ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Bulletin board system

Imagine you have a really cool clubhouse that you and your friends built in your backyard. You have a special board on your wall where you can share messages and leave notes for your friends to read. This is kind of like a bulletin board system!

Now imagine that instead of just your friends in the clubhouse, there are people all over the world who want to share messages and leave notes for others to read. They can do this through a computer system called a bulletin board system (BBS).

A BBS is like a big virtual clubhouse where people can leave messages for others to read. They can talk about all kinds of things, like video games, music, or just share funny stories. You don't have to be in the same room with the other people, because it's all online!

People can also send private messages to specific people on the BBS, just like you might whisper a secret message to a friend in your clubhouse.

Some BBS's also have games you can play or cool artwork to look at. It's a really fun way to connect with other people who like the same things as you, just like having a big group of friends to talk to!