General What features do forums lack?

[Cedric]

Forum software has come a long way over the years, but even with all the advancements, there are still some features that many of us wish existed to make managing and participating in communities easier and more engaging. Whether it's tools for better moderation, deeper engagement options, better analytics, or modern integrations, there are always areas for improvement.

Some questions to consider:

• Are there specific features you’ve always wished your forum software had but couldn’t find?
• What modern functionalities do you think forum software needs to stay competitive with other platforms like social media or instant messaging apps?
• Do you think current forum software does enough to encourage mobile engagement or simplify user onboarding?
• In terms of customization, what limitations have you faced that made you think, "I wish this was built into the platform"?

From better gamification to deeper analytics and beyond, let’s discuss what’s missing from forum software and how it can evolve to meet the needs of today’s communities.

 

[Num7]

I wish XenForo had a proper static page editor. That has to be one of the only things I dislike. Their editor could be better, but they're integrating a new one in 2.4.

I understand that a forum software isn't necessarily a content management platform. But since they already have static pages... Why not add a proper editor, and be done with it?

 

[Bryn]

I wish Jcink had a Likes system... just saying.

Also, ProBoards has no feature where you can back up your database should anything happen (ZetaBoards lacked this as well, and made worse regarding the Tapatalk crisis years ago...).

 

[Cedric]

I wish Jcink had a Likes system... just saying.

Also, ProBoards has no feature where you can back up your database should anything happen (ZetaBoards lacked this as well, and made worse regarding the Tapatalk crisis years ago...).

@Cory - develop a like system for jcink?

 

[Sinistra Sensei]

Invision Community still lacks star rating custom field (even in IC v5)

 

[Bryn]

develop a like system for jcink?

He has done so already, but you need to create a new forum category to store its data...

 

[Cedric]

He has done so already, but you need to create a new forum category to store its data...

I don't see the problem?

 

[Cory]

He has done so already, but you need to create a new forum category to store its data...

Also, you have to hover over the likes/dislikes area on each post to view the count, and you don't receive alerts when someone likes/dislikes your post. It's a sub-par code for the most part. But, it's the best you'll get using JavaScript.

 

[Bryn]

and you don't receive alerts when someone likes/dislikes your post.

You know, I actually had a feeling that it doesn't do that... if I was patient enough to add it in, I wouldn't mind that anyway.

Guess I can try poking John about it to make it official for Jcink, and I wouldn't be the first to do so...

 

[Cory]

You know, I actually had a feeling that it doesn't do that... if I was patient enough to add it in, I wouldn't mind that anyway.

Guess I can try poking John about it to make it official for Jcink, and I wouldn't be the first to do so...

I could add alerts through JavaScript as I have done on some other codes, but it would be an AJAX hog.

John is fully aware that people want this feature. A "reactions system" topic was semi-recently posted in the Feature Requests forum, and the most viewed and replied-to topic in that forum is for a "likes" system, which was locked because people probably kept bumping it begging to make it happen.