A bulletin board (sometimes called a bboard, pronounced BEE-board) is a computerized meeting, announcement, and message forum that enables remote users to exchange e-mail, post and read public messages, converse with others in real time by typing messages (i.e., to chat), play interactive games, download and upload files and software, and archive files, and which provides whatever other services and activities its operator sees fit. Electronic bulletin boards recall the physical boards on which people post handwritten paper messages for public perusal. Electronic bulletin boards were popular even before the World Wide Web, functioning somewhat like stand-alone web sites without graphics. However, unlike a web site, each bulletin board had its own dial-in telephone number.

A computerized bulletin board system (BBS) basically consists of a computer to act as a central server, one or more modems or other means of network access through which the...