O
arbitration	O
)	O
and	O
also	O
keeping	O
the	O
forum	O
clean	O
(	O
neutralizing	O
spam	O
and	O
spambots	B-Protocol
etc	O
.	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Common	O
privileges	O
of	O
moderators	O
include	O
:	O
deleting	O
,	O
merging	O
,	O
moving	O
,	O
and	O
splitting	O
of	O
posts	O
and	O
threads	B-Operating_System
,	O
locking	O
,	O
renaming	O
,	O
stickying	O
of	O
threads	B-Operating_System
,	O
banning	O
,	O
unbanning	O
,	O
suspending	O
,	O
unsuspending	O
,	O
warning	O
the	O
members	O
,	O
or	O
adding	O
,	O
editing	O
,	O
and	O
removing	O
the	O
polls	O
of	O
threads	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Essentially	O
,	O
it	B-General_Concept
is	O
the	O
duty	O
of	O
the	O
moderator	O
to	O
manage	O
the	O
day-to-day	O
affairs	O
of	O
a	O
forum	O
or	O
board	O
as	O
it	B-General_Concept
applies	O
to	O
the	O
stream	O
of	O
user	O
contributions	O
and	O
interactions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
Reddit	B-Application
,	O
some	O
moderators	O
have	O
prominently	O
expressed	O
dissatisfaction	O
with	O
their	O
unpaid	O
labor	O
being	O
underappreciated	O
,	O
while	O
other	O
site	O
users	O
have	O
accused	O
moderators	O
of	O
abusing	O
special	O
access	O
privileges	O
to	O
act	O
as	O
a	O
"	O
cabal	O
"	O
of	O
"	O
petty	O
tyrants	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
such	O
,	O
they	O
have	O
the	O
authority	O
to	O
appoint	O
and	O
revoke	O
members	O
as	O
moderators	O
,	O
manage	O
the	O
rules	O
,	O
create	O
sections	O
and	O
sub-sections	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
perform	O
any	O
database	O
operations	O
(	O
database	B-Protocol
backup	I-Protocol
,	O
etc	O
.	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
post	O
is	O
a	O
user-submitted	O
message	O
enclosed	O
into	O
a	O
block	O
containing	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
details	O
and	O
the	O
date	O
and	O
time	O
it	B-General_Concept
was	O
submitted	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Posts	O
are	O
contained	O
in	O
threads	B-Operating_System
,	O
where	O
they	O
appear	O
as	O
blocks	O
one	O
after	O
another	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
post	O
starts	O
the	O
thread	B-Operating_System
;	O
this	O
may	O
be	O
called	O
the	O
TS	O
(	O
thread	B-Operating_System
starter	O
)	O
or	O
OP	O
(	O
original	O
post	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Posts	O
that	O
follow	O
in	O
the	O
thread	B-Operating_System
are	O
meant	O
to	O
continue	O
discussion	O
about	O
that	O
post	O
,	O
or	O
respond	O
to	O
other	O
replies	O
;	O
it	B-General_Concept
is	O
not	O
uncommon	O
for	O
discussions	O
to	O
be	O
derailed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
more	O
recent	O
forum	B-Application
software	I-Application
implementations	O
,	O
the	O
Asian	O
style	O
of	O
displaying	O
the	O
members	O
 '	O
details	O
above	O
the	O
post	O
has	O
been	O
copied	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
is	O
always	O
an	O
upper	O
limit	O
but	O
it	B-General_Concept
is	O
rarely	O
reached	O
–	O
most	O
boards	O
have	O
it	B-General_Concept
at	O
either	O
10	O
,	O
000	O
,	O
20	O
,	O
000	O
,	O
30	O
,	O
000	O
,	O
or	O
50,000	O
characters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
thread	B-Operating_System
(	O
sometimes	O
called	O
a	O
topic	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
collection	O
of	O
posts	O
,	O
usually	O
displayed	O
from	O
oldest	O
to	O
latest	O
,	O
although	O
this	O
is	O
typically	O
configurable	O
:	O
Options	O
for	O
newest	O
to	O
oldest	O
and	O
for	O
a	O
threaded	O
view	O
(	O
a	O
tree-like	O
view	O
applying	O
logical	O
reply	O
structure	O
before	O
chronological	O
order	O
)	O
can	O
be	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
thread	B-Operating_System
is	O
defined	O
by	O
a	O
title	O
,	O
an	O
additional	O
description	O
that	O
may	O
summarize	O
the	O
intended	O
