TrekBBS
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| URL | http://www.trekbbs.com/ |
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| Commercial? | No |
| Type of site | Internet forum |
| Owner | Christian Höhne Sparborth |
| Created by | Christian Hohne Sparborth |
| Launched | 1999 |
| Current status of site | Active |
The Trek BBS is an active Star Trek message board, affiliated with the UGO Network and the Trek Nation. It was created in 1999 by Christian Höhne Sparborth, to allow for general discussion of Star Trek-related topics. However, the non-Star Trek forums are currently the most popular on the board.
The board currently welcomes over 10,000 registered users as of August 30, 2006.
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[edit] History
In early 1999, Christian Höhne Sparborth and Saleel Majeed created a collection of websites: TrekSeek, TrekToday and TrekZone. TrekToday was given a sister site, the TrekBBS. The TrekBBS, originally located at www.trekzone.net/trekbbs, was eventually given its own URL, www.trekbbs.com on 8 June 1999.
In June 1999 Christian took over sole administration of the TrekBBS in a move that some allege was a coup d’état, without the apparent co-operation of his partner Saleel. A solution was eventually reached, whereby Saleel retained ownership of the "TrekZone" portal and TrekSeek. TrekBBS and TrekToday were brought under the umbrella of a new portal called "TrekNation". TrekZone now no longer exists.
In 2002 Christian resigned from day-to-day running of the board, handing it over to Lisa (who had already been running the board as co-Administrator for some time).
TrekBBS changed hands once more in late 2004 and is to this day managed by T'Bonz.
Recent changes include the addition of forums for Battlestar Galactica, Doctor Who, Lost and Stargate - an effort to keep the board busy and vibrant, now that Star Trek: Enterprise has ceased broadcasting.
[edit] Trivia
- The original ranking system ran to Captain; it was felt that very few people would ever get enough posts to rise above this rank. A further 6 ranks have been added since then, the highest being Fleet Admiral (of which there are nine).
- The board was turned orange for Halloween 1999, bringing many complaints about the garish colour scheme; it was decided in future years that such modifications would not be made.
- Many people involved in televised Star Trek have posted at the TrekBBS. Among them: Trek's senior illustrator Rick Sternbach; Star Trek: Enterprise writers David Goodman and Mike Sussman; even Captain Kirk actor William Shatner, though he only posted twice in 2002 to promote his personal website.
- Many from Pocket Books post about Star Trek fiction, including editors Margaret Clark and Marco Palmieri, and former editor John Ordover. Authors such as Greg Cox, Keith R.A. DeCandido, Margaret Wander Bonnano, David Mack, Andy Mangels, Michael A. Martin, and Dayton Ward have also made regular posts on the TrekBBS.
[edit] External links
[edit] Affiliated boards
- CSI Files (http://www.csifiles.com/ )
An official spin-off board for the CSI television franchise. - Get Desperate! (http://www.getdesperate.com/ )
An official spin-off board for the Desperate Housewives TV series. - SlipstreamWeb (http://www.slipstreamweb.com/ )
An official spin-off board for the TV series Andromeda; no longer updated.
[edit] Spin-off boards
In addition to the above boards, operated by the owner/administrators of the Trek BBS, the board has spawned a number of spin-off communities founded by current or ex-members.
- EFCL (http://www.real-efcl.net/)
A spin-off board started by members of the TrekBBS's Fleet Captains' Lounge. No longer active. - ExIsle (http://www.exisle.net/)
A general board for sci-fi fans. Various writers and industry insiders post here. - Kelly'z Korner (http://www.kellyzkorner.net/forums/)
A board for fan fiction and other writing, with a lesser focus on music and visual art. - LoNAF (http://www.lonaf.com/)
LoNAF (or League of Non Aligned Fleets) was a board originally created when users began to overwhelm the Miscellaneous board with fantasy fleet threads. Now a general purpose board. - Spacedock BBS (http://www.spacedockbbs.com/forums)
Focuses on sci-fi and fantasy movies, TV series', games and books. - Starscape (http://www.starscapebbs.com/)
An experiment to test infinite diversity in infinite combinations. - TerranBBS (http://www.terranbbs.net/)
A general board with a sci-fi bent. - Troll Kingdom (http://www.trollkingdom.com/forum/ )
A board devoted to free speech on the internet; started by banned members of TrekBBS - We Want Brunette Jolene (http://www.wewantbrunettejolene.com/)
A board borne from a discussion in the Enterprise forum by fans of Jolene Blalock, who played T'Pol on Star Trek:Enterprise. - Wordforge (http://www.wordforge.net/)
An all-purpose political and controversial discussion board.
Many of these spin-off boards were formed or populated by disgruntled subsets of the TrekBBS member base, a reflection of the complexities associated with virtual community moderation.
