Are all the forums dead?

  • I prefer WhatsApp over Facebook if I am to kill forums. Fortunately, main stream forums still have features that neither Facebook or WhatsApp has. You cannot even quote a piece of OP in Facebook.

    Smile , it's good for health

  • I like Facebook but I see it as a different entity that some people use in the same way as forums - which is a shame but it speaks volumes about people's attention spans. Couple that with smartphones and it appeals to the people who no longer bother with real computers; it's all part of the general dumbing down of humanity.

    Anyway I've decided to introduce some niche ideas that won't work with Facebook's privacy structure or even their terms and conditions -- that's the only way I can see it changing. To offer something that the giants don't offer.

    Therefore I'm going to rebrand and change my forum - instead of general "alternative lifestyles" I'm going to gear it more towards nomadic people (travellers, van dwellers, boat dwellers etc.) and focus on their love for privacy and discretion and general hatred of rules.

    Also, I'm done with donations and instead am going to charge people to use it -- I've worked out that 60 people could cover the cost for a year, and that's out of a membership base currently standing at 12 thousand (after some hefty pruning of the database).

    (I announced this two days ago and have already had twenty subscription sign ups)

    " 'To offer something that the giants don't offer' ".

    I personally believe this is one of the "key success factors" for everyone who has a FORUM.

    With that in mind, a new approach, and "goodies" offered, for my upcoming website / forum project will be a high priority.

  • Forums usage has been in decline for well over 5 years, now it's much more obvious today. The web has changed with how people use it and forums are dying because of it. Everyone is using social networking sites on their mobiles. I've stopped running forums because there's no point running one any more.

  • Forums usage has been in decline for well over 5 years, now it's much more obvious today. The web has changed with how people use it and forums are dying because of it. Everyone is using social networking sites on their mobiles. I've stopped running forums because there's no point running one any more.

    Are you on Facebook or any other social network?

  • With that in mind, a new approach, and "goodies" offered, for my upcoming website / forum project will be a high priority.

    It might be the harder part, to attract new members, why should they search for your community, when social networks offer something that may not be perfect but is right there?

    Forums usage has been in decline for well over 5 years, now it's much more obvious today. The web has changed with how people use it and forums are dying because of it.

    Not only forums but small local social networks too. Some years ago there were tons of them. Forums are still a little bit tricky to use. You have to have an email address to register. And we can't even deactivate this required field. Make it easy, make it fun!

  • Google does not like Facebook. Accept it, make use of it. If you put good guides on your forum, Google will bring traffic. What most people think is that they start a forum, boast about it among friends and all their friends will come jumping to make it a success. Nothing like that will happen. Ask the forum software vendors, they are still in business and making money. Only because there are people who know how to run forums.

    Smile , it's good for health

  • Dilip A forum run by one person might get a handful of posts a day cannot compete against these social networking sites that have millions of users with just a many posts made each day on them. Give me one reason why anyone now would want to use a forum over the them because of that. Facebook even has groups now that can compete (slaughter) a forum covering a niche with a FB group for it. New teenage people coming on the web are not interested in using forums, why forums like TAZ has turned to hardly getting any new posts now compared to years ago, it's just the same "old" forum users on it posting. They ain't getting any new youngsters joining because they ain't interested in using forums.

    Times have changed now, but most people that run forums are blind to it happening and still think it's worth running one. How many admin forums have you started and closed because nothing was happening on them Dilip

    Einmal editiert, zuletzt von NicoleSophie (26. August 2018 um 20:50)

  • NicoleSophie do you have a Facebook account? I know you don't and you're not the only person on the planet that doesn't have one. There will always be people using forums, just not in the numbers that there used to be. Using WSC is great because a lot of content can be added to a site that uses it and it will get indexed by Google, there isn't much on Facebook that Google cares about.

    BTW, TAZ isn't dead now just because less people use forums, bad management has a lot to do with its lack of activity.

    Einmal editiert, zuletzt von LogixX (26. August 2018 um 23:18)

  • I've stopped running forums because there's no point running one any more.

    I've got 7k members within 2 years without any advertising and registrations increase daily. As PJK said, there will be always people who are using forums and it's still possible to run a successfull forum.

    One thing I can say is, that I've never used Facebook and I'm happy about it.

  • It might be the harder part, to attract new members, why should they search for your community, when social networks offer something that may not be perfect but is right there?

    To answer part of your question:

    Social networks (if you are referring to Facebook, Twitter, etc.) do not offer what will be on my Website/forum.

    As for the ability to attract new members (or to build up a Visitor and Member base) - that is an issue any type of forum or media must accomplish if they want to consider themselves "successful".

