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Post by Llouis on Jul 4, 2020 1:23:34 GMT -8
With this new decade upon us, I'd like to talk about a particular topic. I have been looking around and a lot of people say "Forums are being replaced by Facebook and Twitter." This is something I don't believe in the slightest. I feel that forums will always be one of the backbones of the internet no matter how popular social media becomes. They can never be replaced.
That said, it is true that on many forums the activity is dying more and more. I feel that in order to stop this, one thing forums need to do to thrive is show that they are better than social media. Forums bring a sense of intimate community, they remove what I believe is performance anxiety in a corporately controlled environment where constantly someone's "image" is talked about. There is no need to jump through hoops on a forum, you post, people like or dislike your content, and that's the only thing there is. They have a double whammy advantage over Facebook in that they never force a real name policy, and in fact, probably discourage it, and secondly, they do not connect at all to a person's real life. A person is free to have a community online without it affecting what happens in their personal life. Advantages over Twitter are of course, there is no character limit for a forum post, and someone doesn't have to vie for attention in order to get more followers. The posts are content driven, not trend driven. Social media is a competitor, but it does not have to kill off forums. I even hope see previously dwindling forums become as popular as they were in their glory days, usually in the 2000s, in the 2020s. I have no clue how that could happen, but I will try as hard as possible to make that happen.
When I really thought about it, I realized to myself that if forums were truly to go away, it would basically be saying that interactive, independent internet communities would be leaving. Social media is entirely corporately driven, by saying that Facebook and Twitter are replacing forums, a person is in effect saying that two mega corporations have taken over all internet communities. That there is no such thing as an independent internet community. This is something that I feel can never happen. Every person has the right to their own community, run the way they want to run it. It's a frightening idea that Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey would have control over every single conversation between people who don't know each other in real life on the internet.
Members of PB, I want to ask you what ideas do you have, if you do, in order to make forums perform better than they have in the past 10 years? How can people involved with forums bring them to a higher level of being noticed, and even bring people back to supposedly "dead" communities?
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"If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe." -Carl Sagan
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Post by bigballofyarn on Jul 4, 2020 3:57:57 GMT -8
I haven't posted on or read anything from Facebook in over 3 years. So, my disdain for the site may give me some bias. If or when Facebook and Instagram decide to follow through on only showing likes to the person who made the post, the sites may lose their appeal. I never had to live in a world where my value was based on how many "likes" a picture of my breakfast received. So, I don't understand trying to create content that caters to other people. I do not think forums are dying, but I say that while seeing forums continue to grow and having no idea what actually happens on Facebook. The top ProBoards forums have millions of posts and receive thousands per day. Every platform will appeal to a certain audience. I don't see any reason to force Facebook fans onto forums because I would never want someone to try to "convert" me to like Facebook. Forums are continually loved, appreciated, and used. I would highly prefer that they maintain what keeps them unique and do everything possible to never become like every other social media platform.
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Post by HoudiniDerek on Jul 4, 2020 7:20:26 GMT -8
I have both. My forum and my Facebook have very active fans, but none of them seem to overlap. I think some people like forums better for the reasons mentioned by the previous posters.
However, I think some people like Facebook more because they can do more than just that forum content. They can chat with friends and family privately from what they are posting, they can post on multiple pages about different things, they don't have to worry about hosting photos and such from a third party vendor like Photobucket, etc.
I think both have their pros and cons. Personally, I have both and will likely continue to use them.
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Post by Retread on Jul 4, 2020 8:05:34 GMT -8
Other forums of social media such as Facebook, Twitter, etc, have become popular because they allow for connecting to millions of people by creating just one single member account.
Forums will always have a place on the internet because the style and quality of interaction is different than Facebook, et al. But those entities have irrevocably affected the pool of potential participants for forums, compared to the days when message boards were the only game in town.
