Do you permit competing communities on your forum?

[Cedric]

Let's discuss linking to and talking about competing communities on our forum. Some argue that it's important to acknowledge and engage with other communities, while others believe it's better to keep the focus on our own community. Share your thoughts and let's have a healthy debate on the subject.

 

[Cory]

I don't mind affiliating or discussing other resources boards on my resource board. People will probably find a way around using multiple resource boards with different codes, skins, etc. available.

 

[Arantor]

My experience has been that trying to stop discussion of rivals is a good way to encourage people to check them out - because of general rubbernecking.

You don't need to go out of your way to *promote* them, but I find respectful tolerance goes a long way in the openness stakes. And if you can't handle competition, maybe you're in the wrong business; no forum is so unique that there isn't alternative demand, and other people experimenting in the same space encourages you to do better - it means everyone wins, and is why a monopoly or duopoly is usually bad for the people caught in the middle.

 

[Tracy]

Unlike many other sites in my niche.. I have NO issues with pushing other sites. Seems that many of them get sorely butt-hurt when someone else mentions another site.. by MY thought is give the users as MANY resources as possible.

https://astrowhat.com/link-directory/categories/general.4/
Hell... I even offer a link directory where many competitor sites are mentioned. My MAIN purpose in the niche I am involved in is furthering the knowledge. I'm not butt-hurt if another site has more info. In fact, I hope that the simple fact that I'm willing to refer others to elsewhere may help my site in the long run. The fact I don't silo my users off from other valid sources is important to me.

 

[Arantor]

I don't often see eye to eye with you on a lot of things, but props for taking that stance.

 

[ten thousand]

Back in the heyday of forums everyone was super strict about this, to the point that the global rules included "no advertising" as a specific call out. These days any of us who are still interested in internet forums should stick together and promote each other actively. We'll all be better off if there are more thriving independent internet communities.

 

[Shawn Gossman]

I think disallowing competition is one of the things that brought forums down.

Too many competitive people that should had been helping one and another rather than hating on each other.

TAZ was bad about this. They'd go as far as filtering out a forum name in the censorship feature.

It always gave me the impression "I'm the best and no one else can be on top"

I've always allowed competition and will always allow it. And if the forum promoting on my forum doesn't allow it, that's fine too, they can still promote on mine

I'd rather collaborate than compete.

It's like my FAF forum vs. this forum. @Aerodynamic is doing awesome things here. Features that are unique and modern. I could compete and try to mimic them or offer something better but I have no desire to. I like to see this forum get better because in the end, it helps us both...

How so? It gets people into forums and that means more forum lovers out there to find Forum Admin Forum and join if they choose to.

It benefits all forum owners to have competition.

The same goes with blogs and SaaS and whatever.

If only one forum in a niche exists and there used to be more, that isn't a good thing, that means the niche is dying out.

 

[Tracy]

I don't often see eye to eye with you on a lot of things, but props for taking that stance.

Thanks... and I acknowledge that I can sometimes (some may say frequently) be an abrasive asshole... but one thing you can count on... I'll tell you my unvarnished opinion.

 

[Kale]

TAZ was bad about this. They'd go as far as filtering out a forum name in the censorship feature.

I am fairly sure you cannot promote webmaster/promotion forums there still. It's sad, but it has happened on TAZ to some people before.

 

[Shortie]

I don't prevent anyone from coming onto my forum and being part of the community. I feel that if I was to stop people from coming on to my forum because they are also on a competing forum as well that will only push people away from my forum and away from my community and I believe that is a bad way to grow a community. As long as the people coming from the competing forum follow rules and do not try to start problems then I have no issue with it.

 

[Heatman]

I think disallowing competition is one of the things that brought forums down.

Too many competitive people that should had been helping one and another rather than hating on each other.

TAZ was bad about this. They'd go as far as filtering out a forum name in the censorship feature.

It always gave me the impression "I'm the best and no one else can be on top"

I've always allowed competition and will always allow it. And if the forum promoting on my forum doesn't allow it, that's fine too, they can still promote on mine

I'd rather collaborate than compete.

It's like my FAF forum vs. this forum. @Aerodynamic is doing awesome things here. Features that are unique and modern. I could compete and try to mimic them or offer something better but I have no desire to. I like to see this forum get better because in the end, it helps us both...

How so? It gets people into forums and that means more forum lovers out there to find Forum Admin Forum and join if they choose to.

It benefits all forum owners to have competition.

The same goes with blogs and SaaS and whatever.

If only one forum in a niche exists and there used to be more, that isn't a good thing, that means the niche is dying out.

You said it better than I can ever do it. Forums needs to help and support one another in order for us to have a good chance at surviving the competition we face with social media sites. There's no way we would go at them as a lone wolves and survive it.