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

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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.

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NYT > Home & Garden

Style: Sky Lark
Sat, 05 Jul 2008 06:03:31 -0000
When a family in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, needed more space, there was nowhere to go but up.
Australia in Sonoma
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:04:24 -0000
Linda Dodwell, an intrepid motorcyclist, adventurer and artist, built a compound in California that was inspired by her solo ride across the Australian outback.
At Midlife, Called to a New Field
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 02:16:39 -0000
A change in home life, as much as in career, seems to appeal to a new breed of back-to-the-landers: former urban professionals.
Shopping for House Gifts With Simon Doonan
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 02:24:06 -0000
The creative director of Barneys New York shopped for house gifts that would suit the hypothetical characters described in his new book.
In the Garden: Foraging for Berries, the Summer Special on Nature’s Produce Aisle
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:02:11 -0000
If you can’t tell the difference between a blueberry and a pokeberry, you need to carefully educate yourself, and periodically refresh the lessons.
The Fix: Power Remedies for Dirty Grout
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 02:28:27 -0000
Some homeowners hide their ugly grout behind shower curtains. Others throw rugs over offensive areas or take to their knees and try to scrub it clean.

L.A. Times - Home & Garden

With vast views and clean lines, a Mulholland Drive remodel takes its owners to a higher plane
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700
The new Mayberry?
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Venice artists Nancy Evans and Tucker Strasser build up and turn to glass to create a home-studio
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700
In July, take a rest from planting but keep an eye on the watering
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Grow your own exotic citrus -- pummelos, blood oranges and kaffir limes.
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Doghouses get a green roof with plants that cool the inside
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Christian Science Monitor | The Home Forum

Redemption
A poem
'Jingle-belling' in China
Chinese students learning English catch the Christmas spirit as they sing carols to college classmates and staff.
Where did that Christmas song come from?
For kids: The stories behind three popular Christmas songs.
Today's Article on Christian Science: 'Meekness will receive him'
A Christian Science perspective on daily life.

Denver Post: Lifestyle

Amache internment camp survivors remember tough times
editor@denverpost.com (By Jordan Dresser / The Denver Post) Fri, 04 Jul 2008 12:55:05 -0600
Standing on a dusty road near the foundations of what were once barracks at the Amache Japanese internment camp, Kumiko Hasegawa begins to make her journey home.
Maybe bidders more generous with a song in their hearts
jadavidson@denverpost.com (By Joanne Davidson / The Denver Post) Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:10:59 -0600
For everyone who has vowed "never again" after enduring another fundraiser that devolved into a speech-and-live-auction marathon: You should have been at the National Repertory Orchestra's 2008 Summer Gala.
Ask Amy
editor@denverpost.com (By Amy Dickinson / Tribune Media Services) Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:00:38 -0600
Dear Amy: Another graduation season has come and gone, which means another display of tacky behavior.

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