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How Japan's Biggest BBS Keeps Things Simple

Posted by timothy on from the by-ignoring-them-mostly dept.

zedsville points out an article at Wired proving that plenty of people (at least in Japan) are willing to brave BBS environments without all the fancy layers to screen out spam or online provocateurs: "It's a profile of Hiroyuki Nishimura, the man behind the Japanese site 2channel. Nishimura set up the simplistic BBS in 1999, when he was an exchange student in the USA. The site has no registration or web handles or moderating, no mechanisms to filter out flames and trollish behavior, and no mechanisms to help users find the most insightful comments and topics. But this ugly, lo-res site gets about 500 million pageviews a month. Nishimura doesn't police the contents of posts to his bulletin board, which has resulted in numerous libel claims. 'I used to show up in court,' he says. 'Then one day I overslept, and nothing happened. So I stopped going.' Nishimura has lost about 50 lawsuits and owes millions of dollars in penalties, which he has no intention of paying. 'If the verdict mandates deleting things, I'll do it,' he says. 'I just haven't complied with demands to pay money. Would a cell phone carrier feel responsible when somebody receives a threatening phone call?'"

19 of 265 comments (clear)

  1. OMG!!!! He's missed the boat! by hal9000(jr) · · Score: 5, Funny

    Well, he's not very Web 2.0, now is he?

    1. Re:OMG!!!! He's missed the boat! by moderatorrater · · Score: 5, Funny

      Yeah. Without moderation to show whether a comment is interesting or insightful, how will people ever be able to set the threshold higher to make sure that they never see unpopular opinions?

  2. But... The REAL question is by Colin+Smith · · Score: 3, Funny

    Can it withstand a Slashdot onslaught?

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    1. Re:But... The REAL question is by Paranatural · · Score: 2, Funny

      Ha! I'd guess with a place like that it's the /.ers who might not be able to take the heat. It sounds like 4chan, only without all the rules.

    2. Re:But... The REAL question is by Paranatural · · Score: 5, Funny

      The apple doesn't fall from the tentacle rape tree?

    3. Re:But... The REAL question is by hachete · · Score: 2, Funny

      RULE 34 on Cmdrtaco. No, wait ...

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      Patriotism is a virtue of the vicious
    4. Re:But... The REAL question is by iroll · · Score: 4, Funny

      I came here for the scholarly analysis of 4chan's ancestry, and I am not disappointed.

      --
      Repetition does not transform a lie into the truth. - FDR
  3. Meh. I don't see the attraction by Colin+Smith · · Score: 5, Funny

    I went to the site but it was all just squiggles.

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    1. Re:Meh. I don't see the attraction by glgraca · · Score: 5, Funny

      It's amazing what an illiterate society can achieve. I bet they don't reveal to each other that they can't read because they are ashamed of it, so everybody keeps scribbling just to keep face.

  4. Favorite Real Life Quote: by VeNoM0619 · · Score: 5, Funny
    This is by far my most favorite real life quote:

    . 'I used to show up in court,' he says. 'Then one day I overslept, and nothing happened. So I stopped going.' Nishimura has lost about 50 lawsuits and owes millions of dollars in penalties, which he has no intention of paying. Pretty much along the lines of... yea... I'm just not gonna show up to work anymore, I don't feel like it. No I didn't quit, I'm just not gonna show up anymore. Bills? Yea I really don't feel like paying those anymore either, so I'm just not gonna do that anymore...
    --
    Disclaimer: I am not god.
    We may not be created equal
    But we can be treated equal.
  5. Re:BBS? by colesw · · Score: 5, Funny

    I had the exact same thought, I was wondering how many phone lines he had. :(

  6. this is clearly not from Japan! by nih · · Score: 1, Funny

    where's the tentacle pron?

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    I'm a rabbit startled by the headlights of life :(
  7. MOD PARENT DOWN by __aagbwg300 · · Score: 5, Funny

    He's on to us.

  8. Re:You could never do that in America by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    No, you just need the 4chan gold account to see the lolicon and the /i/ board. But you'll never have one of those, newfag.

  9. Re:This is quite interesting actually... by Daimanta · · Score: 5, Funny

    he majority of responses are 1-liners of little value. You must be new here.
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    Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power lost.
  10. Re:This is quite interesting actually... by Lueseiseki · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yeah, and now you can go to 4chan and find pictures of girls' locker rooms! Technology 1, Women 0.

  11. Re:noko by Goaway · · Score: 2, Funny

    And here we go one more time. "Futaba Channel" and "2channel" are two completely different sites.

  12. Re:Waaaaaaah! by CheeseTroll · · Score: 2, Funny

    You apparently don't have any internet skilz0r

    So says the AC who can't/won't insert a damn hyperlink in his /. post.

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    A post a day keeps productivity at bay.
  13. Re:Waaaaaaah! by sremick · · Score: 2, Funny

    If you don't at least know what a BBS is, turn in your geek card now.