Bulletin board
A bulletin board is a special type of web forum . Instead of a hierarchical tree view (standing contributions offset each other, each post has its own page), brings together a bulletin board all posts ( posts ) of a topic ( Topic ) on one side ( "flat" fee structure). If the topic exceeds a certain number of posts (usually around 20), the topic is broken up onto a second page. The advantage of the "flat" structure is a lower retrieval time. The disadvantage is the poor clarity with extensive topics when different discussions develop on one topic.
Bulletin boards have largely replaced the classic web forums with a tree structure. They offer their users some additional features such as registration, their own signatures including multimedia elements, and more. Most bulletin boards are free and can be installed on your own web space . However, there are also providers who specialize in hosting forums, but these often require the display of advertising banners or popups.
Often a certain markup language is used in bulletin boards, the so-called BBcode .