Tbilisis Forumi
Type of site | Internet forum |
|---|---|
| Available in | Georgian |
| Owner | Temur Khaindrava |
| Created by | Temur Khaindrava |
| URL | www |
| Commercial | Yes (ads) |
| Registration | free |
| Users | 121710 (8 August 2014) |
| Launched | 25 January 2001; 23 years ago (2001-01-25) |
| Current status | active |
| Written in | PHP |
Tbilisis Forumi (Georgian: თბილისის ფორუმი, "Tbilisi's forum") is the largest[1] and one of the oldest Georgian general-purpose internet forums. It was launched in 2001 by Temur Khaindrava (known by his forum nickname as Tim).[2][3] In 2004, the administration changed the engine from vBulletin into IPB; At that time the website was visited about 50-100 users each day. In 2007 Tbilisis Forumi became the most popular internet-forum in Georgia, having nearly thousand registered users logged in every day.[2] As of 4 May 2018, the website claims to have 158,220 users and 49,640,102 posts. There are some users of social prominence. Some members were involved in social activities.
Incidents
In April 2016, a court in Tbilisi placed Sulkhan Tsuladze, under the name SPLIYVI (Georgian for "baby elephant"), in pre-trial detention for a month after he described a fictional attack on the United States Ambassador to Georgia in a post on the forum, which was claimed by the prosecution to have been a threat of an attack on a person enjoying international protection. Human rights organizations criticized the detention as unjustified, arguing that the post was intended as a joke. He was released on bail in May 2016.[4]
Censorship
The forum website was briefly shutdown during the August 2008 Russo-Georgian War. In the following weeks, internet users alleged restrictions on the discussion of political issues on the forum after its administration posted a statement urging the users "to refrain from posts... that would be inappropriate for the state's interests".[5]
The website, owing to its political sub-forum, is blacklisted and banned by the Russian government.[6]
References
- ^ "Georgia profile – Media". BBC News. 12 August 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ a b "როგორ იქნმნებოდა თბილისის ფორუმი?". არც ისე ნორმალურის ბლოგი (in Georgian). 20 March 2011. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
- ^ Interview with Temur Khaindrava
- ^ "Freedom on the Net 2016: Georgia". Freedom House. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ "Censorship Allegations on Online Forum". Civil Georgia. 6 September 2008. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ "Registry of Banned Sites [Реестр запрещенных сайтов]". RuBlackList (in Russian). Retrieved 10 March 2017.
