What exactly is 4chan?

[Daft Pink]

I hear a lot of people talking about it lately, and I've been wondering what it is/means.

[Baka]

you have just entered the very heart, soul, and life force of the internet. this is a place beyond sanity, wild and untamed. there is nothing new here. "new" content on 4chan is not found; it is created from old material. every interesting, offensive, shocking, or debate inspiring topic youve seen elsewhere has been posted here ad infinitum. we are the reason for "not safe for work". we are the anonymous army. cross us and you will fail. anonymous is everywhere. you depend on us every day. we bag your groceries, we fix your computers. anonymous sees you before you see him. sitting at desks around the world right now is a nameless, faceless, unforgiving mafia composed of the best of the best.

we are 4channers. the people devoid of any type of soul or conscience. products of cynicism and apathy, spreading those very sentiments daily. anonymous is the hardened war veteran of the internet. he does not forgive or forget. we have seen things that defy explantions. heard stories that would make any god-fearing, law abiding citzen empty their stomach where they stand. we have experienced them multiple times and eagerly await their return.

4chan is a place of sheer genius and utter stupidity, and there is often a thin line dividing the two. here you will see a state of mind that exists in most human beings, but is rarely if ever shown. this is a place where taboos do not exist. 4chan cannot simply be regarded as a simple website or imageboard. it is so much more than code. 4chan is alive and constantly changing. this is a subculture, a self-governing sect of the world. rich in history and foundation. to become a 4chan user is to speak a different language. to leave behind any methods of conventional thinking you once knew.

there are things here that you will not understand and things you never will understand. if you cannot accept this then GTFO now. because there is no turning back.

this is 4chan
this is /b/

[JMV]

you have just entered the very heart, soul, and life force of the internet. this is a place beyond sanity, wild and untamed. there is nothing new here. "new" content on 4chan is not found; it is created from old material. every interesting, offensive, shocking, or debate inspiring topic youve seen elsewhere has been posted here ad infinitum. we are the reason for "not safe for work". we are the anonymous army. cross us and you will fail. anonymous is everywhere. you depend on us every day. we bag your groceries, we fix your computers. anonymous sees you before you see him. sitting at desks around the world right now is a nameless, faceless, unforgiving mafia composed of the best of the best.

we are 4channers. the people devoid of any type of soul or conscience. products of cynicism and apathy, spreading those very sentiments daily. anonymous is the hardened war veteran of the internet. he does not forgive or forget. we have seen things that defy explantions. heard stories that would make any god-fearing, law abiding citzen empty their stomach where they stand. we have experienced them multiple times and eagerly await their return.

4chan is a place of sheer genius and utter stupidity, and there is often a thin line dividing the two. here you will see a state of mind that exists in most human beings, but is rarely if ever shown. this is a place where taboos do not exist. 4chan cannot simply be regarded as a simple website or imageboard. it is so much more than code. 4chan is alive and constantly changing. this is a subculture, a self-governing sect of the world. rich in history and foundation. to become a 4chan user is to speak a different language. to leave behind any methods of conventional thinking you once knew.

there are things here that you will not understand and things you never will understand. if you cannot accept this then GTFO now. because there is no turning back.

this is 4chan
this is /b/

[_GanonMetroid_]

you have just entered the very heart, soul, and life force of the internet. this is a place beyond sanity, wild and untamed. there is nothing new here. "new" content on 4chan is not found; it is created from old material. every interesting, offensive, shocking, or debate inspiring topic youve seen elsewhere has been posted here ad infinitum. we are the reason for "not safe for work". we are the anonymous army. cross us and you will fail. anonymous is everywhere. you depend on us every day. we bag your groceries, we fix your computers. anonymous sees you before you see him. sitting at desks around the world right now is a nameless, faceless, unforgiving mafia composed of the best of the best.

we are 4channers. the people devoid of any type of soul or conscience. products of cynicism and apathy, spreading those very sentiments daily. anonymous is the hardened war veteran of the internet. he does not forgive or forget. we have seen things that defy explantions. heard stories that would make any god-fearing, law abiding citzen empty their stomach where they stand. we have experienced them multiple times and eagerly await their return.