discussion	O
,	O
and	O
an	O
opening	O
or	O
original	O
post	O
(	O
common	O
abbreviation	O
OP	O
,	O
which	O
can	O
also	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
refer	O
to	O
the	O
original	O
poster	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
opens	O
whatever	O
dialogue	O
or	O
makes	O
whatever	O
announcement	O
the	O
poster	O
wished	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
thread	B-Operating_System
can	O
contain	O
any	O
number	O
of	O
posts	O
,	O
including	O
multiple	O
posts	O
from	O
the	O
same	O
members	O
,	O
even	O
if	O
they	O
are	O
one	O
after	O
the	O
other	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
thread	B-Operating_System
is	O
contained	O
in	O
a	O
forum	O
and	O
may	O
have	O
an	O
associated	O
date	O
that	O
is	O
taken	O
as	O
the	O
date	O
of	O
the	O
last	O
post	O
(	O
options	O
to	O
order	O
threads	B-Operating_System
by	O
other	O
criteria	O
are	O
generally	O
available	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
a	O
member	O
posts	O
in	O
a	O
thread	B-Operating_System
it	B-General_Concept
will	O
jump	O
to	O
the	O
top	O
since	O
it	B-General_Concept
is	O
the	O
latest	O
updated	O
thread	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Similarly	O
,	O
other	O
threads	B-Operating_System
will	O
jump	O
in	O
front	O
of	O
it	B-General_Concept
when	O
they	O
receive	O
posts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
a	O
member	O
posts	O
in	O
a	O
thread	B-Operating_System
for	O
no	O
reason	O
but	O
to	O
have	O
it	B-General_Concept
go	O
to	O
the	O
top	O
,	O
it	B-General_Concept
is	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
a	O
bump	O
or	O
bumping	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	B-General_Concept
has	O
been	O
suggested	O
that	O
"	O
bump	O
"	O
is	O
an	O
acronym	O
of	O
"	O
bring	O
up	O
my	O
post	O
"	O
;	O
however	O
,	O
this	O
is	O
almost	O
certainly	O
a	O
backronym	O
and	O
the	O
usage	O
is	O
entirely	O
consistent	O
with	O
the	O
verb	O
"	O
bump	O
"	O
which	O
means	O
"	O
to	O
knock	O
to	O
a	O
new	O
position	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
some	O
messageboards	B-Application
,	O
users	O
can	O
choose	O
to	O
sage	O
(	O
correctly	O
pronounced	O
though	O
often	O
confused	O
as	O
)	O
a	O
post	O
if	O
they	O
wish	O
to	O
make	O
a	O
post	O
,	O
but	O
not	O
"	O
bump	O
"	O
it	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Threads	B-Operating_System
that	O
are	O
important	O
but	O
rarely	O
receive	O
posts	O
are	O
stickyed	O
(	O
or	O
,	O
in	O
some	O
software	O
,	O
"	O
pinned	O
"	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
sticky	O
thread	B-Operating_System
will	O
always	O
appear	O
in	O
front	O
of	O
normal	O
threads	B-Operating_System
,	O
often	O
in	O
its	O
own	O
section	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
thread	B-Operating_System
's	O
popularity	O
is	O
measured	O
on	O
forums	O
in	O
reply	O
(	O
total	O
posts	O
minus	O
one	O
,	O
the	O
opening	O
post	O
,	O
in	O
most	O
default	O
forum	O
settings	O
)	O
counts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Threads	B-Operating_System
meeting	O
a	O
set	O
number	O
of	O
posts	O
or	O
a	O
set	O
number	O
of	O
views	O
may	O
receive	O
a	O
designation	O
such	O
as	O
"	O
hot	O
thread	B-Operating_System
"	O
and	O
be	O
displayed	O
with	O
a	O
different	O
icon	O
compared	O
to	O
other	O
threads	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
icon	O
may	O
stand	O
out	O
more	O
to	O
emphasize	O
the	O
thread	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
the	O
forum	O
's	O
users	O
have	O
lost	O
interest	O
in	O
a	O
particular	O
thread	B-Operating_System
,	O
it	B-General_Concept
becomes	O
a	O
dead	O
thread	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	B-General_Concept
is	O
not	O
uncommon	O
for	O
nonsense	O
or	O
unsocial	O
behavior	O
to	O
sprout	O
as	O
people	O
lose	O
temper	O
,	O
especially	O
if	O
the	O