  • Dilip A forum run by one person might get a handful of posts a day cannot compete against these social networking sites that have millions of users with just a many posts made each day on them. Give me one reason why anyone now would want to use a forum over the them because of that. Facebook even has groups now that can compete (slaughter) a forum covering a niche with a FB group for it. New teenage people coming on the web are not interested in using forums, why forums like TAZ has turned to hardly getting any new posts now compared to years ago, it's just the same "old" forum users on it posting. They ain't getting any new youngsters joining because they ain't interested in using forums.

    Times have changed now, but most people that run forums are blind to it happening and still think it's worth running one. How many admin forums have you started and closed because nothing was happening on them Dilip

    Dilip, please excuse me for making a reply to GTB here as I know he directed this to you.

    However I would alike to add my thoughts and comments on what he said as stated in the above quote.

    (1)

    "A forum run by one person might get a handful of posts a day cannot compete against these social networking sites that have millions of users with just a many posts made each day on them. Give me one reason why anyone now would want to use a forum over the them because of that."

    One reason ? Alright, I will give you one!

    Because using a forum gives the Admin and Staff (AND those persons who are either Visitors OR Members of the Forum) the ability and opportunity to illustrate, discuss, and reason out an issue or subject matter with forethought and intelligence way beyond those persons who are using (AND post on) such social media "giants" like FB.

    (2) "New teenage people coming on the web are not interested in using forums."

    And just WHY is this true in many cases?

    Because young people are in general (and in some cases specifically) taught, brainwashed, and deliberately "channeled into" narrow and limited viewpoints (and in "simple" ways of expressing themselves) by the so called professional and knowledgeable instructors and counselors in many schools and universities who themselves are (apparently) incapable of any intelligence of thought or verbal utterance beyond a quick and often "empty" and/or meaningless response or reply.

    Thus " 'new youngsters ...' " are joining FB and other social media outlets (and usually not FORUMS) because they find expressing themselves going beyond the "140 allowed spaces" too much mental effort; and besides, why use one's brain if Social Media like FB (and some others) can offer a 'free get away from using one's brain ticket', and in so doing, still be accepted among one's peers?

  • For me, the biggest difference is that there is no longer this notion of mutual help on the forums

    everyone wants to make money with the internet today. Before we found for example free add-ons for phpbb, today templates are paid, plug-ins are paid.

    We want to make money with brushes for photoshop, paid plug-ins before we found them for free on the forums.

    So why come again on the forums if the help is gone.

  • I think you got the wrong idea about what the Topic is here.

    It's not about building up a forum and taking advantage on free assistance and free plugins as years ago (why that changed is another topic).

    It's about having a running forum or starting one, and attrakting users to fill it with activity.

    I know (and am part of) more than enough existing forums that offer mutural help and assistance regarding the forum topic, at no cost for the public. Those still existing forums continue to practice that. What's mostly gone in the forums I know, is the wide range of offtopic smalltak that existed besides the topic areas. That has definitely shifted to social media.

  • After nearly 13 years it's not an easy decision to make, and there's this hope I'll find the missing secret to resurrect its popularity - but closure has been on my mind a while now.

    I have run forums for even longer than that. I jacked in running mine about 3 months ago now, I won't go back running one again myself because I just think it's pointless after the last 3 years running them and nothing happening. I will admit it can become a bit of a habit running one when you've run forums for many years.

    2 Mal editiert, zuletzt von NicoleSophie (7. September 2018 um 01:02)

  • I have run forums for even longer than that

    Me too - that's just the current one. The first one ran from about 2002-2007, but I pulled the plug on that to focus on this one

    However, I've just rebranded my website and made it subscription only - the most the public can see is thread titles. I also added the viecode marketplace plugin to create a classified ads system where the public can see ads, but only subscribers can post them.

    After two weeks I've had 50 people pay a £12 (gbp) for one year's membership.

    Early days and I don't expect it to continue at that rate, but I really seem to have found a better system.

  • This is an interesting discussion. In early 2000's i grew a forum to 25,000 threads and 6,000 members with little effort. I agree, usage of forums has changed. I think there are two succesfull forum models...

    1) You have a product or technology and the forum acts as a support portal and portal for collaborative development

    2) You have a community where active recruitment is a part of the community model, and special rewards for recruitment (such as gaming clan etc)

    Of course, I'm biased because Im relaunching a gaming community.

    These days, it seems the hobby forums, e.g. "come talk casually about horses" are dying because social media is filling this void. For almost any subject I can just go find a facebook group, where thousands of people are talking about a certain subject every day because they already use fb.

    But say I have an app for horse owners. Those users will use a forum because they want the app to develop positively.

    Just my 2 cents

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