4chan is a place of sheer genius and utter stupidity, and there is often a thin line dividing the two. here you will see a state of mind that exists in most human beings, but is rarely if ever shown. this is a place where taboos do not exist. 4chan cannot simply be regarded as a simple website or imageboard. it is so much more than code. 4chan is alive and constantly changing. this is a subculture, a self-governing sect of the world. rich in history and foundation. to become a 4chan user is to speak a different language. to leave behind any methods of conventional thinking you once knew.

there are things here that you will not understand and things you never will understand. if you cannot accept this then GTFO now. because there is no turning back.

this is 4chan
this is /b/

[Twillightwolf]

you have just entered the very heart, soul, and life force of the internet. this is a place beyond sanity, wild and untamed. there is nothing new here. "new" content on 4chan is not found; it is created from old material. every interesting, offensive, shocking, or debate inspiring topic youve seen elsewhere has been posted here ad infinitum. we are the reason for "not safe for work". we are the anonymous army. cross us and you will fail. anonymous is everywhere. you depend on us every day. we bag your groceries, we fix your computers. anonymous sees you before you see him. sitting at desks around the world right now is a nameless, faceless, unforgiving mafia composed of the best of the best.

we are 4channers. the people devoid of any type of soul or conscience. products of cynicism and apathy, spreading those very sentiments daily. anonymous is the hardened war veteran of the internet. he does not forgive or forget. we have seen things that defy explantions. heard stories that would make any god-fearing, law abiding citzen empty their stomach where they stand. we have experienced them multiple times and eagerly await their return.

4chan is a place of sheer genius and utter stupidity, and there is often a thin line dividing the two. here you will see a state of mind that exists in most human beings, but is rarely if ever shown. this is a place where taboos do not exist. 4chan cannot simply be regarded as a simple website or imageboard. it is so much more than code. 4chan is alive and constantly changing. this is a subculture, a self-governing sect of the world. rich in history and foundation. to become a 4chan user is to speak a different language. to leave behind any methods of conventional thinking you once knew.

there are things here that you will not understand and things you never will understand. if you cannot accept this then GTFO now. because there is no turning back.

this is 4chan
this is /b/

[sonicdude164]

you have just entered the very heart, soul, and life force of the internet. this is a place beyond sanity, wild and untamed. there is nothing new here. "new" content on 4chan is not found; it is created from old material. every interesting, offensive, shocking, or debate inspiring topic youve seen elsewhere has been posted here ad infinitum. we are the reason for "not safe for work". we are the anonymous army. cross us and you will fail. anonymous is everywhere. you depend on us every day. we bag your groceries, we fix your computers. anonymous sees you before you see him. sitting at desks around the world right now is a nameless, faceless, unforgiving mafia composed of the best of the best.

we are 4channers. the people devoid of any type of soul or conscience. products of cynicism and apathy, spreading those very sentiments daily. anonymous is the hardened war veteran of the internet. he does not forgive or forget. we have seen things that defy explantions. heard stories that would make any god-fearing, law abiding citzen empty their stomach where they stand. we have experienced them multiple times and eagerly await their return.

4chan is a place of sheer genius and utter stupidity, and there is often a thin line dividing the two. here you will see a state of mind that exists in most human beings, but is rarely if ever shown. this is a place where taboos do not exist. 4chan cannot simply be regarded as a simple website or imageboard. it is so much more than code. 4chan is alive and constantly changing. this is a subculture, a self-governing sect of the world. rich in history and foundation. to become a 4chan user is to speak a different language. to leave behind any methods of conventional thinking you once knew.

there are things here that you will not understand and things you never will understand. if you cannot accept this then GTFO now. because there is no turning back.

this is 4chan
this is /b/

[Vaatix]

If this thread is full of that response, I'll delete JMV.

[JMV]

If this thread is full of that response, I'll delete JMV.