topic	O
is	O
controversial	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Circular	O
discussion	O
and	O
ambiguity	O
in	O
replies	O
can	O
extend	O
for	O
several	O
tens	O
of	O
posts	O
of	O
a	O
thread	B-Operating_System
eventually	O
ending	O
when	O
everyone	O
gives	O
up	O
or	O
attention	O
spans	O
waver	O
and	O
a	O
more	O
interesting	O
subject	O
takes	O
over	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	B-General_Concept
is	O
not	O
uncommon	O
for	O
debate	O
to	O
end	O
in	O
ad	O
hominem	O
attacks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2019	O
,	O
Facebook	B-Application
was	O
faced	O
with	O
a	O
class	O
action	O
lawsuit	O
set	O
forth	O
by	O
moderators	O
diagnosed	O
with	O
post-traumatic	O
stress	O
disorder	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	B-General_Concept
was	O
settled	O
for	O
$52	O
million	O
the	O
following	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
default	O
to	O
be	O
an	O
Internet	B-Application
forum	I-Application
,	O
the	O
web	B-Application
application	I-Application
needs	O
an	O
ability	O
to	O
submit	O
threads	B-Operating_System
and	O
replies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Typically	O
,	O
threads	B-Operating_System
are	O
in	O
newer	O
to	O
older	O
view	O
,	O
and	O
replies	O
in	O
older	O
to	O
newer	O
view	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
imageboards	O
and	O
2channel-style	O
discussion	B-Application
boards	I-Application
allow	O
(	O
and	O
encourage	O
)	O
anonymous	O
posting	O
and	O
use	O
a	O
system	O
of	O
tripcodes	O
instead	O
of	O
registration	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
tripcode	O
is	O
the	O
hashed	B-Error_Name
result	O
of	O
a	O
password	O
that	O
allows	O
one	O
's	O
identity	O
to	O
be	O
recognized	O
without	O
storing	O
any	O
data	O
about	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
password	O
,	O
or	O
tripcode	O
,	O
is	O
hashed	B-Error_Name
into	O
a	O
special	O
key	O
,	O
or	O
trip	O
,	O
distinguishable	O
from	O
the	O
name	O
by	O
HTML	B-Language
styles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tripcodes	O
cannot	O
be	O
faked	O
but	O
on	O
some	O
types	O
of	O
forum	B-Application
software	I-Application
they	O
are	O
insecure	O
and	O
can	O
be	O
guessed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Attachments	O
can	O
be	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
thread	B-Operating_System
,	O
social	O
group	O
,	O
etc.	O
,	O
</s>
<s>
HyperText	B-Language
Markup	I-Language
Language	I-Language
(	O
HTML	B-Language
)	O
is	O
sometimes	O
allowed	O
but	O
usually	O
its	O
use	O
is	O
discouraged	O
or	O
when	O
allowed	O
,	O
it	B-General_Concept
is	O
extensively	O
filtered	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Modern	O
bulletin	B-Application
board	I-Application
systems	I-Application
often	O
will	O
have	O
it	B-General_Concept
disabled	O
altogether	O
or	O
allow	O
only	O
administrators	O
use	O
it	B-General_Concept
,	O
as	O
allowing	O
it	B-General_Concept
on	O
any	O
normal	O
user	O
level	O
is	O
considered	O
a	O
security	O
risk	O
due	O
to	O
a	O
high	O
rate	O
of	O
XSS	O
vulnerabilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
HTML	B-Language
is	O
disabled	O
Bulletin	B-Language
Board	I-Language
Code	I-Language
(	O
BBCode	B-Language
)	O
is	O
the	O
most	O
common	O
preferred	O
alternative	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BBCode	B-Language
usually	O
consists	O
of	O
a	O
tag	O
,	O
similar	O
to	O
HTML	B-Language
only	O
instead	O
of	O
< and >	O
the	O
tagname	O
is	O
enclosed	O
within	O
square	O
brackets	O
(	O
meaning	O
:	O
[	O
and	O
]	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
following	O
example	O
BBCode	B-Language
:	O
 [ b ] This [ /b ] 	O
is	O
 [ i ] clever [ /i ] 	O
 [ b ] 	O
 [ i ] text [ /i ] 	O
 [ /b ] 	O
when	O
the	O
post	O
is	O
viewed	O
the	O
code	O
is	O
rendered	O
to	O
HTML	B-Language
and	O