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Post by ZandraJoi on Jul 4, 2020 17:28:25 GMT -8
I'm on a few groups on Facebook & I had asked what makes it so popular. Pretty much the one account & it's one stop shopping. Some downsides tho to FB- You can't organize topics. Also, people readily join them. I'm in one group that has 13,000 members! But only the same couple hundred post. They get at least a hundred newbies a day. You just get lost. There's no intimacy. I like platforms like Proboards. I don't know how to make forums more appealing. People that I talk to (outside of PB) like the other social media outlets. bigballofyarn I agree on the value of likes. They focus more on that button than actual content. I use the Like button but I also say something along the lines of: "Hey, I like what you said, it was very interesting." It only takes a couple more seconds.
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"If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe." -Carl Sagan
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Post by bigballofyarn on Jul 5, 2020 4:02:51 GMT -8
I'm on a few groups on Facebook & I had asked what makes it so popular. Pretty much the one account & it's one stop shopping. Some downsides tho to FB- You can't organize topics. Also, people readily join them. I'm in one group that has 13,000 members! But only the same couple hundred post. They get at least a hundred newbies a day. You just get lost. There's no intimacy. I like platforms like Proboards. I don't know how to make forums more appealing. People that I talk to (outside of PB) like the other social media outlets. bigballofyarn I agree on the value of likes. They focus more on that button than actual content. I use the Like button but I also say something along the lines of: "Hey, I like what you said, it was very interesting." It only takes a couple more seconds. I definitely give out likes to support people, but I would much rather see engaging conversation. Clicking "like" doesn't tell anyone what you appreciate about them.
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Happy 16th birthday to my RPG!
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Post by :~:Sarapha:~: on Jul 5, 2020 5:15:42 GMT -8
I think it's the ability for instant replies and the more feeling of closeness that social media offers over forums. Yes, forums and social media are fundamentally different; but social media may, unfortunately, always outweigh forums. There is a sense of closeness in social media; you're literally following someone's life as it is happening, feeling that intimate connection.
While, on the other hand, forums are generally impersonal discussions. Sure, you can set your avatar as your own image, but you don't have the option to post daily images of your life without going through a lot of hoops and hurtles, third party hosting sites, etc. You can post threads where you update people on your daily events, but there isn't really a practical way to make that interactive.
The way to solve this issue is to recognize the differences between the two, and realize that comparing them is asinine. Both fulfill meaningful parts of society. Forums are an excellent resource for things like Role Play, lengthy discussion and debate, and conveying larger amounts of information. Social media is very bad for all of those things. Role play, because unless you create a whole new Facebook, it's hard to convey as a different character, and switching through accounts to post is a nightmare. Lengthy discussion and debate because of character limits.
Ultimately; people just need to get reacquainted with forums again.
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"If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe." -Carl Sagan
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Post by bigballofyarn on Jul 5, 2020 6:01:53 GMT -8
I think it's the ability for instant replies and the more feeling of closeness that social media offers over forums. Yes, forums and social media are fundamentally different; but social media may, unfortunately, always outweigh forums. There is a sense of closeness in social media; you're literally following someone's life as it is happening, feeling that intimate connection. While, on the other hand, forums are generally impersonal discussions. Sure, you can set your avatar as your own image, but you don't have the option to post daily images of your life without going through a lot of hoops and hurtles, third party hosting sites, etc. You can post threads where you update people on your daily events, but there isn't really a practical way to make that interactive. The way to solve this issue is to recognize the differences between the two, and realize that comparing them is asinine. Both fulfill meaningful parts of society. Forums are an excellent resource for things like Role Play, lengthy discussion and debate, and conveying larger amounts of information. Social media is very bad for all of those things. Role play, because unless you create a whole new Facebook, it's hard to convey as a different character, and switching through accounts to post is a nightmare. Lengthy discussion and debate because of character limits. Ultimately; people just need to get reacquainted with forums again. What's interesting to me is that you find social media to bring a sense of closeness while I perceive it to be the exact opposite. Having 100 likes on a post doesn't make me feel connected to the pile of acquaintances who clicked the like button. Further, I wouldn't feel connected to someone who posts 100 times a day about their meals, and has a weird obsession to record every aspect of their life. I also wouldn't be able to meaningfully establish connections when everyone's updates are in a jumbled mess. I think forums allow you more power over what you read, and give you the ability to have more thoughtful conversations. These are just my personal opinions. Neither one of us is right or wrong. Different forms of communication work better for different people. That's why I think forums and social media platforms will always have an audience.
