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1246: 356:, where images are posted along a certain theme – examples include "New Software Products", or "The World If It Was Run By Kittens". The entries are posted as normal threads on the message board, but are marked with a "C" icon to differentiate from normal posts. Entries are collected in a central repository that can be browsed any time, with the highest voted images displayed first. Three "special mentions" are chosen by the site mods, and these are posted along with the theme of the new challenge in the Friday newsletter. 27: 372:
questions after the close of the show. A new topic is begun every Thursday (at which point it becomes impossible to reply to the previous QOTW) and, as with the other areas of the site, Question of the Week attracts regulars known for their characteristic posts. Each post is voted for in the same way as the image challenge.
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Image Challenge suggestions appear to be generally listed in order of posting, with the newest responses first. However, whilst a question is open, other users can click "I like this!" which gives a score of one point to that answer. Once a question is closed answers are listed by the number of users
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Posting something which is deemed to be clichéd is not tolerated. These cliché links are often referred to as "glasscock", named after the famous image of a female golfer kissing a glass trophy, which appeared to be a phallic shape due to the camera angle. The best images of the day are displayed on
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QOTW Off Topic was invented for those users of QOTW who found they had things in common and liked to talk to each other using the reply system. Over several weeks it became clear that more and more people were preferring to chat to each other through the replies instead of the /talk board which was
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Recognizing that "not everyone wants to muck around with Photoshop", the site asks a question each week hoping to provoke amusing anecdotes. It was originally used as material for the radio show and the newsletter, but realising the popularity of the content, the site owners decided to continue the
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The links board is another section of the site that was created in response to an equivalent page on the 4rthur website. This board is a place for b3ta members to share interesting links they have found, in preference to the original practise of posting them on the main board. The links board has
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in particular has become known amongst members as a bash hotspot, and has developed from a few B3tards getting together for a drink to a genuine spectacle. On 31 May 2008, the biggest "bash" so far took place in Earls Court, London, although this was mainly a messageboard event.
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are the lifeblood of B3ta messageboard. Meme is a name given to a clichéd image that is frequently used in images as a cheap gag. Although many older board members may resent the lack of originality shown by using these clichés, some, such as
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The first question was "Worst Record Ever?" posed by Rob Manuel in 2003; examples of questions since include "Why should you be fired from your job?", "Mad Stuff You've Done To Get Someone To Sleep With You" and "Expensive mistakes".
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allows members to post digital images and short animations they have created, the ones considered the best appearing on the front page, along with various announcements. Previously there was a B3ta radio show on the London station
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for creating something on the theme "What would happen if you said Yes to everything?". Virgin later cancelled the challenge early because they did not like some of the images being created, including
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Newly registered users cannot post on the board until the Tuesday after they register, known as "Newbie Tuesday". This gives an opportunity to discover site etiquette before getting involved.
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who have clicked the "I like this!" on that answer; however, as many answers are submitted each week, most are never clicked on and so are sorted by the time they were posted.
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the front page of the site, reaching many more people. The Board members vote by clicking a button labelled "I like this!", then the site moderators pick their favourites.
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featuring the latest work of the B3ta community and other interesting, humorous or perverse things found on the Web. The newsletter has about 100,000 readers. A
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The talk board is identical to the main message board except for the fact that it is not possible to post images. It was created in response to the arrival of
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Like the many message boards, the b3ta talk board has developed a clique-like atmosphere, with many users having met one another at so called "B3ta bashes".
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The challenge topics are alternately chosen by board members, and the "Challenge Dictator" (basically a site moderator) on a two-week cycle.
540:, along with mobile apps. In February 2016, the Sickipedia website went offline due to a drive failure, resulting in the apps also failing. 525:, was published on 20 October 2006 and was made available from both online and real-world bookshops. It claims to offer an "antidote" to 1136: 414: 410: 402: 389:
itself become a place for particular groups of b3tans ( or "b3tards") to congregate, and for links specific memes to proliferate.