will	O
appear	O
as	O
:	O
This	O
is	O
clever	O
text	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
forum	O
packages	O
offer	O
a	O
way	O
to	O
create	O
Custom	O
BBCodes	B-Language
,	O
or	O
BBcodes	B-Language
that	O
are	O
not	O
built	O
into	O
the	O
package	O
,	O
where	O
the	O
administrator	O
of	O
the	O
board	O
can	O
create	O
complex	O
BBCodes	B-Language
to	O
allow	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
JavaScript	O
or	O
iframe	O
functions	O
in	O
posts	O
,	O
for	O
example	O
embedding	O
a	O
YouTube	O
or	O
Google	O
Video	O
complete	O
with	O
viewer	O
directly	O
into	O
a	O
post	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
emoticon	B-Protocol
or	O
smiley	O
is	O
a	O
symbol	O
or	O
combination	O
of	O
symbols	O
used	O
to	O
convey	O
emotional	O
content	O
in	O
written	O
or	O
message	O
form	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Forums	O
implement	O
a	O
system	O
through	O
which	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
text	O
representations	O
of	O
an	O
emoticons	B-Protocol
(	O
e.g.	O
</s>
<s>
xD	B-Protocol
,	O
:p	O
)	O
are	O
rendered	O
as	O
a	O
small	O
image	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
forums	O
implement	O
an	O
opinion	O
poll	O
system	O
for	O
threads	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
RSS	O
and	O
ATOM	B-Language
feeds	O
allow	O
a	O
minimalistic	O
means	O
of	O
subscribing	O
to	O
the	O
forum	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Common	O
implementations	O
allow	O
RSS	O
feeds	O
to	O
list	O
only	O
the	O
last	O
few	O
threads	B-Operating_System
updated	O
for	O
the	O
forum	O
index	O
and	O
the	O
last	O
posts	O
in	O
a	O
thread	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Almost	O
all	O
Internet	B-Application
forums	I-Application
include	O
a	O
member	O
list	O
,	O
which	O
allows	O
display	O
of	O
all	O
forum	O
members	O
,	O
with	O
an	O
integrated	O
search	O
feature	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
forum	O
has	O
limits	O
on	O
the	O
height	O
,	O
width	O
,	O
and	O
data	O
size	O
of	O
avatars	O
that	O
may	O
be	O
used	O
;	O
if	O
the	O
user	O
tries	O
to	O
use	O
an	O
avatar	O
that	O
is	O
too	O
big	O
,	O
it	B-General_Concept
may	O
be	O
scaled	O
down	O
or	O
rejected	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Similarly	O
,	O
most	O
forums	O
allow	O
users	O
to	O
define	O
a	O
signature	O
(	O
sometimes	O
called	O
a	O
sig	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
a	O
block	O
of	O
text	O
,	O
possibly	O
with	O
BBCode	B-Language
,	O
which	O
appears	O
at	O
the	O
bottom	O
of	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
posts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
is	O
a	O
character	O
limit	O
on	O
signatures	O
,	O
though	O
it	B-General_Concept
may	O
be	O
so	O
high	O
that	O
it	B-General_Concept
is	O
rarely	O
hit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	B-General_Concept
usually	O
notifies	O
either	O
by	O
email	O
or	O
on	O
the	O
site	O
when	O
the	O
member	O
returns	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
option	O
to	O
subscribe	O
is	O
available	O
for	O
every	O
thread	B-Operating_System
while	O
logged	O
in	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Recent	O
development	O
in	O
some	O
popular	O
implementations	O
of	O
forum	B-Application
software	I-Application
has	O
brought	O
social	O
network	O
features	O
and	O
functionality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Such	O
features	O
include	O
personal	O
galleries	O
,	O
pages	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
a	O
social	O
network	O
like	O
chat	B-Protocol
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
forum	B-Application
software	I-Application
is	O
now	O
fully	O
customizable	O
with	O
"	O
hacks	O
"	O
or	O
"	O
modifications	O
"	O
readily	O
available	O
to	O
customize	O
a	O
person	O
's	O
forum	O
to	O
theirs	O
and	O
their	O
