WebChat Broadcasting System: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 07:56, 23 May 2020

Revision as of 07:57, 23 May 2020

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'''WebChat Broadcasting System''', or '''WBS''' for short, was a [[virtual community]] that existed during the 1990s. Supported by online advertising, it was one of few services at the time to offer free integrated community services including chat, homesteading, messaging, and user profiles. Extremely popular during the mid to late 1990s in the era just prior to the [[Dot-com bubble|Dot-com bust]], WBS was at that time the largest and best-known chat, interactive and event network on the Internet.<ref name="French_(1999)_p66">{{Cite book | last=French | first=Deanie | title=Internet Based Learning: An Introduction and Framework for Higher Education | publisher=Stylus Publishing, LLC. | year=1999 | page=66 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sYNWtoec0O8C&lpg=PA66&pg=PA66&vq=%22WebChat+Broadcasting+System%22&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false | isbn=9781579220075}}</ref> In 1998, WBS was acquired by the search engine [[Infoseek]], which was in turn acquired by [[Disney-ABC Television Group|Disney/ABC]]. The original WebChat Broadcasting System closed on 15 September 1999 after its chatrooms were integrated into Disney's existing [[Go.com|Go Network]] chatrooms.<ref name="WBS_closure">{{Cite web | title=Untitled statement about WBS' closure | url=http://hup1.go.com/cgi-bin/wbs/message.cgi | website=GO Network | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991130011633/http://hup1.go.com/cgi-bin/wbs/message.cgi | archive-date=30 November 1999 | url-status=livedead}}</ref> A revival of WBS was launched in 2009 and is virtually identical to the original community.<ref>[http://classic-wbs.net WebChat Broadcasting System (Beta) - WBS.NET]. Retrieved on 2013-09-25.</ref>

==Features==