Forums are dead?

[sparkles]

Hi guys,

I'll put up some questions upfront:

1. Do you think forums are dead?
2. If so, what are the reasons?
3. For what kind of things people still prefer forums and not social media platforms?
4. What makes you come back to forums every now and then?

✨

 

[Gizmo]

I feel more of a community on a forum. My threads are harder to ignore than Facebook algorithms hiding my posts.

I make better friends on forums than on Facebook.

I don't use other social media.

 

[Krissycakes09]

Sadly I think forums are dying and social media is taking over. 🙁 IMO

 

[sparkles]

Sadly I think forums are dying and social media is taking over. 🙁 IMO

Yeah its quite so.
But what makes you stick to forums, still?
What things about foruming you enjoy more than social media?

I feel more of a community on a forum. My threads are harder to ignore than Facebook algorithms hiding my posts.

I make better friends on forums than on Facebook.

I don't use other social media.

Basically you want your content and posts seen and valued more.
That's a good perspective.
On social media our posts are likely to get lost in the ocean of AI generated or influencer driven contents.

 

[TPerry]

They are not dead but are definitely on a steep decline. The internet has changed over time and forums are no longer the chosen method of communication for most.

 

[Page]

Forums aren’t dead, but they’ve definitely changed. Back in the day, they were the place to go for everything, now a lot of that has shifted to faster, more convenient platforms like Discord, Reddit, and Facebook. People like instant replies, notifications, and mobile friendly apps, which forums didn’t always keep up with. That said, forums still have a strong place.

They’re still preferred for things that need structure, depth, and long term value like troubleshooting, guides, niche communities, or anything you might want to find again later. Social media is great for quick chats, but information gets buried fast, whereas forums act more like a library.

Personally, what brings people back (myself included) is that sense of organised knowledge and community. You can follow a proper discussion, not just a stream of messages, and often get more thoughtful, detailed replies from people who actually know their stuff.

 

[sparkles]

Forums aren’t dead, but they’ve definitely changed. Back in the day, they were the place to go for everything, now a lot of that has shifted to faster, more convenient platforms like Discord, Reddit, and Facebook. People like instant replies, notifications, and mobile friendly apps, which forums didn’t always keep up with. That said, forums still have a strong place.

They’re still preferred for things that need structure, depth, and long term value like troubleshooting, guides, niche communities, or anything you might want to find again later. Social media is great for quick chats, but information gets buried fast, whereas forums act more like a library.

Personally, what brings people back (myself included) is that sense of organised knowledge and community. You can follow a proper discussion, not just a stream of messages, and often get more thoughtful, detailed replies from people who actually know their stuff.

Forums act as a library of organized knowledge.
That's a great point.

I've seen that discussions tend to turn into flame wars very quickly on social media. For example, YouTube comment sections and some Reddits. While on forums, we mostly enjoy respectful and guided discussions.

 

[Ravenfreak]

Forums aren't completely dead like others have stated. They're still the best when it comes to research communities. I think it's a bad idea when well established forums that are based around research decide to either move to Discord servers or Facebook Groups. Even Reddit isn't that organized, it's still hard to find things that get buried. With forums you can easily find topics, see what topics have been posted in the past and get helpful information. This is one of the reasons why I still prefer forums to anything else and I always remind people on Reddit who talk about missing the old internet that they're still around and could be thriving again if they visited some and joined like back in the day.

I know people also like to bring up that Discord "killed forums" but I think forums were on the decline when Facebook decided to roll out their groups. Then Discord came along and gaming forums and tech forums shut down for servers since Discord was and is more catered to gamers than the casual internet user. But I also seen lots of backlash from members telling the admins of these well established forums that this is a bad move and they should keep the forums alive. Discord is good if you want a place to chat with friends, have a gaming session or just want to quickly have fast paced conversations about your favorite topics. They should never be used to be a replacement for forums.

 

[Felly]

1. Do you think forums are dead?
I wouldn't say they're dead, necessarily, but I'd say they're dying. I think social media is slowly but surely taking over, but I think forums have enough of a benefit to stick around. More on that with question 2 though.

2. If so, what are the reasons?
Like I said, I think social media is taking over, but forums are beneficial enough to stick around, at least for now. I think the types of discussions are different, for starters. Social media is general quick and easy conversations, whereas forums tend to be more in depth. That's not to say you won't see rapid fire posting on forums, but it's generally more convenient to do it on social media. I think both have their pros and cons, and I think both share similar uses, but social media is the "in" thing these days and people gravitate more towards that than forums.