members	O
 '	O
needs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Often	O
forums	O
use	O
"	O
cookies	B-Application
"	O
,	O
or	O
information	O
about	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
behavior	O
on	O
the	O
site	O
sent	O
to	O
a	O
user	O
's	O
browser	B-Application
and	O
used	O
upon	O
re-entry	O
into	O
the	O
site	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
done	O
to	O
facilitate	O
automatic	O
login	B-General_Concept
and	O
to	O
show	O
a	O
user	O
whether	O
a	O
thread	B-Operating_System
or	O
forum	O
has	O
received	O
new	O
posts	O
since	O
his	O
or	O
her	O
last	O
visit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
is	O
usually	O
also	O
a	O
FAQ	O
section	O
containing	O
basic	O
information	O
for	O
new	O
members	O
and	O
people	O
not	O
yet	O
familiar	O
with	O
the	O
use	O
and	O
principles	O
of	O
a	O
forum	O
(	O
generally	O
tailored	O
for	O
specific	O
forum	B-Application
software	I-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
in	O
an	O
IT	B-General_Concept
forum	O
any	O
discussion	O
regarding	O
anything	O
but	O
computer	O
programming	O
languages	O
may	O
be	O
against	O
the	O
rules	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
exception	O
of	O
a	O
general	O
chat	B-Protocol
section	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	B-General_Concept
consists	O
of	O
a	O
small	O
function	O
applicable	O
to	O
each	O
post	O
(	O
including	O
one	O
's	O
own	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Using	O
it	B-General_Concept
will	O
notify	O
all	O
currently	O
available	O
moderators	O
of	O
its	O
location	O
,	O
and	O
subsequent	O
action	O
or	O
judgment	O
can	O
be	O
carried	O
out	O
immediately	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
particularly	O
desirable	O
in	O
large	O
or	O
very	O
developed	O
boards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
First	O
,	O
a	O
warning	O
is	O
usually	O
given	O
;	O
this	O
is	O
commonly	O
in	O
the	O
form	O
of	O
a	O
private	O
message	O
but	O
recent	O
development	O
has	O
made	O
it	B-General_Concept
possible	O
for	O
it	B-General_Concept
to	O
be	O
integrated	O
into	O
the	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bans	O
can	O
mean	O
the	O
person	O
can	O
no	O
longer	O
log	B-General_Concept
in	I-General_Concept
or	O
even	O
view	O
the	O
site	O
anymore	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
extreme	O
cases	O
where	O
the	O
offender	O
–	O
after	O
being	O
permanently	O
banned	O
–	O
creates	O
another	O
account	O
and	O
continues	O
to	O
harass	O
the	O
site	O
,	O
administrators	O
will	O
apply	O
an	O
IP	B-Protocol
address	I-Protocol
ban	O
or	O
block	O
(	O
this	O
can	O
also	O
be	O
applied	O
at	O
the	O
server	O
level	O
)	O
:	O
If	O
the	O
IP	B-Protocol
address	I-Protocol
is	O
static	O
,	O
the	O
machine	O
of	O
the	O
offender	O
is	O
prevented	O
from	O
accessing	O
the	O
site	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
some	O
extreme	O
circumstances	O
,	O
IP	B-Protocol
address	I-Protocol
range	O
bans	O
or	O
country	O
bans	O
can	O
be	O
applied	O
;	O
this	O
is	O
usually	O
for	O
political	O
,	O
licensing	O
,	O
or	O
other	O
reasons	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
See	O
also	O
:	O
Block	O
(	O
Internet	O
)	O
,	O
IP	B-Protocol
address	I-Protocol
blocking	O
,	O
and	O
Internet	B-Application
censorship	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sometimes	O
if	O
the	O
topic	O
is	O
considered	O
the	O
source	O
of	O
the	O
problem	O
,	O
it	B-General_Concept
is	O
locked	O
;	O
often	O
a	O
poster	O
may	O
request	O
a	O
topic	O
expected	O
to	O
draw	O
problems	O
to	O
be	O
locked	O
as	O
well	O
,	O
although	O
the	O
moderators	O
decide	O
whether	O
to	O
grant	O
it	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
locked	O
thread	B-Operating_System
,	O
members	O
cannot	O
post	O
anymore	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
cases	O
