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As a snowstorm hit Chicago during the winter of 1978, a programmer by the name of Ward Christensen decided to begin preliminary work on the first Computer Bulletin Board System which went public the following year. 5 years later, as technology became available that would allow more and more people to access the Internet, BBS software began to grow which would result in the emergence of several BBS systems. Since then, the BBS system has undergone several transformations which continue to this day.

A BBS System is a group of community based online systems that exist to share common online styles of communication - from online gaming to file downloads to forums for commentary. Users can share files between each other, send email and even chat in real time. It functions as a part of the internet scene but is more correctly identified as a “mini-internet” unto itself – hence the reference to being a “community”. Access to BBS systems are available via dial-up or using Telnet. However, there are some services that offer themselves as a “hybrid” of the traditional structure and provide both the traditional access (Telnet and dial-up) as well as Web-based access to communities. There are also java based web access BBS systems.

There are also actual “Bulletin Boards” available on the Internet which are not the community based systems traditionally associated with the BBS system. While they may centralize their overall themes they function as forums for public opinions and areas where files may be available for sharing. To clarify, a particular “Bulletin Board” may be about “Sexual Fetishes” but, within the site itself there may be several Bulletin Boards, each with a different, but related topic like foot fetishes, role-playing fetishes and exhibition fetishes to name a few.

As you can see from the above example, this sexed based bulletin board provides a wide variety of commentary and file downloads all based on some form of pornographic topic. The language that a person may encounter in file description, title or request is similar in vulgarity to that found on newsgroups, a result of the “anonymity” that is seemingly enjoyed by participants.

On areas such as that which is depicted on this particular bulletin board, the topics for involvement may border on simple imagination. It is not uncommon to encounter language or topics of such distinction that their vulgarity or graphical representations are only marginally above “illegal” (and in some cases they actually are illegal). These areas are potentially harmful to children and their access should be handled with extreme prejudice and care.