Is the forum format due for a long needed change?

[Cedric]

Forums have been around for decades, but as we know, social media platforms, real-time chats, and live streaming are dominating online engagement. Do you think that the classic forum format still relevant?

Some say the traditional forum setup is outdated - slow-paced, hard to navigate, and often full of clutter. Others argue that it’s a unique space that allows for deep, meaningful discussions in a way that quick social posts can't match.

What do you think - does the forum format need a major overhaul to stay competitive? Or should we embrace its niche and keep evolving within the classic structure? If it does need a change, what would that look like? Would more interactivity, better design, or social media-style features make the difference we want/need?

 

[Ravenfreak]

Classic forums still have a place on the internet. They're way more organized than any social media platform so anyone can easily find whatever topic they're looking for. Research communities should be on forums and not on chat clients like Discord. Important topics will get lost on Discord, and a server can be taken down at any moment. I think more forum software should look into joining the Fediverse, php forums specifically. NodeBB and Discourse already have joined, but I'd like to see other software join the Fediverse at some point. If we can get more platforms to join the Fediverse and come together with ActivityPub I think we'd see more people joining forums.

 

[Kyng]

Well, I'm fairly happy with the classic forum format: it's what I've been using for 20+ years, so it's second nature to me. But I appreciate that someone who doesn't have that experience might find it overwhelming or clunky, especially compared to social media platforms (which, by contrast, I find to be so minimalistic and stripped-down as to be barren and uninviting... I guess it's impossible to please everyone!)

I would like to see people innovating and trying new things with forums. Maybe there's some happy medium that isn't overwhelming to newer users, but still feels reasonably intuitive to older people like me!

 

[Bawse]

I think classic forums are too outdated to be relevant today. The trend is making forums similar to social media sites, and easy to navigate.