- PbNation
articleissues
notability=July 2008
cleanup=July 2008
orphan=July 2008Infobox Website
name = PbNation
logo =
caption =
url = http://www.pbnation.com
commercial = Yes
type =Internet Forum
registration = Required
owner =
author = Tony Rieker
launch date = 2001
current status = Active
revenue =PbNation is an English language
vBulletin v3.6.2paintball forum. PbNation also includes a paintball field and store directory, a collection of product reviews, aconsumer-to-consumer paintball equipment marketplace, a paintball industry news section, and a paintball video content sharing site. All of the content is user generated. Although site is focused on the sport ofpaintball , it also hosts a large "Small Talk" section where paintball players discuss topics that are not directly paintball related.Splat Magazine awarded PbNation the 2007 "Paintball Web Site of the Year" and credits PbNation for having "played a larger role in the expansion of paintball knowledge than practically any other source in history."
According to
Forbes , PbNation is the "number one paintball fan site", [cite news | last = Brown | first = Erika | date = October 15, 2007 | title = The Mixologist | work =Forbes.com | url = http://www.forbes.com/business/global/2007/1015/032.html | accessdate = 2008-10-05 ] and the Chicago Tribune called it the "ultra popular paintball website" and listed becoming involved in PbNation as number one in their "Tips for Going Pro" about becoming a professional paintball player. [cite news | last = Tsouderos | first = Trine | date = March 13, 2008 | title = Paintball: It's a lifestyle - Pro players live, breathe the sport | work =Chicago Tribune ] Press Enterprises cites PbNation as "the leading paintball forum, helping facilitate everything from equipment reviews to discussions on the world's best paintballers to the organization of games." cite web | date = June 19, 2007 | title = Paintball takes Inland area by storm | work = story on Jungle Island Paintball Park | url = http://www.pe.com/sports/breakout/stories/PE_Sports_Local_D_paintball_20.3c4f401.htmll | accessdate = 2008-10-08 ]How it Started
Tony Rieker started the site in 2000 with two friends over Christmas break while still in High School. The server was actually in a friend's bedroom.
Current Size
It is independently measured as the largest paintball website. http://www.alexa.com/data/details/traffic_details/pbnation.com] ] Splat Magazine credits the site with having more traffic than all other paintball websites combined. It is listed as the largest sports forum on the Internet and the 14th largest forum overall. http://big-boards.com] ] The site often more than 40,000 new posts a day. http://big-boards.com] ] As of October 2008, the site boasts 49,393,607 posts, 2,679,780 threads and 429,834 members.
Users
Registration is free and users with free accounts have access to standard features such as forum posting,
private message s, B/S/T access and the ability to search when there are less than 1800 registered members online. Users paying a subscription fee are called Annual Supporting Members (ASM) and gain access to extra features such as 24/7 search, increasedPrivate message (PM) capacity, largeravatar , access to a private forum, and free Gold Ups.Terminology and Culture
PbNation has influenced paintball culture and even invented its own terminology which has in turn invaded the real life paintball scene. Awkward-looking shooting styles such as "Kentucky left-hand" where a paintball player shoots out the left side of his or her bunker using the right hand and the "chicken wing" where a user lifts their off-hand elbow up so it is horizontal or even above the player's shoulder were lambasted on the site to the point where names were invented that stuck. The dodgy emoticon is associated throughout paintball with PbNation and has come to signify doubt, disbelief or an outright untruth. The word "agg" came into use on the site and is generally used to replace the word "cool" but has been over used to the point that some users use the word to mean the opposite.
Mod Staff
The PbNation
forum moderator staff is made up of 110 http://www.big-boards.com] ] volunteers that come from all over the United States, Canada, and even as far away as Norway. cite web | date = October 20, 2007 | title = Viva la Nation | work = PbNation Interview | url = http://www.p8ntballer.com/interviewcontent/20080331.shtml | accessdate = 2008-10-08 ] They monitor the site daily removing inappropriate content, moving threads to the correct forums and denying user access to members who repeatedly violate their rules.Partners
PbNation is partnered with KEE Action Sports, Save Phace, and PSP. Each of these companies is given their own forum, and when a PSP event is taking place, they get a forum at the top of the website devoted to discussion of the event.
Awards
Splat Magazine awarded PbNation the 2007 "Paintball Web Site of the Year" and credits PbNation for having "played a larger role in the expansion of paintball knowledge than practically any other source in history."cite web | date = February 12, 2008 | title = 2007 SPLAT Awards | work = Splat Magazine Awards| url = http://www.splatmagazine.com/articles.php?d=features&id=41&t=2007+SPLAT+Awards | accessdate = 2008-10-05 ]
References
External links
* [http://www.pbnation.com/ PbNation]
* [http://www.pbnation.com/showgroups.php PbNation Staff]
* [http://www.alexa.com/data/details/traffic_details/pbnation.com pbnation.com on Alexa]
* [http://big-boards.com Big Boards]
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