Are forums dying?

[CastletonSnob 3,025]

Do you think forums are becoming obsolete, because of Reddit, Twitter, Discord etc?

[碇 シンジン 27,427]

I prefer a forum over that kind of social media interaction any day. I mean if you post something on face book today after a week nobody even remembers that you posted anything but on forum format like this the well thought out content won't disappear as easily and that is something I value.

[King of Canterlot 9,588]

I mean, maybe for some other forums. I'm not entirely sure as pretty much the only kinda "Social media" I use would be the forums here  (Not that I don't occasionally get on Discord, but still)

These forums here at least seem pretty active, but again, I can't say the same for other forums for other things, like TV Shows, Video Games, and other such stuff. Though considering how widely popular things like Discord and Twitter are, I can see why the old internet forum setup may seem a bit outdated today. But that's all just kinda speculation I guess 

[Lord Midnight Madness 1,542]

We have quite a few members on the forum and new ones daily the forums in my opinion is doing good and does have less people during the week but their is so many people on during the weekend. During the week I only get to spend a few hours on here and that's it. But I log in daily to see whats up and how everyone's doing. 

[Here No Longer 5,270]

The rise of Reddit is, unfortunately causing a situation in which forums are becoming obsolete. So yes, forums are dying.

 

But these forums seem to be doing okay as of now (in that sense).

[Dashy 4 Ever 4,832]

Plain simple nah.

If it were dying, I wouldn't be here.

[The Recherche 29,965]

To be frank.... yeah, message boards are dying. They're not dead by any means, but hey aren't what they used to be. Not only are programs like Discord and Skype hurting them, but they also have to compete with other social media outlets. I personally prefer Forums over both of these any day of the week, but that's not how the general public feels, unfortunately.

It's also worth mentioning that the topic that the Forum pertains to has to be relevant. In our case, I would say that we're going on a downward slope, but we'll be around for a while. While MLP has lasted much longer than most have anticipated, it's still nowhere near as big as it used to be. I have a hunch that Gen 5 will start a slight amount of MLP hype... but ultimately, it won't change the direction bronies are headed. The longevity of MLPF and forums as a whole is questionable... but we have some time left. Eventually, though, they just might not be worth sustaining anymore.

So, yes; forums are dying, but they will last a while longer, if you ask me.

[Angle Alastor 3,805]

hmm well i used to be on a kingdom hearts insider forum a looooong time ago before even gen 4 of mlp started idk why but it felt more well stricter way back after seeing this post i though hmmm maybe i should just take a look to see how its doing  and man they havent updated there theme or banner for a veerry long time , if anyone is still on a kingdom hearts insider forum let me know how its still operational , last i checked there around 900 online/ total ? compared to this forum is going strong ! so maybe i say some or half of forums are slowly fading ? there is a brony forums i checked but that one looked kinda faded i think. but this is the best forum i ever been on ! : 3

[MangoFoalix 24,898]

I myself prefer forums still over other forms of interaction. Instant messaging is okay, but it doesn't give you a sense of actually making some sort of discussion. Forums are usually slower than social media or instant messaging and in that case helps discussion flow along. Plus in my opinion for most part, social media breeds narcissism.

[Misty Shadow 7,084]

Forums are indeed losing popularity because of the rise of mobile alongside Discord. Joining a forum and actively posting on said forum definitely requires more dedication than just checking what's new on Reddit with your phone or regularly chatting with your closest e-friends. Still, as long as MLP's around, people are going to want to have a place to discuss it, so I wouldn't worry too much.

[Denim&Venöm 16,510]

People have been saying that about forums since FaceBook was still a thing. Yeah, Reddit and Discord have changed the game up even more, but I think there will always be a place for forums. You don't get the same connection on those sites as you do places like this. You always get lost in the shuffle. 

[Envy 5,999]

I sure hope not. Formats like Discord are just entirely different. Discord is just a bunch of chatrooms, essentially. Chatrooms have always existed, and in fact, quite often have existed in conjunction with forums. Some people use them, some people don't. I've never been huge on chat, I prefer forums. Chat is just too much "at the moment" for me. Conversations come and go while you're gone and you completely miss out on them. It's very awkward, and I don't like it. Plus, whenever you want to start a conversation in Discord, you're very often interrupting another conversation.

Other forms of social media have existed for a very long time, such as sites like FB. While those sites bring in a much larger number of people, I haven't really seen forums suffer as a result.

[SparklingSwirls 21,261]

I don't think so. Forums serve a different purpose than Twitter or Discord or whatnot. Maybe forums for MLP aren't as popular as they used to be, but fandom popularity comes and goes. I'm sure there are plenty of super active forums for other fanbases  

[Dreambiscuit 8,024]

6 hours ago, SparklingSwirls said:

I don't think so. Forums serve a different purpose than Twitter or Discord or whatnot. Maybe forums for MLP aren't as popular as they used to be, but fandom popularity comes and goes. I'm sure there are plenty of super active forums for other fanbases  

^Exactly this^

I still see some really active forums out there that don't look like they'll ever slow down. This forum seems pretty healthy too. I don't see why forums should fade away as long as there are enough people interested in using them, and obviously there are. Smaller forums may fade as people gravitate toward the larger ones, but forums as a rule will probably stick around. 

