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[[Image:Wbs.jpg|frame|A salvaged logo or possible reproduction]]
'''WebChat Broadcasting System''' (or [[WBS]] for short) was a [[virtual community]] that existed during the [[1990s]]. It was founded in [[1990]] in [[Menlo Park, California]]. Supported by online advertising, it was one of few services like it at the time to offer free integrated community services including chat, homesteading, messaging, and user profiles.
==Growth==
In [[February]] [[1997]], WBS reached a milestone of 1 million registered users, accruing 4,000 new registered users and 5.5 million page views every day. At this point, it was featuring 200 individual affinity groups. Within a week of the launch of a new feature to allow members to create their own home pages, over 15,000 members had begun using it. <ref name="FA9701">[http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_1997_Feb_3/ai_19082095 WebChat Broadcasting System hits 1 million registered users] on [http://www.findarticles.com FindArticles]</ref>
==Buyout==
WBS was bought out in [[April]] [[1998]] by [[Infoseek]] for approximately USD 6.7 million (roughly 350,000 shares of Infoseek stock at that time). WBS boasted 2.7 million members, 350,000 member home pages, and an average of over 140 million page views per month (roughly 5 million per day). It was one of the largest and longest-running online communities on the internet.<ref>[http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article/0,,3_20171,00.html Infoseek to Acquire WebChat Broadcasting System] on [http://www.clickz.com ClickZ News]</ref>
Within the next year, the format of WBS competely changed. In [[September]] [[1999]] it became part of the [[Go.com|Go Network]]. Eventually, Go Network was taken over by [[The Walt Disney Company]] and WBS faded completely from existence.
A personal attempt spanning over a number of years was made by a former WBS member to resurrect the site. A general timeline of the events comprising this effort is included below.
* [[May]] [[2002]]: An individual under the handle of "ChillyBob" purchases the then-dormant ___domain wbs.net. The ___domain holds only a landing page with a guestbook where former members can exchange communications and express opinions regarding the possible resurfacing of WBS. <ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20020603153211/www.wbs.net/guestbook/index.php Guestbook] on [http://archive.org Internet Archive]</ref>
* [[September]] [[2002]]: The site becomes a set of forums organized using the same categorization scheme as the original site. <ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20020914040806/http://wbs.net/ wbs.net - powered by vBulletin] on [http://archive.org Internet Archive]</ref>
* [[January]] [[2003]]: A new landing page appears indicating that plans were underway to add new member services. <ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20030123192942/http://wbs.net/ wbs.net >> Online Community] (January 2003) on [http://archive.org Internet Archive]</ref>
* [[April]] [[2003]]: One of the planned member service offerings is revealed to be free e-mail. <ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20030406074611/http://www.wbs.net/ wbs.net >> Online Community] (April 2003) on [http://archive.org Internet Archive]</ref>
* [[November]] [[2003]]: The site is replaced with a notice to indicate that the site had been closed until further notice. <ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20031127221308/http://wbs.net/ WBS.net >> Online Community] (November 2003) on [http://archive.org Internet Archive]</ref>
* [[December]] [[2003]]: The notice is changed to indicate that the site might return in early [[2004]]. <ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20031219131858/http://www.wbs.net/ WBS.net >> Online Community] (December 2003) on [http://archive.org Internet Archive]</ref>
* [[February]] [[2004]]: A new notice is put up stating that private development on the site is in progress and the ___domain owner has no intention of selling the ___domain. <ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20040213202357/http://www.wbs.net/index.html WBS.net >> Online Community] (February 2004) on [http://archive.org Internet Archive]</ref>
* [[May]] [[2004]]: The site begins redirecting to the landing page of a different web site, most likely that of the site's hosting provider, which most likely indicates that the hosting account became inactive. <ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20040411103439/www.spiralhost.com/index.html SpiralHost >> Virtual Luxury] on [http://archive.org Internet Archive]</ref>
* [[June]] [[2004]]: A new notice is put up indicating that the site is accessible at a new address, which leads to a slightly modified version of the forums from [[September]] [[2002]]. <ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20040609022536/http://www.wbs.net/ Welcome!] on [http://archive.org Internet Archive]</ref>
* [[August]] [[2004]]: A new landing page offers a link to the forums as well as new sections for image galleries and games. <ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20040815074700/http://wbs.net/ WBS.net >> Online Community] (August 2004) on [http://archive.org Internet Archive]</ref>
* [[March]] [[2005]]: wbs.net ceases to function and the site disappears, seemingly without any warning.
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