/Interview/ The brains behind : 4chan
02/03/2010 | Filed under Discover > Interview
4chan is the web’s largest – and most notorious – imageboard, responsible for such popular memes as lolcats and rickrolling. We talk to its creator, moot
.net: How did you come up with the idea for 4chan all these years ago, in 2003?
m: 4chan is modelled after a Japanese website, "Futaba Channel". Back in 2003, there weren’t any English-language alternatives, so I translated the source code and threw it up on a shared webhosting account. The rest is history.
.net: How many hits is the site getting these days, and what percentage is down to the random board, /b/, alone?
m: As of January 2010, we serve about 450 million page views per month, to over seven million unique visitors. /b/ accounts for approximately a third of that. Traffic has risen steadily over the past six years, and it’s important to note that we’ve never done any kind of advertising. Growth can be attributed entirely to word of mouth.
.net: Why has 4chan turned into one of the most trafficked sites? What’s its appeal in your opinion?
m: Less is more. The site is extremely simple, and its emphasis on anonymity and lack of archival make for a rather unique experience. Most of our users prefer the “imageboard” format to the traditional Western-style BBS.
.net: What does 4chan mean to you? And how do you feel about 4chan’s somewhat notorious reputation?
m: Considering I’ve spent almost a third of my life running it, it means a whole lot to me. 4chan has acquired quite a reputation over the years, some of it deserved, some not. I try not to get caught up with other people’s opinions though.
.net: What do you think about 4chan members indulging in attacking high profile sites like YouTube, which recently became the victim of YouTube Porn Day?
m: It happens.
.net: What’s been your favourite meme that was born on 4chan so far and why?
m: Millhouse is an excellent meme.
.net: Why did you decide to reveal your name after years of running 4chan anonymously or is the outing as Christopher Poole just another hoax as suggested by Wikipedia?
m: It is a mystery.
.net: What are the main challenges in running the site?
m: For the longest time, our servers seemed to be held together by sticks and glue. Right now, our biggest constraint is a lack of manpower. Besides myself, the team only consists of some volunteer moderators, and one part time programmer.
.net: How do you finance it? I guess it’s not the easiest for such a controversial site...
m: The site is funded entirely through advertising. Finding the right advertisers can be a challenge, but we manage.
.net: Why have you so far been unable to make a profit off 4chan’s fame, and how’s your job search going?
m: It’s not that I’ve been unable, per se. I’m unwilling to compromise the site in any way in order to make a quick buck. I didn’t set out to create something big, nor did I ever expect to make any money. As far as I’m concerned, as long as we break even, everything else is just gravy.
.net: What’s next for 4chan?
m: On my end, I’ll be focusing on speed improvements, better moderation, and launching additional boards and features. As far as the community goes, you’ll just have to wait and see!
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Comments
anon / 03/03/2010 / 07:40
hail moot
Surrey Web Design / 05/06/2010 / 23:43 / http://www.doreymedia.com
I visit 4chan and I just feel like I'm from a completely different planet. One minute I'm in despair the next belly laughing. It's an absolute disgrace but such an iconic one.