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Post by ZandraJoi on Jul 5, 2020 17:55:50 GMT -8
I consider forums to be more intimate & personal than social media outlets like Facebook. Some FB groups have thousands of members & don't seem to be as picky. Whereas forums, we have a theme & try to develop friendships. But for me too, that is how I perceive it. Others like my husband love FB for the ability to keep in contact with his family members, share pics, etc. It's funny too 'cos when I told him a few months ago I was starting another forum on Proboards, he asked: They still have those (forums)? LOL I had to think about that one lol But then I came to Support, made my own forum & wow! Got a lot of nice people helping me out. I wouldn't have gotten that if I made a FB group. Have to add to that too. I am an admin on a FB group, there is trouble on there & I frankly don't have the support of the other admins. They just feel blocking, ignoring a person who is repeatedly, blatantly disrespectful is better than banning. That person would have had a warning long ago on my forum.
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Post by Llouis on Jul 6, 2020 4:25:00 GMT -8
I'm on a few groups on Facebook & I had asked what makes it so popular. Pretty much the one account & it's one stop shopping. Some downsides tho to FB- You can't organize topics. Also, people readily join them. I'm in one group that has 13,000 members! But only the same couple hundred post. They get at least a hundred newbies a day. You just get lost. There's no intimacy. I like platforms like Proboards. I don't know how to make forums more appealing. People that I talk to (outside of PB) like the other social media outlets. bigballofyarn I agree on the value of likes. They focus more on that button than actual content. I use the Like button but I also say something along the lines of: "Hey, I like what you said, it was very interesting." It only takes a couple more seconds. Yes, Facebook does have a lot of stuff you can do with it. I think platforms like Proboards are awesome too! I think forums just need some more exposure, word of mouth, advertising, even maybe using social media to talk about the benefits of them. I think they're probably going to experience a resurgence soon. I love forums for the intimate connections too, you can get to know someone really well when you're talking together often, and are involved in a tight-knit community. :~:Sarapha:~: Wow, I didn't expect to see someone say they feel social media is more intimate than forums. Roleplay is definitely way better on forums for sure. I guess different things do work for different people. I'm curious how you, personally, meet people on social media and connect with them. I've found that forum discussions tend to become more intimate when you post more often.
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Happy 16th birthday to my RPG!
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Post by :~:Sarapha:~: on Jul 6, 2020 5:58:43 GMT -8
:~:Sarapha:~: Wow, I didn't expect to see someone say they feel social media is more intimate than forums. Roleplay is definitely way better on forums for sure. I guess different things do work for different people. I'm curious how you, personally, meet people on social media and connect with them. I've found that forum discussions tend to become more intimate when you post more often. I've been on both Social Media and Proboards for around equal amount of time, but Social Media definitely beats out Forums in terms of intimate connection. Yes, there is a lot to be had with discussions, but forums offer a lot more anonymity, and therefore less connection. My forum, for example. Over the last 13.5 years, I've had hundreds of members, I've Role Played with thousands of their characters. Though I learned a lot about the people playing; it isn't the same connection as social media. On forums, all discussion is done through the filter of anonymity. You can post on them without giving away a single personal details about yourself, and no one would ever know who you are on any level other than your view-points, or your writing style. Discussions, while amazing, can't really be defined as an intimate connection, unless the discussion is regarding something personal to each person discussing. On social media, you generally shouldn't add people that you don't know, so there's some element of familiarity with them. You see their posts, and internalize their journey through life; things that can bring up discussions. While I do agree that the "like" feature is pointless and I detest it, comments are different. Social Media keeps you connected to family and friends in a way that everyone is able to understand, and without so much effort. On social media, you can post pictures and video of a vacation that your family went on, for other family members to see and share in the experience. On forums, sure, you could write a very long thread describing your adventures, but it isn't the same as seeing it first-hand. Mind you, I've made many offline friendships with people that I met on my forum, friendships that have passed a decade, and are still going very strong; but it was friendships built through social media after we had added each other off-site.