3. For what kind of things people still prefer forums and not social media platforms?
Content geared towards them and what they want. I think the algorithms on social media can be a little wonky sometimes, and maybe they're not always tailored towards your interests. Maybe you're seeing posts from the same 3 or 4 people and/or groups. I think if people are trying to avoid AI generated content too, that seems to be easier to do on forums, albeit not entirely avoidable. I think it's easier to have your content seen on forums as well, compared to social media. Both can see your content get buried for sure, especially in larger forum communities, but I think even with larger forum communities, you can still find your "place," so to speak, where people will see your content and respond to it, or even just acknowledge it with a "like," whereas with forums, it's a lot harder at times to get your posts seen and reacted to in order. I've even seen people say that they're including a picture (usually an enticing one) to get their post seen to make it less likely for their post to just get buried on social media posts.

4. What makes you come back to forums every now and then?
Forums have been a part of my life for years, but beyond the communities I've been welcomed into over the years and the friends I've made along the way who have impacted my life in one way or another and in varying capacities, I think the quality of content is far better on forums than on social media. So many times I've seen discussions devolve into insults and just overall degrading comments that it can honestly be discouraging. I'm in a lot of animal care groups because they've helped me learn things for my work, and so many times, someone will ask an innocent question about the care of their pet, and so many other people will respond just absolutely ripping into the original poster simply because they didn't know and it can be discouraging. Of course, we're in the age of the internet and Google is your friend, but I think people forget sometimes that we're all humans behind screens with very real feelings. (Of course too, some things that get posted in those groups are very obviously "get off social media and go to the vet, do not pass go, do not collect $200," but even then, those comments can be very disrespectful too.) I've seen my fair share of conversations get out of hand on forums over the years I've been online, but I'm more likely to see it happen on social media a lot faster than I am on a forum.

And maybe this is a more personal one, but I think I've found it easier to make longer lasting friendships on forums too. Over the years, I've connected with plenty of people and made friends with so many from around the world, but those relationships started on forums first, then blossomed out into other platforms, like Discord (or before that, IRC and Skype and AIM and other instant messengers). Some people I'm even friends with on social media, but those friendships blossomed on forums first, then moved into other areas, where our friendships continued to blossom and flourish.

 

[Gizmo]

Yeah its quite so.
But what makes you stick to forums, still?
What things about foruming you enjoy more than social media?


Basically you want your content and posts seen and valued more.
That's a good perspective.
On social media our posts are likely to get lost in the ocean of AI generated or influencer driven contents.

I'm apart of a number of Facebook groups and if I post something similar on a forum and on a Facebook group I'll get more replies on a forum.

 

[zappaDPJ]

As I think I posted in another thread, it's actually social media that's in decline because people are becoming very aware that posts they've made on Facebook and Instagram etc are not necessarily conducive to employment prospects.

Forum content is generally enduring and for the most part, anonymous. Forums are also the best option for peer to peer product and service support which is a growth area.

The only problem with forums is the general lack of software development/competition. Forums are not seen as particularly accessible by modern audiences.

 

[sparkles]

As I think I posted in another thread, it's actually social media that's in decline because people are becoming very aware that posts they've made on Facebook and Instagram etc are not necessarily conducive to employment prospects.

Forum content is generally enduring and for the most part, anonymous. Forums are also the best option for peer to peer product and service support which is a growth area.

The only problem with forums is the general lack of software development/competition. Forums are not seen as particularly accessible by modern audiences.

Most forum softwares are less accessible. I agree with this. I have observed that most forums are not good at mobile UIs.
Also, a lot of forums and forum softwares still don't allow social login (via Google, Facebook, etc). That keeps a lot of people from entering, as they think they have to create, manage, and remember yet another account on a website they might not visit every day.

As opposed to that, social media platforms clearly win at mobile-friendly UIs.
They are rather generic and not targeted to a specific topic, so they can attract users from all walks of life.
Social media is also more open and less strict. Users don't have to read, remember, and adhere to their unique rules. They just need to ensure they are not doing anything illegal on the platform, and they are good.

Forums should:

• Use more mobile-friendly UIs
• Minimal content architecture (not showing 5-10 sticky topics on each forum!)
• Make registration easier and more accessible
• Become more open and less strict when it comes to posting rules

✨

 

[Page]

I'm apart of a number of Facebook groups and if I post something similar on a forum and on a Facebook group I'll get more replies on a forum.

I do not like facebook, maybe that's why 😛

 

[Ravenfreak]

Most forum softwares are less accessible. I agree with this. I have observed that most forums are not good at mobile UIs.
Also, a lot of forums and forum softwares still don't allow social login (via Google, Facebook, etc). That keeps a lot of people from entering, as they think they have to create, manage, and remember yet another account on a website they might not visit every day.

As opposed to that, social media platforms clearly win at mobile-friendly UIs.
They are rather generic and not targeted to a specific topic, so they can attract users from all walks of life.
Social media is also more open and less strict. Users don't have to read, remember, and adhere to their unique rules. They just need to ensure they are not doing anything illegal on the platform, and they are good.

