Futaba Channel
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2008) |
 |
This article may contain original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding references. Statements consisting only of original research may be removed. More details may be available on the talk page. (December 2009) |
 |
A corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia may contain information and sources useful in building this article. (January 2010) Click [show] on the right for instructions.
|
 |
|
| URL | 2chan.net |
|---|---|
| Commercial? | No |
| Type of site | Text/Imageboard |
| Registration | None available |
| Owner | Unknown |
| Created by | Unknown |
| Launched | August 30, 2001 |
| Revenue | none |
| Current status | Active |
Futaba Channel (ふたば(双葉)☆ちゃんねる Futaba Channeru, lit. "Double Leaf Channel, Two Leaf Channel"), or Futaba for short, is an internet forum in Japan. It is a popular Japanese imageboard dealing in otaku and underground culture.
Contents |
[edit] Origin
Futaba Channel was set up on August 30, 2001, as a refuge for 2channel users when 2channel was in danger of shutting down.[citation needed] The 4chan image sharing site is based on Futaba.[1]
[edit] Concept
Futaba Channel consists of about 60 imageboards (three of which are oekaki boards) and about 40 textboards, with topics ranging from daily personal problems to junk food, sports, ramen, and pornography.[2] There is also a place to upload general non-image files. Futaba is powered by a custom script based on GazouBBS. The Futaba script is open source and is used to run many Japanese imageboards.
[edit] Culture
Futaba has spawned a number of strange visual gags and characters; the OS-tans would be one such meme that has spread to western internet culture. Some of the characters that appear on Futaba Channel have entered the real world in the form of various real-life goods, such as figures, dolls or images printed on pillows. Such items are mainly produced by Japanese dōjin artists and groups.
Non-Japanese Internet users sometimes refer to Futaba Channel as 2chan, due to the address of the site. It is frequently unclear whether this is intended to mean Futaba Channel or 2channel, and sometimes it even refers to both, as if they were a single website. To eliminate confusion, the names Futaba and 2channel are often used.
Futaba Channel also inspired an English image board 4chan as a sister site.[3]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Tuning into innovation outside the confines of English-speaking web", Irish Times, May 2, 2008. "...4chan, an American anonymous image-sharing site that is based on the Japanese Futaba channel, itself an offshoot of the enormously popular Japanese 2chan site."
- ^ (Japanese) http://www.2chan.net
- ^ New York Post, "The Dark Heart of the Internet", Stephanie Cohen, 8:25 PM, February 21, 2009 (accessed 01/10/01)
