<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title>Fossil Threads</title><link>https://fossil-threads.pages.dev/</link><description>A digital archaeology of online communities (forums, message boards, chat rooms, early social sites, fan.</description><language>en</language><item><title>The Welcome Bot: How Automated Greetings Changed Online Communities</title><link>https://fossil-threads.pages.dev/welcome-bots-chat-room-history/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://fossil-threads.pages.dev/welcome-bots-chat-room-history/</guid><pubDate>Thu, 29 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT</pubDate><description>Welcome bots turned a repeated social task into a predictable part of joining an online community.</description></item><item><title>What Forum Signatures Revealed About Early Message Boards</title><link>https://fossil-threads.pages.dev/forum-signatures-social-layer-archives/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://fossil-threads.pages.dev/forum-signatures-social-layer-archives/</guid><pubDate>Wed, 21 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMT</pubDate><description>A forum signature was a small personal space attached to a member&#39;s posts, often containing a quotation, hobby reference, banner, link, or running joke.</description></item><item><title>Moderator Burnout: Which Community Chores Software Can Take Over</title><link>https://fossil-threads.pages.dev/moderator-burnout-automation-chores/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://fossil-threads.pages.dev/moderator-burnout-automation-chores/</guid><pubDate>Thu, 15 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMT</pubDate><description>Community moderation software can reduce repetitive work such as spam filtering, duplicate detection, rate limiting, and routine rule reminders.</description></item><item><title>Community Wikis, Edit Wars, and the New Role of AI Summaries</title><link>https://fossil-threads.pages.dev/community-wikis-edit-wars-ai-summaries/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://fossil-threads.pages.dev/community-wikis-edit-wars-ai-summaries/</guid><pubDate>Thu, 08 Oct 2026 14:00:00 GMT</pubDate><description>Community wikis handle edit wars through revision histories, discussion pages, editorial policies, and negotiated consensus.</description></item><item><title>How to Save Forum Threads Before a Community Closes</title><link>https://fossil-threads.pages.dev/saving-forum-threads-before-shutdown/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://fossil-threads.pages.dev/saving-forum-threads-before-shutdown/</guid><pubDate>Sun, 04 Oct 2026 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate><description>Preserving a forum before shutdown requires more than saving individual pages.</description></item><item><title>From ELIZA to Character Chat: The History of Conversational Programs</title><link>https://fossil-threads.pages.dev/eliza-to-character-chat-history/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://fossil-threads.pages.dev/eliza-to-character-chat-history/</guid><pubDate>Wed, 23 Sep 2026 11:00:00 GMT</pubDate><description>Conversational programs developed from early rule-based experiments into networked chat-room bots, scripted virtual personalities, and modern AI character systems.</description></item></channel></rss>