Do you think that forums are on the way out?

Soulwatcher Level 1

December 7, 2017, 12:37 am

39

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Do you think that forums are on the way out?

I did a little experiment the other day and I was on an admin website and I went through the complete list of forums, there was over 100+. And what was sad is most of them were empty ghost towns and only about 15 were active. I think that the whole social media craze is killing off forums like crazy. I am a forum owner and I have to say that it makes me wonder if forums are going to be around in the next 5~10 years!

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JoeMilford

JoeMilford

I guess as long as people like you and me and people who frequent these forums that we are familiar with keep coming around then, no, the forums should stick around for a while. I have heard this debate for years, and I understand how other forms of social media can eclipse the idea of the forum or make it less convenient to frequent the forum, but I still believe there is a very definite and valuable place for the forum out here. I learn a great deal from these discussion threads, and I am assuming that others do as well, so they have a real value. As long as something does provide content with value, people will most likely keep coming back to it. That's what I think (or hope), anyway.

6 years ago

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Judas2018

Judas2018

No, I don't think forums are in any danger of dying. I think what's killing some forums nowadays is the same thing that was killing them in the old days. Lack of revenue to update, run and keep them technologically current - and lack of time to actually oversee them. Some people start a forum - then realize they don't have the time to watch over its daily activities. Or lack the know how to properly update and install certain mechanisms. So you see them placing ads for forum administrators to kind of run the place on that end. Except the admin's aren't going to work for free or very little money - so the forum just closes down. Also many forum software providers have chosen to charge existing customers to update to newer versions. Instead of offering those new editions to license owners for free.

6 years ago

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Soulwatcher

Soulwatcher

I think that your a 100% right there are forum owners who don't know what they are doing and just throw up a forum and it run wild like the wild, wild west! There is a forum I am a member of and the guy is throwing money at it instead of managing the forum. And at least 80% of his posts are complete trash because people are writing anything. And If I were him I would just wipe the database and start over.

And you have people like me, I am on a fixed income and if my forum hosting began to cost over a certain amount I would be screwed. And I have had that happen in the past. But this time I know how to manage a server and I can and will move it to an unmanaged VPS and save a ton of money.

6 years ago

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fishbate

fishbate

I agree, forums is like a categorized platform where you can find information on a certain topic. Forums usually offers real life experience and information which is essential for people who need answers for a certain topic. The problem with forums is maintaining and monetizing it. Although there are ways how to get your forums up and running but sustaining it is somehow is a progressive thing.

6 years ago

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bienn05

bienn05

Yes, I think forums will be there forever. Everybody needs to seek advice from others. Everyone has different opinions and suggestions. I think forum will be there as long as there are people needing help on there problems because not everything can be search on Google.

6 years ago

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Baburra

Baburra

I think it will just stagnate in the state it is in now because there are still people who find use in them and whoever does like their information and interaction in that manner probably will stick with it. There are just too many other options now for communication but I think there are still some benefits that are exclusive to specialized forums so I don't think they will completely die out. Even some new companies prefer starting up a new forum that they personally control rather than maintain a page on a social site, or sometimes they do both.

6 years ago

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DenisP

DenisP

I think that at this point it could go both ways, to be honest. The fact is that with the advent of social media, it is easier than ever to create small communities dedicated to discussing a certain topic. However, it would seem that the popularity of sites like Facebook is on a decline. I just recently read an article about how activity on Facebook in North America has been declining as of 2017. If people find that it is no longer a viable option, we might see forums making a bit of a comeback.

6 years ago

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Steve5

Steve5

I think so too. Forums are great for specific discussions whether it be strangers or some of your friends. You don't have to choose between the two. You can actually use both. But forums are difficult to find unless you know what you're looking for. That's why only few us know some truly worthwhile discussion sites.

6 years ago

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treecko142

treecko142

Yeah, there is still definitely a use for forums but it has been overshadowed by other methods of communication especially social media.

6 years ago

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DarthHazard

DarthHazard

I'm not sure really. There are still quite a large amount of forums out there that are doing extremely well but there is quite a lack of new forums doing well which does suggest that sooner or later forums will eventually die out. The problem is that sites like Reddit and social media has helped to kill forums a bit because there just isn't a need to join a forum when you have sites where you can display almost anything and everything.

6 years ago

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Judas2018

Judas2018

I think the reason most new forums are struggling could be a combination of things. The niche they're in - also their look and feel. Forums still attract people based on look and feel, overall design. If your forum is poorly designed or has a very bland, boring visual feel - people won't want to stick around.

