Editing ProBoards (section)

==Ownership and service statistics==
ProBoards was founded by Patrick Clinger, who wrote the ProBoards [[software]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ocregister.com/2013/03/31/spark-of-innovation-patrick-clinger/|title= Five questions with . . . ProBoards founder and CEO Patrick Clinger  |last1=Seeden |first1=Curt |website=[[Orange County Register]] |date=2013-02-20 |accessdate=2022-04-30}}</ref> Prior to launching ProBoards, Clinger had run HostedScripts, a company aimed at creating free [[web widget]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://technorati.com/technology/article/entrepreneurs-journey-from-dial-up-diablo1/|title=Entrepreneur's journey from dial-up Diablo to 200k forum posts a day |last1=Bourque |first1=Andre |website=Technorati |date=2014-01-24 |accessdate=2022-04-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140405013524/http://technorati.com/technology/article/entrepreneurs-journey-from-dial-up-diablo1/ |archive-date=2014-04-05}}</ref>

The service hosts over 3,000,000 internet forums, which in turn have approximately 22,800,000 users worldwide.<ref>"[https://www.proboards.com/ Quick Stats.]" ProBoards.com. 05-21-2009. 15 October 2008</ref> Currently, all ProBoards forums combined receive a total of over 600 million pageviews per month,<ref>PatrickClinger.com. "About Me." 26 May 2008</ref> making ProBoards one of the largest [[websites]] on the Internet. As of 2013, ProBoards forums collectively received over 600 million pageviews per month, making it one of the largest websites on the Internet at that time. However, pageviews have decreased in recent years, reflecting broader trends in forum usage<ref>{{Cite web |title=ProBoards |url=https://www.proboards.com/press-releases/proboards-celebrates-fifteen-years |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240413192546/https://www.proboards.com/press-releases/proboards-celebrates-fifteen-years |archive-date=2024-04-13 |access-date=2025-01-05 |website=www.proboards.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

However, according to ''[[TechCrunch]]'' writer Anthony Ha, those numbers have seemingly dropped as of 2014. In an interview, founder/owner Patrick Clinger stated "ProBoards has been used to create 3.5 million forums", but about 1.2 million of them are still active (i.e. resulting in the occasional page view).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/04/29/proboards-version-5/ |title=ProBoards Upgrades its Forum-Building Tools with a New Dashboard and Live Search |last1=Ha |first1=Anthony |website=TechCrunch |date=29 April 2013 |accessdate=2014-10-22}}</ref> 

In October 2021, ProBoards was purchased by internet company VerticalScope Holdings<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-10-19 |title=VerticalScope Provides Business and Acquisitions Update |url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211019006238/en/VerticalScope-Provides-Business-and-Acquisitions-Update |accessdate=2023-04-28 |website=[[Business Wire]]}}</ref> a company specializing in online communities and digital media. Following the acquisition, Patrick Clinger and the ProBoards team joined VerticalScope to continue developing the platform.<ref>{{Cite web |title=VerticalScope Provides Business and Acquisitions Update |url=https://investors.verticalscope.com/news/news-details/2021/VerticalScope-Provides-Business-and-Acquisitions-Update/default.aspx |access-date=2025-01-05 |website=investors.verticalscope.com |language=en-US}}</ref>