where	O
the	O
topic	O
is	O
considered	O
a	O
breach	O
of	O
rules	O
it	B-General_Concept
–	O
with	O
all	O
of	O
its	O
posts	O
–	O
may	O
be	O
deleted	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Forum	O
trolls	O
are	O
users	O
that	O
repeatedly	O
and	O
deliberately	O
breach	O
the	O
netiquette	O
of	O
an	O
established	O
online	B-Architecture
community	I-Architecture
,	O
posting	O
inflammatory	O
,	O
extraneous	O
,	O
or	O
off-topic	O
messages	O
to	O
bait	O
or	O
excite	O
users	O
into	O
responding	O
or	O
to	O
test	O
the	O
forum	O
rules	O
and	O
policies	O
,	O
and	O
with	O
that	O
the	O
patience	O
of	O
the	O
forum	O
staff	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Responding	O
to	O
a	O
troll	O
's	O
provocations	O
is	O
commonly	O
known	O
as	O
'	O
feeding	O
the	O
troll	O
 '	O
and	O
is	O
generally	O
discouraged	O
,	O
as	O
it	B-General_Concept
can	O
encourage	O
their	O
disruptive	O
behavior	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
term	O
sock	O
puppet	O
refers	O
to	O
multiple	O
pseudonyms	O
in	O
use	O
by	O
the	O
same	O
person	O
on	O
a	O
particular	O
message	B-Application
board	I-Application
or	O
forum	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sock	O
puppets	O
are	O
usually	O
found	O
when	O
an	O
IP	B-Protocol
address	I-Protocol
check	O
is	O
done	O
on	O
the	O
accounts	O
in	O
forums	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	B-General_Concept
can	O
also	O
be	O
traditional	O
spam	O
,	O
unpaid	O
advertisements	O
that	O
are	O
in	O
breach	O
of	O
the	O
forum	O
's	O
rules	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spammers	O
utilize	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
illicit	O
techniques	O
to	O
post	O
their	O
spam	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
botnets	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
forums	O
consider	O
concise	O
,	O
comment-oriented	O
posts	O
spam	O
,	O
for	O
example	O
Thank	O
you	O
,	O
Cool	O
or	O
I	O
love	O
it	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
common	O
faux	O
pas	O
on	O
Internet	B-Application
forums	I-Application
is	O
to	O
post	O
the	O
same	O
message	O
twice	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Multiple	O
posting	O
can	O
be	O
unintentional	O
;	O
a	O
user	O
's	O
browser	B-Application
might	O
display	O
an	O
error	O
message	O
even	O
though	O
the	O
post	O
has	O
been	O
transmitted	O
or	O
a	O
user	O
of	O
a	O
slow	O
forum	O
might	O
become	O
impatient	O
and	O
repeatedly	O
hit	O
the	O
submit	O
button	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
user	O
may	O
also	O
send	O
the	O
same	O
post	O
to	O
several	O
forums	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
termed	O
crossposting	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
term	O
derives	O
from	O
Usenet	B-Application
,	O
where	O
crossposting	B-Application
was	O
an	O
accepted	O
practice	O
but	O
causes	O
problems	O
in	O
web	B-Application
forums	I-Application
,	O
which	O
lack	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
link	O
such	O
posts	O
so	O
replies	O
in	O
one	O
forum	O
are	O
not	O
visible	O
to	O
people	O
reading	O
the	O
post	O
in	O
other	O
forums	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
necropost	O
is	O
a	O
message	O
that	O
revives	O
(	O
as	O
in	O
necromancy	O
)	O
an	O
arbitrarily	O
old	O
thread	B-Operating_System
,	O
causing	O
it	B-General_Concept
to	O
appear	O
above	O
newer	O
and	O
more	O
active	O
threads	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
old	O
threads	B-Operating_System
are	O
not	O
usually	O
locked	O
from	O
further	O
posting	O
,	O
necroposting	O
is	O
common	O
for	O
newer	O
users	O
and	O
in	O
cases	O
where	O
the	O
date	O
of	O
previous	O
posts	O
is	O
not	O
apparent	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
word	B-Application
censoring	I-Application
system	I-Application
is	O
commonly	O
included	O
in	O
the	O
