Do forums have a chance?

[The Raven]

We do know that modern social medias are famous for its fast looking content with plenty of funny videos or gifs/images. Now, we live in a decade where you take tiktok/instagram and just keep scrolling and scrolling the feed you get but what happened to forums? Are they dying out or there is still hope for them? In my personal view, forums will endure due to simple fact people need to explain something in a more detailed fashion and those social networks are not good enough.

Also, forums can be of huge help to obtain some info you can't find anywhere else. Thoughts?

 

[Ken]

Forums have a chance after all. I've been using them since 2002, and it's a way to learn something and communicate, y'know?

 

[Aaron]

We are definitely going to try our best here

 

[zoldos]

They'll stick around. I don't use Facebook anymore, but Instagram, yes. lol

 

[Aaron]

They'll stick around. I don't use Facebook anymore, but Instagram, yes. lol

I'm the other way round. I really don't get Instagram but I use Facebook

 

[Mike301]

Forums will never stop existing as long there are humans connected to the internet.
Example, Facebook groups are "forums" but the lack of admin tools and flexibility to manage them
leave space for forums like this one.

The internet has evolved an the "old" forums should as well.

 

[Jason]

My niche is drumming and I know at least two strong drum forums among others that have died or are dying.

https://drumforum.org
https://drummerworld.com/forums/
I don't think a lot of the material is paid posting or post exchanges. Instead, you got buzzing communities of content. What do you all think is the secret to their success?

 

[Kale]

I threw my hands up after my last attempt. Not worth owning a forum IMO anymore. To be quite fair every project I've done has either hit it off or didn't. My ZetaBoards forum about Harvest Moon did decent, but then just died down in activity and users. My last forum I felt was very similar. It had members joining, but then just not staying around and being active.

 

[Dismal_Bliss]

Forums will always exist, but they have to evolve. Today you need to stop thinking "forum" and start thinking "community".

There are influencers on social media and YouTube that are using community services like Kajabi, Mighty Networks, and more. These communities often sell courses, lessons, and levels of access for a fee, and many are succesful. I believe Invision (my community software of choice) is taking a lot of cues from these newer community platforms and incorporating a lot of what they are doing into their cloud offerings and in the upcoming V5.

 

[Ravenfreak]

Forums aren't really what they used to be like, however they can definitely thrive. I feel that if you're offering something different you'll end up with more members and more engagement. That's not to say that other niches won't get activity, but if you're making a forum about video games it's probably not going to get too much interaction unless you offer something different.

 

[Mike301]

I threw my hands up after my last attempt. Not worth owning a forum IMO anymore. To be quite fair every project I've done has either hit it off or didn't. My ZetaBoards forum about Harvest Moon did decent, but then just died down in activity and users. My last forum I felt was very similar. It had members joining, but then just not staying around and being active.

Funny fact, You might not try to make another forum again, but you are using one Just for that reason, forums still works

 

[Uncrowned]

The potential resurgence of forums in the digital landscape is an intriguing prospect, especially considering the efforts of platforms like IPS in maintaining forums as viable online communities.

Presently, forums could be experiencing a favorable moment for revival. The tech industry, particularly social media giants, is grappling with stringent EU data privacy regulations that challenge the traditional model of user-targeted advertising (a crucial revenue stream for these platforms). Without the ability to monetize user data as freely, companies like Meta and Google face a crossroads. We're already witnessing a shift towards subscription models and an increase in both standard and premium ad placements.

Despite the growing normalization of paying for online services, forums offer a distinct advantage. They provide community spaces without the burden of excessive ad presence or the necessity for user payments, primarily due to their smaller scale and lower financial demands.

Moreover, the trend towards limiting web crawler access, as seen with platforms like Reddit, could indirectly benefit forums. As information becomes harder to retrieve via traditional search engines, users might turn back to forums for reliable information and community interaction.

While predicting a full-scale renaissance for forums is speculative, and the odds might seem challenging, the current digital climate presents arguably the best opportunity for forums to regain prominence. Only time will tell how these factors will influence the future of online communities.

 

[Kale]

Funny fact, You might not try to make another forum again, but you are using one Just for that reason, forums still works

Yes, true. I'll never make one again but I'll use them.

 

[Shortie]

As much as at the moment forums are on a decline, I don't believe they are heading towards an end due to how many people still use forums for information, socializing or even just as a hobby.

I believe we will see it quieter on forums at the moment but if we keep going and stay persistent, they will start to do better in the long run.

 

[MrDawn]

I think forums still have a chance. There are still many active boards. I just don't think forums will ever be active like they were.

 

[Maria]

I think forum should stop competing with social media, forums need to create their own path. Forums should even stop comparing themselves with social media communities. Forums should strive to provide useful and informative content. I think forums should take a lesson from Quora or Mylot.

 

[joelr]

I think forum should stop competing with social media, forums need to create their own path. Forums should even stop comparing themselves with social media communities. Forums should strive to provide useful and informative content. I think forums should take a lesson from Quora or Mylot.

Agreed.

Forums cannot / should no longer try to be places of social discussion. We've lost that space to Facebook and Discord.

What we can still do is become "success" communities. This means: helping users answer questions, providing reference materials and lookup tables, and providing hard value that is indexable, organized, searchable.

 

[Nomad]

I think forum owners should take a cue fro Reddit and Quora to manage and run the site. Reddit and Quora are communities where people go to ask questions, answer questions, share their views and experience, and learn from other members.