6 years ago

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Baburra

Baburra

I agree. As much as I like the idea of forums I am seeing more and more of them just losing traction because most discussions now are done on social media as opposed to like it was back then when forums were all you had. I don't know if they will ever completely die out because I still see a lot of them going strong but perhaps it's just a little more niche now than it was back then.

6 years ago

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Barida

Barida

I doubt that the presence of Reddit is negatively affecting forums in anyway. One thing about some of these forums is that their inability to carry its members alongside which makes it hard for these members to feel comfortable partaking on the site on a daily basis.

6 years ago

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Baburra

Baburra

I disagree as I think Reddit contributed a lot to the loss in popularity of forums now just for the mere convenience of it. First off it is just too convenient and works almost exactly like how regular forums work, and you can jump from topic to topic without having to register a new account for each one. As much as I'm not a fan of that site, and that I am still a way bigger fan of forums, I have to admit that they really did something right and have taken over that market.

6 years ago

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peachpurple

peachpurple

I noticed that forum sites that pay users are still alive but those forum sites that are not paying seems to be getting less traffic and stagnant too

6 years ago

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Pixie06

Pixie06

I agree with you. I am a member of a paid to post forum and this forum is growing. You can see new members every day and there are so many new discussion topics. I think that as long as a site is paying people will stick with it. I am also a member of a particular game forum for a very long time and I have developed a good relationship with the members and we often share gaming tips, tricks, and reviews. The game forum is not as dynamic as the paid to post.

6 years ago

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Martinsx1

Martinsx1

I definitely agree with you, even though the increased social media banter has affected the workings on forums and people's participation in it, but I strongly believe that forums aren't going into extinction anytime sooner. It's true some forums aren't up and doing but those that knows exactly what they are after with their forums always have things going smoothly for them.

6 years ago

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treecko142

treecko142

Yeah, new forums usually don't get traction anymore with the advent of other sites and social media, whereas older forums which were created and became popular before the social media boom is still going strong because of their already dedicated userbase.

6 years ago

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Adesuwa08

Adesuwa08

I have had this debate before in another forum, I don't see the possibilities of forums being on their way out, forums are far much more better than blog if I must say. Forum keeps much in touch than blogs and websites, it is this fact that people want to keep in touch with trends and all that forums come in, forum is like an update or a better version of blogs and websites.

Apart from keeping in touch to some people who earn points by responding on articles, you get to discover that forums reply easily to peoples responses and awards them the points they deserve, it is just like an automatic setting. I have earned more points from forums than blogs because of the quick response, most time when I go on my postloop portal as a subscriber I am reluctant with blogs but when it comes to forums it is just like hot cake. Call me lazy, but the techniques of forum is far much better than blogging, meaning that forums are not on their way out but rather it is a trend that is coming to stay and still evolving.

6 years ago

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Judas2018

Judas2018

Agreed. I think forum software became stagnant for a bit though. Forum software developers realized that it was time to add all sorts of new and more advanced bells and whistles to their brands. It took them some time to figure out what to add and where. But I think once all of that is sorted out (which has happened in the case of vbulletin and some other forum software brands) forums will be here to stay for the long run.

6 years ago

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Adesuwa08

Adesuwa08

Thanks for the reply Judas, forums are much more better than blogging now, especially when you are a freelancer.

I find blogs challenging when I do my freelance work, while blogging you just wait for those moderators who sometimes spend ages reviewing your worksðŸ˜‚. Like you said forums still have a whole lot pf developing to do.

6 years ago

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Baburra

Baburra

I think I did see a lot of forum software start to add these bells and whistles in the end but by then I think social media has almost completely taken over. I think it's just the nature of people to gravitate towards social media more for discussions rather than forums and I think that caters more to a niche type of individual. I myself prefer forums over social media for discussion because I think the content is a bit more genuine.

6 years ago

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Tronia

Tronia

Well, I can't say what will happen in the next 5-10 years time but right now, I don't think that they're dying or anything similar. You just have to know that there are a lot of different forums... and I mean A LOT. So, it is impossible for all of them to have active users. You have to stand out from the crowd and give the members something unique, perhaps contests to get them to sign up and end up staying. You need to build the loyal member base. Then your forum will stay active.

6 years ago

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Barida

Barida

Building up the loyal member base can be a sure way to go about keeping one's forum alive. This is because such members will find it hard to leave no matter what happens.