forum	B-Application
software	I-Application
package	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
most	O
common	O
censoring	O
is	O
letter	O
replacement	O
with	O
an	O
asterisk	B-Language
character	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
in	O
the	O
user	O
title	O
,	O
it	B-General_Concept
is	O
deemed	O
inappropriate	O
for	O
users	O
to	O
use	O
words	O
such	O
as	O
"	O
admin	O
"	O
,	O
"	O
moderator	O
"	O
,	O
"	O
leader	O
"	O
and	O
so	O
on	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
a	O
thread	B-Operating_System
—	O
or	O
in	O
some	O
cases	O
,	O
an	O
entire	O
forum	O
—	O
becomes	O
unstable	O
,	O
the	O
result	O
is	O
usually	O
uncontrolled	O
spam	O
in	O
the	O
form	O
of	O
one-line	O
complaints	O
,	O
image	O
macros	O
,	O
or	O
abuse	O
of	O
the	O
report	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
a	O
topic	O
that	O
has	O
degenerated	O
into	O
a	O
flame	O
war	O
is	O
considered	O
akin	O
to	O
that	O
of	O
the	O
forum	O
(	O
be	O
it	B-General_Concept
a	O
section	O
or	O
the	O
entire	O
board	O
)	O
,	O
spam	O
and	O
flames	O
have	O
a	O
chance	O
of	O
spreading	O
outside	O
the	O
topic	O
and	O
causing	O
trouble	O
,	O
usually	O
in	O
the	O
form	O
of	O
vandalism	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
forums	O
(	O
commonly	O
game	O
forums	O
)	O
have	O
suffered	O
from	O
forum-wide	O
flame	O
wars	O
almost	O
immediately	O
after	O
their	O
conception	O
,	O
because	O
of	O
a	O
pre-existing	O
flame	O
war	O
element	O
in	O
the	O
online	B-Architecture
community	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
Internet	B-Application
forums	I-Application
require	O
registration	O
to	O
post	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Registered	O
users	O
of	O
the	O
site	O
are	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
members	O
and	O
are	O
allowed	O
to	O
submit	O
or	O
send	O
electronic	O
messages	O
through	O
the	O
web	B-Application
application	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
process	O
of	O
registration	O
involves	O
verification	O
of	O
one	O
's	O
age	O
(	O
typically	O
age	O
13	O
and	O
over	O
is	O
required	O
so	O
as	O
to	O
meet	O
COPPA	O
requirements	O
of	O
American	O
forum	B-Application
software	I-Application
)	O
followed	O
by	O
a	O
declaration	O
of	O
the	O
terms	O
of	O
service	O
(	O
other	O
documents	O
may	O
also	O
be	O
present	O
)	O
and	O
a	O
request	O
for	O
agreement	O
to	O
said	O
terms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Subsequently	O
,	O
if	O
all	O
goes	O
well	O
,	O
the	O
candidate	O
is	O
presented	O
with	O
a	O
web	B-General_Concept
form	I-General_Concept
to	O
fill	O
requesting	O
at	O
the	O
very	O
least	O
a	O
username	O
(	O
an	O
alias	O
)	O
,	O
password	O
,	O
email	O
and	O
validation	O
of	O
a	O
CAPTCHA	O
code	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
simply	O
completing	O
the	O
registration	O
web	B-General_Concept
form	I-General_Concept
is	O
in	O
general	O
enough	O
to	O
generate	O
an	O
account	O
,	O
the	O
status	O
label	O
Inactive	O
is	O
commonly	O
provided	O
by	O
default	O
until	O
the	O
registered	O
user	O
confirms	O
the	O
email	O
address	O
given	O
while	O
registering	O
indeed	O
belongs	O
to	O
the	O
user	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Until	O
that	O
time	O
,	O
the	O
registered	O
user	O
can	O
log	B-General_Concept
in	I-General_Concept
to	O
the	O
new	O
account	O
but	O
may	O
not	O
post	O
,	O
reply	O
,	O
or	O
send	O
private	O
messages	O
in	O
the	O
forum	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sometimes	O
a	O
referrer	B-Protocol
system	O
is	O
implemented	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
referrer	B-Protocol
is	O
someone	O
who	O
introduced	O
or	O
otherwise	O
"	O
helped	O
someone	O
"	O
with	O
the	O
decision	O
to	O
join	O
the	O
site	O
(	O
likewise	O
,	O
how	O
a	O
HTTP	B-Protocol
referrer	I-Protocol
is	O
the	O
site	O
who	O
linked	O
one	O
to	O