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Post by Llouis on Jul 6, 2020 15:00:51 GMT -8
:~:Sarapha:~: Wow, I didn't expect to see someone say they feel social media is more intimate than forums. Roleplay is definitely way better on forums for sure. I guess different things do work for different people. I'm curious how you, personally, meet people on social media and connect with them. I've found that forum discussions tend to become more intimate when you post more often. I've been on both Social Media and Proboards for around equal amount of time, but Social Media definitely beats out Forums in terms of intimate connection. Yes, there is a lot to be had with discussions, but forums offer a lot more anonymity, and therefore less connection. My forum, for example. Over the last 13.5 years, I've had hundreds of members, I've Role Played with thousands of their characters. Though I learned a lot about the people playing; it isn't the same connection as social media. On forums, all discussion is done through the filter of anonymity. You can post on them without giving away a single personal details about yourself, and no one would ever know who you are on any level other than your view-points, or your writing style. Discussions, while amazing, can't really be defined as an intimate connection, unless the discussion is regarding something personal to each person discussing. On social media, you generally shouldn't add people that you don't know, so there's some element of familiarity with them. You see their posts, and internalize their journey through life; things that can bring up discussions. While I do agree that the "like" feature is pointless and I detest it, comments are different. Social Media keeps you connected to family and friends in a way that everyone is able to understand, and without so much effort. On social media, you can post pictures and video of a vacation that your family went on, for other family members to see and share in the experience. On forums, sure, you could write a very long thread describing your adventures, but it isn't the same as seeing it first-hand. Mind you, I've made many offline friendships with people that I met on my forum, friendships that have passed a decade, and are still going very strong; but it was friendships built through social media after we had added each other off-site. Oh, I think people in this thread have been talking about intimate connections with people you don't know yet on forums vs. on social media. Connecting with people you already know on social media already creates a familiarity dynamic. I was mostly talking about getting to know people online on forums vs. social media, where I feel that forums are better for that because of a closer community. Yes, social media can help to get to know people you talk to on a forum. I've been able to make some close connections with people even with the anonymity, since we shared personal details later. I like the anonymity filter on forums. But yeah, different things work for different people.
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Post by ZandraJoi on Jul 7, 2020 17:42:31 GMT -8
The upside of forums & that anonymity is that some people feel more comfortable being anon. I’m more open when people don’t know me, where I won’t be judged. & per Llouis I too was talking ‘bout intimate connections w/ strangers. FB I view as for family, friends you already know. For sharing those pics, keeping in touch, etc. Everybody here had great points! There’s good & bad to both & it boils down to what people want & also HOW they use these platforms.
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Post by Llouis on Jul 7, 2020 23:27:24 GMT -8
The upside of forums & that anonymity is that some people feel more comfortable being anon. I’m more open when people don’t know me, where I won’t be judged. & per Llouis I too was talking ‘bout intimate connections w/ strangers. FB I view as for family, friends you already know. For sharing those pics, keeping in touch, etc. Everybody here had great points! There’s good & bad to both & it boils down to what people want & also HOW they use these platforms. My feelings exactly! I feel really comfortable being anon too, where I feel I can be myself more easily not being judged too. I'm a kind of shy person, and I feel more outgoing when I'm anon. I feel that FB is more for people you already know too, and that makes a nice balance I think between forums and FB being used for two different things, so both are just as important. It seems like how you and me interact on the internet is similar. Yeah! I was really glad to see all the points that got shared too. I love all the diversity of thoughts people had here. I started this because the idea that forums would be literally extinct in 10 years or so horrified me. It definitely looks like that will not happen!
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Post by dragonfli on Jul 8, 2020 4:44:36 GMT -8
:~:Sarapha:~:You are the first person I ever heard call social media close and connective. Social media is so impersonal and all about being showy for likes and reposts
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