Who are we? and why are we here?

RepublicanForum.com™ is THE place for news, politics, and lively debate online. The purpose of the Republican Forum is to discuss current issues, share knowledge, and promote the growth of the Republican Party of the USA. We are also constantly expanding our web site so that you will have right here in one place all the links and information you need to be completely informed about News and Politics, and conduct Political Research!

RepublicanForum.com™ is not affiliated with The Republican National Committee or any other official branch of the Republican Party. This forum is one of over 2000 forums that got it's start on the original CompuServe Bulletin Board Service (BBS) long before there was such thing as an internet. Like many other forums that started on CompuServe, this forum is now independently owned and operated by the same staff that managed it as a CompuServe forum. The forum hosting is now provided by the Nommisoft Network.

This forum, owned by Forum Administrator and former CompuServe Business Partner Bruce Patterson, is a moderated forum operated by a grassroots volunteer staff of Republicans who are also available to assist you with technical support and customer service.

The forum concept was pioneered by CompuServe long before the creation of the internet when CompuServe, a subsidiary of H&R Block, was one of the premium dial up Bulletin Board Services (BBS). CompuServe was later purchased by AOL and eventually merged with Netscape, another online service purchased by AOL. The surviving CompuServe forums are now branded as Netscape forums and the software has completely changed, eliminating the threaded message board concept and the ability to download messages for reading off line.

In September 2006, we changed our hosting from AOL/Netscape/CompuServe to the Nommisoft Network, thus restoring the threaded message boards and the ability to download messages for offline reading using any newsreader such as Outlook Express.

In conjunction with moving our forum to a new hosting network, we have created a new web portal under the auspices of The American CyberCafé that we hope will eventually support a number of forums. We are currently hosting one other forum, The Theology Forum, and we have a list of other recommended forums managed by others, some still hosted by AOL/CompuServe under the Netscape brand. Visit the American CyberCafé Forum Center to see what forums we are currently promoting.

Forums are great meeting places online where you will find like minded people who share your interests. Whether you are looking for cooking, computers, sport or travel, you will find a forum which covers the topic. Covering almost every topic you can imagine, forums offer a comfortable home and community for users from all corners of the globe. Exchange thought, ideas and opinions with others who share your own passions.

Our forums and the others we recommend are led by professional online community leaders whose sole purpose is to help you find what you are looking for online. These professional leaders are known as "SysOps" (pronounced SIS-ops). Many of our SysOps have been leading online communities for decades.

Forums play many roles in your online experience:

Answers: Do you have a question about what to feed your fish or how to hook up a new printer to your computer? Do you know how Congress could be more effective or if your small business can survive in a wired world? Somewhere online, there is a forum to provide you with thoughtful, targeted answers from an informed member or an expert in the field.

Research: If you are gathering information about your next vacation, how to save for the kids' college, where to find an old recording by Count Basie, let us help you find a forum online with this information. There are people and information resources here that can speed along your research.

Conversation, opinions, friendship: The world is smaller than you think. When people with common interests gather in an online forum, they often find a lot to talk about. Sometimes forum members become close friends and find all sorts of things that bring them together just to talk over the big and small issues in their lives.

The Republican Forum and most of those we recommend are divided into three distinct areas:

Message Boards

Messages are organized in sections, and conversations (a first message followed with replies-just like in real life) are called "threads." People contribute to message threads over the course of a day. First a question might be posted, and then a series of other members might post replies. You can ask a question and go do other things while waiting for a reply-and then you get the benefit of the experience of everyone in that Forum who has something to offer. In some ways, this is better than chat because the process happens whether you are there or not-your ideas represent you until you retrieve your replies.

File Libraries

Forums contain many files that can be downloaded to your computer hard-drive.

Ranging from text files on accounting to pictures of zoos, you will find files on every topic under the sun (and on the sun as well!).

Downloading files is free and Forum members can contribute files for others to share.

Files such as programs, text, graphics, sound, and music can be retrieved whenever you wish. Many forums offer a variety of such info, sometimes provided by the SysOp, sometimes by publications in the field, and frequently by members. Files are organized in "Libraries," which often parallel the topics of the Message sections. And you can feel secure about files you download from a The Republican Forum: While no system is perfect, SysOps do their best to ensure that there are no viruses in files made available through our Forum Libraries. You can contribute a file, too, if you have something you wish to share!

Live Chat

Chat is the area where members can interact in real-time. Forum chat rooms can be used for a conversation between two people or hundreds. Forum chats also can be scheduled events, called conferences. Often an expert guest speaker will take questions from members and answer them during the conference. And a moderator can display pictures, send sounds or even video directly to your computer to enhance the chat. Also, our chat software enables you to initiate a private one-on-one conversation or a group conversation.

Join folks from all over the world in live chat rooms in online forums.

Many Forums run chat at fixed times and publish the schedule and topics in advance. In other Forums, simply drop in any time and meet others who are interested in the same topics as you.

Somewhere online there is a forum offering conversation and advice on just about anything imaginable. Each Forum is built on the common interests of its members and shaped by the members' diversity. Visit as many as you like and experience the best online communities in the world. If you need help finding a forum that matches your interest, please ask our staff in the Member Services section of the Republican Forum.

We're glad you have chosen to visit the Republican Forum and hope that you choose to make visiting this forum part of your daily routine.