No you won't because I have FTP access.  >:(

[Riosan]

you have just entered the very heart, soul, and life force of the internet. this is a place beyond sanity, wild and untamed. there is nothing new here. "new" content on 4chan is not found; it is created from old material. every interesting, offensive, shocking, or debate inspiring topic youve seen elsewhere has been posted here ad infinitum. we are the reason for "not safe for work". we are the anonymous army. cross us and you will fail. anonymous is everywhere. you depend on us every day. we bag your groceries, we fix your computers. anonymous sees you before you see him. sitting at desks around the world right now is a nameless, faceless, unforgiving mafia composed of the best of the best.

we are 4channers. the people devoid of any type of soul or conscience. products of cynicism and apathy, spreading those very sentiments daily. anonymous is the hardened war veteran of the internet. he does not forgive or forget. we have seen things that defy explantions. heard stories that would make any god-fearing, law abiding citzen empty their stomach where they stand. we have experienced them multiple times and eagerly await their return.

4chan is a place of sheer genius and utter stupidity, and there is often a thin line dividing the two. here you will see a state of mind that exists in most human beings, but is rarely if ever shown. this is a place where taboos do not exist. 4chan cannot simply be regarded as a simple website or imageboard. it is so much more than code. 4chan is alive and constantly changing. this is a subculture, a self-governing sect of the world. rich in history and foundation. to become a 4chan user is to speak a different language. to leave behind any methods of conventional thinking you once knew.

there are things here that you will not understand and things you never will understand. if you cannot accept this then GTFO now. because there is no turning back.

this is 4chan
this is /b/

[JMV]

If this thread is full of that response, I'll delete Vaatix.

[Twillightwolf]

If this thread is full of that response, I'll delete Vaatix.

do it faggot

[Totla]

4chan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
4chan
Official 4chan logo

4chan's main page as of July 24, 2007
URL    4chan.org
Commercial?    No
Type of site    Imageboard/TextBBS
Registration    No
Available language(s)    English, Japanese
Owner    "moot"
Created by    "moot"
Launched    October 1, 2003

4chan is an English language imageboard based on the Japanese imageboard Futaba Channel. This imageboard is based primarily around the posting of pictures (generally related to anime, manga, and popular culture) and their discussion. 4chan celebrated its 4th "birthday" on October 1, 2007.
Contents
[hide]

    * 1 History
    * 2 Layout
          o 2.1 /b/
    * 3 Anonymity
    * 4 Controversy
          o 4.1 Blocks in the UK
          o 4.2 NFL bomb threat hoax
          o 4.3 Hal Turner
          o 4.4 KTTV Fox 11 News report
          o 4.5 Pflugerville High School terrorist threat
    * 5 See also
    * 6 References
    * 7 External links

[edit] History

4chan was founded as a project by "moot", a member of the Something Awful forums[1] . His website soon attracted anime fans from around the world and has grown greatly since its creation,[2] eventually surpassing Futaba Channel in traffic, currently ranking 373 amongst other websites (according to Alexa Internet).[3]

[edit] Layout

The activity of 4chan takes place on discussion boards, image and upload boards, and drawing boards. Currently, there are thirty-five different image boards, covering topics ranging from anime, weapons, and photography to real and animated pornography. Eight of these were "trial boards" until January 9, 2007, when all of them except the sports board were upgraded to permanent boards; the sports board was discarded.[4] On February 15, 2007 the site added two new trial boards called Paranormal and Traditional Games.[5]

Other boards include an oekaki board, an Artwork/Critique board, an upload board which is used for the uploading and discussion of Flash movies, and nineteen text-based discussion boards. The discussion boards were once hosted on a separate site called "world4ch" (pronounced world four channel) as an homage to the defunct world2ch, which itself was a website intending to be an earlier attempt to create an English version of 2channel, until they moved to the subdomain dis.4chan.org.

