Discussion Boards

Origins

A precursor to Internet-based discussion boards was the dial-up Bulletin Board System, or BBS, which is a computer system with software that allows its operator to download and archive data files and software programs. The first BBS was the Computerized Bulletin Board System in Chicago, created by Ward Christensen and Randy Suess; it launched on February 16, 1978. It was not long before other BBSs were appearing across the country.

Users could connect via a modem and phone line to the system to access the archive and exchange electronic messages with other users. BBSs grew in popularity, reaching their peak in the mid-1990s with over 60,000 in the United States alone. BBSs were seen as an ideal environment for online socializing and virtual-community building—from international social movements, such as PeaceNet and its work on international relations and human rights, to individuals communicating about health and parenting issues.

With the explosion of the World Wide Web in the mid-1990s, bulletin boards shifted to web-based applications to connect users and facilitate the exchange of messages. However, where there is limited access to the Internet, primarily outside the United States, dial-up BBSs continue to provide a venue for exchanging messages.

A notable example of an early BBS, the Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link (WELL) began in 1985 as one of the first virtual communities; in the early twenty-first century, it remains a major influence in the online world, and it continues to enjoy a reputation as a members-only gathering place for intelligent conversation. While the WELL was one of the original dial-up BBSs, it became an early web-based community when the Internet opened to commercial business in the early 1990s. The WELL, now owned by Salon Media Group, has a rich history as a meeting place for Grateful Dead fans and as the birthplace of craigslist. The community also quickly caught the attention of journalists, who became some of its early members, bringing media attention to the deliberative potential of virtual communities.

During the late 1980s and early 1990s, journalists began to adopt electronic discussion boards as one early stage of online journalism. The Albuquerque Tribune's electronic newspaper, the Electronic Trib, The Charlotte Observer's online site, the Observer, and The Spokesman-Review's site, Minerva, are early examples of the use of discussion boards in journalism. Engaging citizens by fostering deliberation and community building was seen to fit nicely with journalism's mission and role in a democracy. By 1994, nearly 20 newspapers provided online services worldwide, with the majority using discussion boards.

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