6 years ago

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Judas2018

Judas2018

Member base is about the people mostly. Which means forums now have a smaller margin of error in tolerating difficult or trouble making people than before. In this day and age - a troll won't be tolerated for long on a forum. Either the troll is banned or the membership will split a lot quicker than they would 5 even 10 years ago.

6 years ago

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Baburra

Baburra

Yeah I suppose you are right. Perhaps they are not technically dead but just evolved into different forms. Arguably, threads on social media can still be considered forums but the old types of forums might just not be the norm anymore as they were when there were lesser options for people to reach out and communicate. I believe discussion will always be alive and well online but may just take different forms.

6 years ago

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mildredtabitha

mildredtabitha

I feel forums with a strong foundation are the ones going to last. Most forums have a niche that is well understood and known by the minority. This means members are less and points will be exhausted very soon resulting to the forum being inactive.

6 years ago

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Judas2018

Judas2018

Most forums build a strong foundation from the very beginning. The key is keeping it intact and strengthening or building upon what already exists. It's one thing to have a good forum that gains lots of traffic. It's another thing to sustain that over a year-after-year period.

6 years ago

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Soulwatcher

Soulwatcher

These days its hard to build a solid foundation because most people today will not visit a forum with few or no posts. You have to get the forum going with post exchanges and hope that regular people join. Otherwise, your going to be stuck with post exchanges forever.

P.S. also you need quality posts and not an FFA. I see so many forums use post exchanges and its an FFA and most people have no knowledge of the topic and they are making generic worthless posts. But for whatever reason, the forum owner doesn't seem to care.

6 years ago

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keen2write

keen2write

Nah forums are actually still popular I own a few myself. I do know blogging is much more popular especially with WordPress as everyone I know use this platform to blog. But, also forums are still popular as many like to participate also those wanting backlinks for there sites. Forums are also great for discussing and meeting others as a community.

6 years ago

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Judas2018

Judas2018

I know a few people who purchase or inherit failed or abandoned forums - as restoration projects. They spruce them up, spend some money on them, and then try and flip them later on for a profit. It's not something I myself have nay interest in as I am already working on so many different things I doubt I'd have the time to undertake such a venture even if I wanted to.

6 years ago

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Soulwatcher

Soulwatcher

I have seen people do the same thing and guess what. Each and every time it was a complete failure because forums die for a reason. Usually its something like new management, core members leave or trolls. And then the posts start to degrade and pretty soon the forum posts are far and few in between. And when you visit a forum it's easy to tell how long a forum has been abandoned.

6 years ago

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Judas2018

Judas2018

At that point you might have to change the name of the forum entirely. Just to clean out the bad feedback, memories or brand damage. There's also the option of simply selling the license that you now own for that software to someone else. Who plans on doing something differently with the forum entirely.

6 years ago

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Soulwatcher

Soulwatcher

I have seen forums do that before and it never works out. It's almost impossible to recover from a forum failure. Even if you change the name and delete all the bad feedback and posts there is going to be gaps in the posts and people are going to see that the posts are not making sense. I think its best to just start over and dump the old database.

6 years ago

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Judas2018

Judas2018

Dumping the database can be done also. But I think if you're buying for example a tech forum - and then are planning to change it into a fashion or weight-loss discussion forum - you should have very little problems if you do a total "wipe" of everything. Seeing as how now you'd be targeting a whole new audience.

6 years ago

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mar06

mar06

That's bad to hear, I guess those other are not able to pay attention to that forum because maybe they have other things to do and something important. But don't be worry because maybe the will come back and do again what they did. Or maybe they another opportunity to grab better than this that's why they left.

6 years ago

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Judas2018

Judas2018

People leave forums for a variety of reasons. Some have internet addiction, and leaving a forum is a part of curing their addiction. Others leave because of other members who they can't stand, some age out of outgrow a forum. Other times, life gets in the way. They get married or have a family so their time is stretched thinner than years earlier.

6 years ago

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EfficientNinja

EfficientNinja

I think I am one of these. Back in the day, I was one of the most active people on the forums. I ask questions and help people in forums. But right now whenever I need to ask a question, I would just do a quick google search and the top result will already solve it. Social media is also there to get you updated on news and interact with other people. But the one thing that I keep going back to is because forums provide a deeper conversation about a topic compared to random conversations in social media. It could be because there's a huge gap between IQ levels of people participating in social media.

6 years ago

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Kakashi2020

Kakashi2020

Forums are here to stay, but it really has to evolve, it can't stay the way it is. Just like social media platforms, they keep on updating and evolving, forums should also offer something new.

6 years ago

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