An Internet forum is a facility on the World Wide Web for holding discussions, or the web application software used to provide the facility. Web-based forums, which date from around 1995, perform a similar function as the dial-up bulletin boards and Internet newsgroups that were numerous in the 1980s and 1990s. A sense of virtual community often develops around forums that have regular users. Technology, computer games, and politics are popular areas for forum themes, but there are forums for a huge number of different topics .

Internet forums are also commonly referred to as web forums, message boards, discussion boards, discussion forums, discussion groups, bulletin boards (but see also dial-up bulletin boards), fora (the proper Latin plural) or simply forums.

Culture

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Internet forums are prevalent in several developed countries. In terms of countable posts, Japan is far in the lead with over two million posts per day on their largest forum, 2channel. The United States does not have any one large forum, but instead several hundred thousand smaller forums, the largest of which are GameFAQs, Gaia Online, and IGN. Other countries such as China, the Netherlands, and France are also home to hundreds of independent forums. Some countries such as Finland and Sweden do not have many prevalent forums despite having open and easily available Internet access. As of yet no study has been done on the prevalence of forums in countries around the world. It is also dubious as to whether any country has its own fora, as - especially in the English language - contributors to a forum often come from outside the country in which the forum is hosted. There is often not a 1-1 relationship between languages and countries: for example, English language fora are contributed to by people all over the world, whilst Japanese language fora are likely to be contributed to only by Japanese people, but Japanese people also contribute to English language fora, so there is no 1-1 relationship between Japanese language fora and Japanese people contributing to fora.

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L.A. Times - Tennis

Tommy Haas loses to Donald Young at UCLA
Wed, 06 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700
The eighth-seeded player, who has won the Countrywide Classic tennis tournament twice, is upset, 6-2, 6-4, by 19-year-old. Already low on marquee names because of the Olympics, the Countrywide Classic lost another one Tuesday as eighth-seeded Tommy Haas was beat by 19-year-old Donald Young, 6-2, 6-4, in the first round at UCLA.
Return to L.A. tennis is reward enough for Zack Fleishman
Tue, 05 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Former UCLA player loses in first round of Countrywide Classic at his alma mater, but after recovering from shoulder injury, he s happy to be on court again. Zack Fleishman walked off the Straus Stadium court a loser Monday, after falling to Marc Gicquel, 6-3, 6-0, in the first round of the Countrywide Classic at UCLA. After the match he was so tired, he said he felt as if he'd fought a 12-round boxing match, yet the match lasted only 50 minutes.
Andy Murray wins first Masters championship
Mon, 04 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700
He defeats Novak Djokovic, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5) in the final at Cincinnati. One point away from his first Masters series championship, Andy Murray let the moment get to him.
Andy Roddick tries to keep U.S. in the game
Mon, 04 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700
He is among the few Americans who can challenge tennis powers Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. In the Countrywide Classic tennis tournament that starts today at UCLA, the top player is No. 6-ranked Andy Roddick, one of the few Americans who can challenge powers Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Novak Djokovic beats Rafael Nadal
Sun, 03 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700
The loss in Cincinnati will delay the Spaniard's climb to No. 1 in the rankings. Rafael Nadal's move to No. 1 will have to wait a couple of more weeks.
Maria Sharapova says she will not play in U.S. Open
Sat, 02 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700
The three-time Grand Slam title winner has a torn right rotator cuff tendon. She had already pulled out of the Beijing Olympics because of the injury. Maria Sharapova will sit out the U.S. Open because of a bad right shoulder, the first major championship she'll skip since her Grand Slam debut in 2003.

BBC Sport | Tennis | UK Edition

ATP wins crucial anti-trust case
Wed, 06 Aug 2008 17:28:12 -0000
The governing body of men's tennis expresses relief after an anti-trust case brought by the German Tennis Federation is thrown out by a US court.
Murray rises to sixth in rankings
Mon, 04 Aug 2008 07:22:59 -0000
Andy Murray climbs to a career-high of number six in the world after winning his first Masters Series title in Cincinnati on Sunday.
Superb Murray wins Masters title
Sun, 03 Aug 2008 21:40:10 -0000
Andy Murray beats Novak Djokovic in Cincinnati to win his first Masters Series tournament.
Schuettler wins Olympic decision
Mon, 04 Aug 2008 09:37:27 -0000
Germany's Rainer Schuettler has won the right to play in the Olympics, the Court of Arbitration for Sport says.
Djokovic ends Nadal's winning run
Sun, 03 Aug 2008 07:03:55 -0000
Novak Djokovic ends number one-in-waiting Rafael Nadal's 32-match winning streak.
Safina powers to Montreal victory
Sun, 03 Aug 2008 18:59:38 -0000
Dinara Safina beats Dominika Cibulkova to take her second title in seven days at the Rogers Cup.

Tennis News: CBSSports.com

Murray claims first Masters crown, holds off Djokovic
Sun, 03 Aug 2008 18:01:00 -0500
Andy Murray wasted four match points with an uncharacteristic show of sloppiness in the second set. Forced to play another tiebreaker, he pulled off the best shot of the game -- an in-the-corner backhand -- that set up a 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5) win over Novak Djokovic for the Cincinnati Masters title.
Serra, Gremelmayr score upsets on busy day in L.A.
Wed, 06 Aug 2008 21:25:00 -0500
Florent Serra defeated Fernando Verdasco and Denis Gremelmayr beat Feliciano Lopez on an afternoon of upsets at the Countrywide Classic on Wednesday.
Long season has worn on soon-to-be No. 1 Nadal
Wed, 06 Aug 2008 12:30:00 -0500
A long season of grueling duels against Roger Federer seem to have taken their toll on Wimbledon and French Open champion Rafael Nadal.
Ancic withdraws from Olympic tennis
Wed, 06 Aug 2008 05:26:00 -0500
Mario Ancic withdrew from the Beijing Olympics on Wednesday, and Canadian players Frank Dancevic and Frederic Niemeyer were added to the men's draw.
Ancic withdraws from U.S. Open due to mono
Tue, 05 Aug 2008 18:15:00 -0500
Croatia's Mario Ancic withdrew from the U.S. Open on Tuesday with a recurrence of mononucleosis, the second straight year the 25th-ranked player was forced to miss the tournament.
Jury rules in favor of ATP's tourney restructuring
Tue, 05 Aug 2008 19:13:00 -0500
A federal jury on Tuesday cleared the way for the ATP Tour's planned tournament restructuring next year, rejecting antitrust claims in a lawsuit filed by the German Tennis Federation.

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