Forums should:

• Use more mobile-friendly UIs
• Minimal content architecture (not showing 5-10 sticky topics on each forum!)
• Make registration easier and more accessible
• Become more open and less strict when it comes to posting rules

✨

Most forum software are mobile friendly out of the box and some also offer PWA (Progressive Web App) that will give you instant notifications for when people reply to your threads, tag you in a post, or send a message to you. I do agree that every forum platform should make it easier for members to join, lots of them have Discord, Google, Facebook, etc. integration built in so people can use their pre existing accounts to join new forums. I should look into getting this set up on my forums if I'm able to. That's actually a common complaint I got once when I mentioned back in 2023 that I was kind of happy to see Reddit go black for a bit because of the API situation and I mentioned that people should be using forums again, many people think it's a bit inconvenient to have to put their email in to join a forum instead of using a pre-existing account.

I disagree with the social media statement about being more open. I don't know how many times my posts were declined in this group that I am part of on Facebook because I said the word "dumb" or said the name "Dick." I wasn't calling anyone names lol. I only came across one forum that had a word filter installed and I never went back to that forum.

 

[sparkles]

Most forum software are mobile friendly out of the box and some also offer PWA (Progressive Web App) that will give you instant notifications for when people reply to your threads, tag you in a post, or send a message to you. I do agree that every forum platform should make it easier for members to join, lots of them have Discord, Google, Facebook, etc. integration built in so people can use their pre existing accounts to join new forums. I should look into getting this set up on my forums if I'm able to. That's actually a common complaint I got once when I mentioned back in 2023 that I was kind of happy to see Reddit go black for a bit because of the API situation and I mentioned that people should be using forums again, many people think it's a bit inconvenient to have to put their email in to join a forum instead of using a pre-existing account.

I disagree with the social media statement about being more open. I don't know how many times my posts were declined in this group that I am part of on Facebook because I said the word "dumb" or said the name "Dick." I wasn't calling anyone names lol. I only came across one forum that had a word filter installed and I never went back to that forum.

I align with your views that some platforms not so open as I thought. Strict rules would still apply to many groups or communities and that would turn users down.

But when I say forums are not mobile friendly, I mean their UIs are not fully optimised or polished for mobile interactions.

- Most forums do not support infinite scrolling.
-The nested replies on social media feel more natural for discussion compared to forum posts that rather look like a wall of text.
- Also the threads on social platforms are light weight and strips away any unnecessary details like user profile details, etc. It encourages users to contribute quickly instead of making them feel they are drafting a formal post.

I love how forums are better at encouraging long-form replies, allowing polls and other micro-features that are only available in forums. Also, its great how the topics are organised in relevant categories making it easier to browse and find.

 

[ribbonsquee]

Truthfully, I think that the Internet in general is dead. There's no real communication anymore. Outside very specific scenarios, people generally just want to talk at others on the Internet and promote themselves or some hustle that they're trying to use to get rich quickly. Nobody really wants to be friends anymore.

Unfortunately, this is especially noticeable on forums since forums, as a rule, rely on person-to-person interaction in order to function properly. Unlike social media, where people can post short blurbs and usher them out into the void, forums require some back-and-forth in order to be worthwhile. It just seems that authentic conversations are dead; everything is transactional now.

 

[Cory]

It often feels like there's a select group of users trying to keep forums alive. I don't visit a massive number of forums, but the ones I do, I often see the same users across different forums. It's saddening how much social media and other instant communication have taken over what used to be thriving message boards. People care more for instant gratification than legitimate conversation.

I've always preferred forums over social media, and I even tried different social media in the past, like Facebook, and it wasn't my cup of tea. I've always been terrible at making friends IRL and depend more on engaging online, mostly anonymously. The only social media I use is Reddit, and that's for browsing. I used to post on social media, but it felt useless since most of your comments got buried in the rubble, and some people like to troll you there.

I think there will always be a small group of individuals who prefer message boards over social media, but will that continue with the next generations? Only time will tell.

 

[sparkles]

It often feels like there's a select group of users trying to keep forums alive. I don't visit a massive number of forums, but the ones I do, I often see the same users across different forums. It's saddening how much social media and other instant communication have taken over what used to be thriving message boards. People care more for instant gratification than legitimate conversation.

I've always preferred forums over social media, and I even tried different social media in the past, like Facebook, and it wasn't my cup of tea. I've always been terrible at making friends IRL and depend more on engaging online, mostly anonymously. The only social media I use is Reddit, and that's for browsing. I used to post on social media, but it felt useless since most of your comments got buried in the rubble, and some people like to troll you there.

I think there will always be a small group of individuals who prefer message boards over social media, but will that continue with the next generations? Only time will tell.

I have been on both the places, forums and social media.
I think its about our personal preference and what matters the most to us.

I prefer forums as they are more targetted and organized. Forums have less distractions.
I browser social media only for fun. I almost never post anything or share my opinions there.

 

[AdminMaster]

I hope not!😭😭😭😭😭