another	O
site	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Usually	O
,	O
referrers	B-Protocol
are	O
other	O
forum	O
members	O
and	O
members	O
are	O
usually	O
rewarded	O
for	O
referrals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
referrer	B-Protocol
system	O
is	O
also	O
sometimes	O
implemented	O
so	O
that	O
,	O
if	O
a	O
visitor	O
visits	O
the	O
forum	O
through	O
a	O
link	O
such	O
as	O
referrerid	O
=	O
300	O
,	O
the	O
user	O
with	O
the	O
id	O
number	O
(	O
in	O
this	O
example	O
,	O
300	O
)	O
would	O
receive	O
referral	O
credit	O
if	O
the	O
visitor	O
registers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
members	O
may	O
miss	O
replies	O
in	O
threads	B-Operating_System
they	O
are	O
interested	O
in	O
,	O
many	O
modern	O
forums	O
offer	O
an	O
"	O
e-mail	O
notification	O
"	O
feature	O
,	O
whereby	O
members	O
can	O
choose	O
to	O
be	O
notified	O
of	O
new	O
posts	O
in	O
a	O
thread	B-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
web	B-General_Concept
feeds	I-General_Concept
that	O
allow	O
members	O
to	O
see	O
a	O
summary	O
of	O
the	O
new	O
posts	O
using	O
aggregator	B-Application
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
posting	O
and	O
reading	O
via	O
email	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
browser	B-Application
depending	O
on	O
the	O
member	O
's	O
choice	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Newsreader	B-Protocol
:	O
The	O
main	O
difference	O
between	O
newsgroups	B-Application
and	O
forums	O
is	O
that	O
additional	O
software	O
,	O
a	O
News	B-Protocol
client	I-Protocol
,	O
is	O
required	O
to	O
participate	O
in	O
newsgroups	B-Application
whereas	O
using	O
a	O
forum	O
requires	O
no	O
additional	O
software	O
beyond	O
the	O
web	B-Application
browser	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shoutboxes	O
:	O
Unlike	O
Internet	B-Application
forums	I-Application
,	O
most	O
shoutboxes	O
do	O
not	O
require	O
registration	O
,	O
only	O
requiring	O
an	O
email	O
address	O
from	O
the	O
user	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
shoutboxes	O
are	O
not	O
heavily	O
moderated	O
,	O
unlike	O
most	O
message	B-Application
boards	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wiki	B-Protocol
:	O
Unlike	O
conventional	O
forums	O
,	O
the	O
original	O
wikis	B-Protocol
allowed	O
all	O
users	O
to	O
edit	O
all	O
content	O
(	O
including	O
each	O
other	O
's	O
messages	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wikis	B-Protocol
also	O
allow	O
the	O
creation	O
of	O
other	O
content	O
outside	O
the	O
talk	O
pages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Wiki	B-Protocol
hosting	O
site	O
known	O
as	O
Wikia	O
has	O
two	O
features	O
in	O
operation	O
,	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
Forum	O
and	O
Message	O
Wall	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Chat	B-Protocol
rooms	O
and	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
:	O
Forums	O
differ	O
from	O
chats	B-Protocol
and	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
in	O
that	O
forum	O
participants	O
do	O
not	O
have	O
to	O
be	O
online	O
simultaneously	O
to	O
receive	O
or	O
send	O
messages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Messages	O
posted	O
to	O
a	O
forum	O
are	O
publicly	O
available	O
for	O
some	O
time	O
even	O
if	O
the	O
forum	O
or	O
thread	B-Operating_System
is	O
closed	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
uncommon	O
in	O
chat	B-Protocol
rooms	O
that	O
maintain	O
frequent	O
activity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pictures	O
may	O
be	O
in	O
the	O
same	O
format	O
as	O
posting	O
threads	B-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
contain	O
the	O
same	O
options	O
such	O
as	O
"	O
Report	O
Post	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
Reply	O
to	O
Post	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