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was published in 2006, containing jokes compiled from B3ta contributors and a spin-off wiki humour website, Sickipedia.
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caused outrage on Twitter. In February 2009, the site was criticized as "monstrous" for its jokes about the death of
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The Sickipedia site was sold in 2012. The new owners released an ebook and a print-on-demand book in 2014 entitled
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The Best Of Sickipedia: A Collection Of The Sickest, Most Offensive and Politically Incorrect Jokes
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humour for the book. The site encouraged submission of jokes intended to be bad taste or
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From August 2003 until July 2004, B3ta had its own radio show, which was broadcast from
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were created by B3ta members (also called "b3tans or "B3tards"). These include the
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threatened the site and its members with legal action over an image challenge.
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asked B3ta to run an image competition in which board members could win
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are posted by the members. The B3ta message board has a strong code of "
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On 4 June 2007, a b3ta member posted an "alternative logo" for the
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and B3ta launched a venture to publish a collection of "
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then posted this logo on its website and ran it on its
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on the evening of his cardiac arrest on the pitch at
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in London, which referenced an image from the former
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Archived from 1054:"Virgin pulls competition on b3ta website" 380:already set up, so Off Topic was created. 1295:2001 establishments in the United Kingdom 973: 111:Learn how and when to remove this message 1209: 1305:Internet properties established in 2001 1074: 318:On the main board, images and animated 1287: 1222:from the original on 20 September 2016 922: 792:from the original on 15 November 2012 702: 700: 672: 592:In November 2007, lawyers acting for 143:Digital Arts Community, Message board 1139:from the original on 27 January 2013 949:"The Bumper B3ta Book of Sick Jokes" 708:"2003 BBC interview with Rob Manuel" 20: 1267:Includes archived B3ta radio shows. 1087:from the original on 5 October 2014 752: 685:from the original on 18 August 2006 47:Please improve this b3ta by adding 13: 1135:. The Register. 14 November 2007. 986:from the original on 31 March 2018 925:The bumper b3ta book of sick jokes 874:from the original on 31 March 2018 766:from the original on 10 March 2009 697: 523:The Bumper B3ta Book of Sick Jokes 472:The Bumper B3ta Book of Sick Jokes 347: 303:The Bumper B3ta Book of Sick Jokes 14: 1316: 1237: 1210:Kampfner, John (9 October 2012). 1187:. 7 February 2009. Archived from 844:from the original on 18 June 2009 599:A Sickipedia joke about stricken 308: 298:, and the quizzes by Rob Manuel. 1244: 923:Manuel, compiled by Rob (2006). 654:from the original on 27 May 2013 478:In 2006, independent publishers 210: 129: 25: 1203: 1173: 1165:. 17 March 2012. Archived from 1151: 1125: 1099: 1075:Johnson, Bobbie (8 June 2007). 1068: 1046: 1028: 998: 967: 951:. HarperCollins. Archived from 941: 916: 886: 714:from the original on 2 May 2009 529:. The book is now published by 294:, the surrealist animations by 1270:Homepages of the site owners, 856: 830: 804: 778: 726: 673:Green, Dave (21 August 2003). 666: 640: 543: 490:") was established to collect 457:and "a chap who once played a 383: 1: 974:Scaryduck (10 January 2013). 788:. B3ta.com. 6 December 2009. 650:. The Register. 1 June 2008. 634: 428: 396: 313: 49:secondary or tertiary sources 413:(both also defunct now) and 251:. It was founded in 2001 by 7: 567:, dressed in baby clothes. 367:Question of the Week (QOTW) 10: 1321: 1181:"Sledge death jokes anger" 1163:JOE.ie -- It's man's stuff 710:. Bbc.co.uk. August 2003. 192:Optional, Required to post 734:"B3tan - B3ta Dictionary" 262:B3ta's main feature is a 196: 188: 180: 170: 162: 147: 137: 128: 1112:13 February 2009 at the 1036:"We have a sick problem" 1006:"Sickipedia for Android" 1300:British comedy websites 812:"CaC - B3ta Dictionary" 36:relies excessively on 1064:on 30 September 2007. 976:"b3ta.com board post" 553:PlayStation Portables 527:political correctness 344:, crop up regularly. 904:on 10 September 2012 572:2012 Summer Olympics 286:cartoons created by 255:, Denise Wilton and 1185:Sheffield Telegraph 1042:on 3 February 2016. 521:The book, entitled 125: 1105:Herrmann, Steve. " 1081:Guardian Unlimited 955:on 23 October 2013 927:. London: Friday. 740:on 29 October 2013 480:The Friday Project 280:Internet phenomena 123: 1169:on 20 March 2012. 934:978-1-905548-28-6 818:on 2 October 2013 613:Francesca Anobile 354:Photoshop contest 352:This is a weekly 204: 203: 121: 120: 113: 95: 1312: 1254: 1249: 1248: 1232: 1231: 1229: 1227: 1207: 1201: 1200: 1198: 1196: 1177: 1171: 1170: 1155: 1149: 1148: 1146: 1144: 1129: 1123: 1103: 1097: 1096: 1094: 1092: 1072: 1066: 1065: 1060:. Archived from 1050: 1044: 1043: 1032: 1026: 1025: 1023: 1021: 1012:. Archived from 1002: 996: 995: 993: 991: 971: 965: 964: 962: 960: 945: 939: 938: 920: 914: 913: 911: 909: 900:. 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Index


references
primary sources
secondary or tertiary sources
"B3ta"
news
newspapers
books
scholar
JSTOR
Learn how and when to remove this message

Rob Manuel
Cal Henderson
b3ta.com
/ˈbtə/
British
website
The Guardian
Rob Manuel
Cal Henderson
newsletter
message board
Resonance FM
Internet phenomena
Macromedia Flash
Joel Veitch
Jonti Picking
Cyriak Harris
GIFs

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