Because 4chan is provided to its users free of charge and consumes a large amount of bandwidth, its financing often becomes problematic. To avoid long periods of downtime caused by a severe lack of funds, such as the four "deaths" that plagued the site during its first year of existence, the 4chan staff regularly requests donations.[4] However, there have been numerous problems relating to the use of several different online payment services,[4] including PayPal, YowCow, and the Authorize.net payment gateway. The pornographic content hosted on 4chan violated the terms of services of various payment receiving services and so they refused to allow 4chan to use their services.[4]

[edit] /b/

The "random" board /b/, based on the Nijiura board of Futaba Channel, is by far 4chan's most popular board. This was confirmed by statistics released by 4chan staff, as well as the post count; As of September 20, 2007, /b/'s post count has surpassed 40,000,000 posts whereas most of the other boards have yet to break 250,000. Only five other boards (/a/, /co/, /v/, /r/, and /s/) have accumulated more than 1,000,000 posts (/a/ and /v/ having over 4,000,000). After /b/'s 31,000,000th post was made on June 16, 2007, it took only 9 days to accumulate another 1,000,000 posts on /b/, meaning /b/'s posting rate has now attained an average of more than 111,000 posts per day. Certain post numbers, such as 12345678 and 22222222, and the aforemented milestones, are sought after, with a large amount of posting taking place to "get" the number.[6]

The humor of /b/'s many users, who refer to themselves as "/b/tards,"[7] is frequently characterized by intricate inside-jokes and Black comedy. As a result, newcomers and outsiders often find posts incomprehensible. In addition, /b/ is known to officially have a "No rules" policy, save for a ban on certain illegal content, such as child pornography and invasions of other websites, both of which are restricted by site-wide rules that also apply to /b/.[8]

[edit] Anonymity

4chan is an anonymous BBS which does not require the user to supply any personal information, such as a name or email address, before being able to post messages. Unlike most web forums, 4chan does not have any kind of registration system. While the /b/ board currently forces all users to be anonymous, on the other boards the poster can use any nickname to his or her liking, making it possible to post under the name of someone else by simply entering his or her name into the posting form. Nonetheless, most users post anonymously. In place of registration, 4chan has provided tripcodes as an optional form of authenticating a poster's identity.[9] As the concept of anonymous posting is a defining feature of Futaba-like imageboards, the use of tripcodes generates controversy among 4chan users. Many posters who use them risk being singled out and ridiculed, often with the use of derogatory terms such as "tripfag." As anonymous posting causes posts to be attributed to "Anonymous," a running gag on 4chan is the idea that Anonymous is in fact a single person or the true name of the posters.

Moderators will generally post without a name even when banning users or posting information. In this case, the post is attributed to "Anonymous ## Mod" (though even mods are sometimes known to simply post as "Anonymous"). The primary exception is when 4chan's founder "moot" posts information relating to changes in the site.

[edit] Controversy

[edit] Blocks in the UK

Access to /b/ was blocked to customers of NTL, BT Broadband and UK Online in early June 2006.[10] For some users, access to /r/, /s/, and /t/ was also affected. While moderators attempt to remove instances of illegal content as soon as possible, as well as ban the individuals responsible for them, the prevalence of such content has led systems like Cleanfeed to blacklist the site. The 4chan TOS and FAQ also state that illegal material (e.g. child pornography, posting of personal information, invasions of other Internet communities, etc.) will not be tolerated, and will be punished appropriately.[8][9] Moderators have also recently taken stronger measures against illicit content. For example, on July 12, 2006, a reporting system was implemented on all of 4chan's image, upload, and oekaki boards, allowing any user to 'report' a post that contains illegal material, or material that violates 4chan's terms of use. On August 23, 2006, the moderators of /b/ began enforcing previously neglected rules regarding sexually suggestive pictures of under-age teenagers, invasions of other websites, and posting of personal information. Infractions would now result in bans applied to the original poster and anyone posting in the thread, whether he or she supported the content or not. Many users of /b/ responded by attacking /b/ with automatic floods and spam. Shortly afterwards there was a hard disk failure on one of 4chan's servers, causing most of the boards to go down[citation needed].

