So what exactly is a "bot"? Well, it really depends on who you ask.

An Internet bot, also known as web robot, WWW robot or simply bot, is a software application that runs automated tasks over the Internet. Typically, bots perform tasks that are both simple and structurally repetitive, at a much higher rate than would be possible for a human alone.

-- Wikipedia

Bunch of Twitter usernames that are not controlled by people, but are just robots that are programmed to release the information related to all these different things. And that's really interesting.

-- A user experience tester

In essence, an online bot is (usually) a simple program that does something a human would otherwise do, like post pictures on Tumblr or retweet Tweets that talk about cats.

You can pretty much think of bots as programs that turn sites like damnyoubatman.com or hungernames.com into automated Twitter or Tumblr accounts.

Bots can be funny, useful, artistic -- but also annoying and spammy. This site -- and our botmakers.org community, are dedicated to the friendlier of the online bots.

Feel free to browse the bots below -- by categories or by the network on which they operate, check out the tutorials, read bot-related articles or just use the search on top of this page, if you're looking for something specific.

You are also welcome to join Botmakers, our friendly community of bot makers and bot enthusiasts of all skill levels, to share ideas, ask questions or just see what interesting projects everyone is working on.

Thanks for checking out Botwiki!

Apparently botmaking attracts a lot of academics, artists, and terrifyingly creative people. WHO KNEW.

— emma winston ☄ (@deer_ful) February 3, 2016

PS: If you want to add your bot, check out this form.

Bot directories ¶

Botwiki is mainly focused on creative examples of online bots. If you're more interested in "business bots", check out some of these bot directories:

• Botlist
• BotPages
• Chatbots.org

See also ¶

• Essays on bots and botmaking