[RareGems 175]

14 hours ago, VG_Addict said:

Do you think forums are becoming obsolete, because of Reddit, Twitter, Discord etc?

As the main way to interact with people online? Yes, they are. There are more convenient easy, and centralized alternatives.
As a way to discuss a subject in depth? No, they are as relevant as ever.

Chat services are good for quick interaction, but they are lacking in anything long term. Not to mention most of the time Discord channels just end up in endless meme spam and just a handful of people are talking. I prefer to have them as a tool when I have to collaborate on something and to have them as a "phone number", if somebody wants to contact me they can use those. 

The social media sites /link aggregation sites like Reddit and Twitter are good if you are looking for an endless feed of things, but they are lacking when it comes to search functions and archives. You need to be active when it comes to seeking out content. Reddit is just a big popularity contest, so the community is weird in certain subs. Twitter is really tribalistic at the moment also Twitter blows for art if you are a consumer, because unlike on dA or Tumblr and other dedicated art sites it will be hard to find the pictures if you are not there when they are being posted in the hashtag or you are not browsing the twitter feed of the artist...

I like the fact that on forums you can have longer posts and what you are making are there, and that is good if you want to see how a story was developing or just want to read the "effort posts" of the past. It is not really good for chatting, it was never the intended functionality. That is why Private Messages were invented back in the day.

Also let's not forget the cousin of the internet forum, the image board. They are alive and well. They are not identity based and permanent like old school forums, but the community around them made archiving possible and their unique way of doing things are keeping them relevant. The only thing they suffered from the rise of Discord was the weakening of "general threads" which are recurring threads for one specific sub community. The MLP fandom itself started there on the random and cartoons and comic sections after all. And pretty much a ton of internet culture as well.

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

I don't know about other forums, but I can say that MLPForums is alive and will remain alive for a long time.

[Dan. 1,825]

Everything eventually dies, Enjoying the ride is the best you can do.

[Guest]

On 7/10/2018 at 4:22 AM, Envy said:

I sure hope not. Formats like Discord are just entirely different. Discord is just a bunch of chatrooms, essentially. Chatrooms have always existed, and in fact, quite often have existed in conjunction with forums. Some people use them, some people don't. I've never been huge on chat, I prefer forums. Chat is just too much "at the moment" for me. Conversations come and go while you're gone and you completely miss out on them. It's very awkward, and I don't like it. Plus, whenever you want to start a conversation in Discord, you're very often interrupting another conversation.

Other forms of social media have existed for a very long time, such as sites like FB. While those sites bring in a much larger number of people, I haven't really seen forums suffer as a result.

Sorry to say but Discord, chatrooms and reddit are the future. Forums have been on a decline for a while now because the communication format isn't as instant and these other tools have become more versatile. That's technology though: adapt or get left behind.

[Jedishy 3,542]

People have been saying x y or z is dead forever. Records are dead they claimed with the advent of other forms of music distribution. Yet they are making a comeback. People have said books are dead since the advent of e-readers But like records, they are hanging strong  

Its the same with forums. So long as there is a place that is filled by it that cannot be filled with other forms of media it will stay around. Reddit does not act like a forum and is not a suitable replacement. FB same thing. Same with chat room formats. Will forums need to utilize these items? Sure they will. But it won't change the need for the niche they fill. 

Edited July 11, 2018 by Jedishy

[Cash In 21,511]

I personally don't think that forums are dying, but I do stand with the fact that they are not as popular as they used to be. Forums have been around for a very long time and they've coexisted with many other forms of communication. What different factors exist now, that didn't exist back then?

[Kevin Tang 2,422]

I don't know and I don't really care as long as there are still people who talk here everyday.

[Steve Piranha 28,779]

I would say they are in decline as people tend to seek more instantaneous means to communicate. Forums are more of a long term type of communication, which people don't seem to have attention to anymore . Well, anyway, I think there are still some who prefer the classic forums, and they'll be around as long as the main topic still gets audience

[Envy 5,999]

2 hours ago, Key Sharkz said:

Sorry to say but Discord, chatrooms and reddit are the future. Forums have been on a decline for a while now because the communication format isn't as instant and these other tools have become more versatile. That's technology though: adapt or get left behind.

I'm not too concerned about it. Chatrooms have existed forever, yet other forms of social media have popped up and remained popular despite chatroom options always being there. Chatroom style conversations just aren't for everyone. It's a different kind of medium, and different mediums can co-exist.

Forums are still going strong, forums that have been around for decades, and even forums I've been a part of for over ten years are all still very active. If spammy, hard to keep up with chat services like Discord are "the future", I will not be a part of that "future". Just like I've rarely used chat services as opposed to forums all of this time.

[Olly 1,008]

I think forums offer something different that discord/facebook/twitter can't. They create their own kind of community and offer a healthy alternative that will exist as long as people need that option 

[Oblivion 20,265]

On 7/9/2018 at 7:58 PM, Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade said:

I prefer a forum over that kind of social media interaction any day. I mean if you post something on face book today after a week nobody even remembers that you posted anything but on forum format like this the well thought out content won't disappear as easily and that is something I value.

I agree 100 percent with first post. There’s a reason forums like these use to be called bulletin boards! Posts stick around forever for future reference.