Some suspect that the blocks are related to the efforts of the Internet Watch Foundation; however, the "IWF-led block" theory has several discrepancies. Firstly, the Internet service providers (ISP) that continue to block /b/ are BT Internet and NTL, with UKOnline appearing to have removed its restriction after a few weeks. Secondly, the IWF themselves confirmed that "no part of the URL for the site 4chan.org is included in our live database."[11] Investigations by 4chan users have revealed that BT's support teams claim to have no knowledge of a block on any part of the URL 4chan.org.[12] Finally, the BT block on /b/ has evolved, with new workarounds redirected to the ban page or a nondescript 404 within mere hours of being discovered.[13] These blocks also have an erratic nature, apparently having been suddenly lifted, but reinstated days later, only to be lifted again within an equally short time period.[10] However, some of the perceived inconsistencies in this theory are directly contradicted by claims made by 4chan's staff and other sources. For example, on August 5, 2006, while being filmed during a 4chan panel at Otakon in which he was fielding questions from the audience, moot, the owner of 4chan, stated that the blockings of /b/ and some of the other boards have indeed been a result of the Cleanfeed system. /b/'s front page has also been removed from Google search results due to a notice sent by the IWF to Google.[14][15]

[edit] NFL bomb threat hoax
The original threat posted on September 18, 2006 by Brahm.
The original threat posted on September 18, 2006 by Brahm.

On October 18, 2006 the Department of Homeland Security warned NFL officials in Miami, New York City, Atlanta, Seattle, Houston, Oakland, and Cleveland about a possible threat involving the simultaneous use of dirty bombs at stadiums in those cities.[16] The threat claimed that the attack would be carried out on October 22, the final day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.[17]

The threats came to light in the national media after they were reposted on 4chan's /b/ more than forty times by Jake Brahm between September 18 and October 19 of 2006.[18] The threat was originally posted on The Friend Society. The site crashed due to a high volume of traffic incurred after CNN posted a link to it, and it was reposted on 4chan and soon became associated with that site. [19]

On October 20, 2006, Brahm turned himself in to federal authorities. He was charged with fabricating a fake terrorist threat and was taken into custody by police.[20] If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.[21] Both the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security expressed doubt concerning the credibility of the threats.

[edit] Hal Turner

In December 2006 and January 2007, individuals who identified themselves as /b/tards "raided" white nationalist Hal Turner, taking his site offline and redirecting his site to 420chan.org, and costing thousands of dollars of bandwidth bills according to Turner.[7][22] Turner retaliated by sending an email to 7chan, multacom, and multicom a "formal legal notice of criminal activity in violation of several federal laws."[23] He also sued 4chan, 7chan, and other websites in court over copyright infringement; however, he lost the case.[24]

[edit] KTTV Fox 11 News report

On July 26, 2007, KTTV Fox 11 News based in Los Angeles, California aired a report on "Anonymous," calling users of *chan imageboards a group of "hackers on steroids" and "domestic terrorists". The report covered an attack on a MySpace user, who claimed to have had his MySpace account hacked into by "Anonymous", and plastered with gay pornography images uploaded by the hackers. The MySpace user also claimed a virus written by "Anonymous" hackers was sent to him and to ninety friends on his MySpace contact list, crashing thirty-two computers.[25]

The report also mentioned "raids" on Habbo Hotel, a "national campaign to spoil the new Harry Potter book ending", and the previously mentioned NFL bomb threat hoax. Footage of an exploding yellow van appeared several times during the report, marked with the tiny word 'demonstration'.[25]

It is most likely the report is directed towards users of 4chan, 7chan and 420chan, due to a high level of involvement by those websites in activities shown in the video.[25] Although Fox does not explicitly mention 4chan, it does implicate similar sites.[26] The news piece made reference to "secret websites", whereas 4chan and similar imageboards (420chan's Invasion board /i/ is clearly shown) are not private and are available to view publicly.

[edit] Pflugerville High School terrorist threat

Around midnight on September 11, 2007, a student named Trey Burba, made a terrorist threat against his Pflugerville, Texas high school. People on 4chan[27] helped track him down by finding the perpetrator's name in the Exif data of a photograph he took, and contacted the police. He was arrested before school began that day.[28][29][30][31][32][33]

[edit] See also

    * Imageboard
    * Image macro
    * List of Internet phenomena
    * Internet meme
    * Yotsuba, 4chan's unofficial mascot

[edit] References

   1. ^ 4chan News Archive. 4chan. Retrieved on September 19, 2007.
   2. ^ Alexa traffic rankings. Alexa Internet. Retrieved on August 8, 2007.
   3. ^ Alexa traffic rankings. Alexa Internet. Retrieved on August 8, 2007.
   4. ^ a b c d 4chan News Archive. 4chan. Retrieved on January 10, 2007.
   5. ^ 4chan Blotter. 4chan. Retrieved on February 16, 2007.
   6. ^ 4chan FAQ on GETs. 4chan. Retrieved on March 14, 2007.
   7. ^ a b Winston, Ali. "'Hate Host' is hacked", Jersey Journal, The, January 8, 2007. Retrieved on January 8, 2007.
   8. ^ a b 4chan's Rules. 4chan. Retrieved on August 18, 2006.
   9. ^ a b 4chan FAQ. 4chan. Retrieved on August 18, 2006.
  10. ^ a b BT / NTL /b/ Block - Stuff we know.. 4chan. Retrieved on August 18, 2006.
  11. ^ BT / NTL /b/ Block - Stuff we know.-Reply #86. 4chan. Retrieved on August 18, 2006.
  12. ^ BT / NTL /b/ Block - Stuff we know.-Reply #127. 4chan. Retrieved on August 18, 2006.
  13. ^ BT / NTL /b/ Block - Stuff we know.-Reply #126. 4chan. Retrieved on August 18, 2006.
  14. ^ http://img.4chan.org/b/imgboard.htm - Google Search. Google Search. Retrieved on October 14, 2006.
  15. ^ Child pornography complaint concerning Google search. Chilling Effects Clearinghouse. Retrieved on October 13, 2006.
  16. ^ Man charged with stadium bomb threat hoax. ABC News. Retrieved on October 20, 2006.
  17. ^ Man Charged in Internet Bomb Threats. InternetNews.com. Retrieved on October 20, 2006.
  18. ^ Wisconsin Man Is Charged in Fake NFL Stadium Threats. Bloomberg.com. Retrieved on October 20, 2006.
  19. ^ New Attack on America, Be Afraid. CBS News.
  20. ^ Smothers, Ronald (2006-10-20). Man, 20, Arrested in Stadium Threat Hoax. The New York Times Company. Retrieved on July 27, 2007.
  21. ^ Knucklehead Nabbed In "Dirty Bomb" Hoax. thesmokinggun.com. Retrieved on October 20, 2006.
  22. ^ Cyber foes find ways to silence hate-talk radio host. freep.com. Retrieved on February 28, 2007.
  23. ^ Hal Turner Retaliates For Attack On Radio Show. Retrieved on July 21, 2007.
  24. ^ Harold C. "Hal" Turner v. 4chan.org. Justia. Retrieved on July 27, 2007.
  25. ^ a b c FOX 11 Investigates: 'Anonymous'. Fox Television Stations, Inc.. Retrieved on August 11, 2007.
  26. ^ "Miang", CmdrTaco (ed.) (2007-07-28). AC = Domestic Terrorists? (News summary). Slashdot. Retrieved on July 30, 2007.
  27. ^ This is the 4chan archive thread of the original post Here are just more related threads http://4chanarchive.org/brchive/dspl_thread.php5?thread_id=39103157 http://4chanarchive.org/brchive/dspl_thread.php5?thread_id=39148206 http://4chanarchive.org/brchive/dspl_thread.php5?thread_id=39168208 http://4chanarchive.org/brchive/dspl_thread.php5?thread_id=39189537
  28. ^ Bomb Threat Targets Pflugerville High School
  29. ^ Pflugerville Student Arrested After Posting Bomb Threats
  30. ^ Police Investigate Bomb Threat at Pflugerville High School
  31. ^ Juvenile Arrested After Internet Bomb Threat
  32. ^ Teen arrested for threatening to blow up school
  33. ^ Juvenile arrested in Pflugerville H.S. bomb threat

[edit] External links

    * 4chan
    * 4chan status blog run by 4chan's founder, Moot

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4chan"

Categories: Semi-protected | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | Community websites | Internet forums | 2003 establishments

[JMV]

If this thread is full of that response, I'll delete Vaatix.

do it faggot

Nah, because I'm the fun admin.

Also, I doubt Vaatix was serious because if he was he would have just locked the thread instead of whining.

[PsychoYoshi]

lurk moar

[blue_slime]

A miserable pile of copypasta.