Are Internet forums dying?

[Lamb]

Is it the death of internet forums yet or is there still hope? If they are dying a slow death what is going to replace them?

 

[psalms 91]

Maybe good old fashioned conversation

 

[Lamb]

Maybe good old fashioned conversation

By voice? By text? In person?

I'm wondering what the next thing online will be that people will flock to.

 

[user1234]

Is it the death of internet forums yet or is there still hope? If they are dying a slow death what is going to replace them?

I think theres a degree of two-facedness on the internet 'social media' places a bit. Inner circles, hidden threads, gossip in disguise, the 'ignore feature' (ugh, REALLY? Are they kidding? What are we, seven?) Also, selectivism regarding who can say what .... Ive seen that rampant on sites, I could give so many examples.
Another time, perhaps.

But alot of ppl see through it and get fed up quickly, or others may stay because they dont think they have many options. For others, it's like a power trip of manipulation, ask alot of questions, glean info, build profiles, compare notes behind the scenes, act like an authority on human thinking and behavior, and play the part of 'caring counsellor'. (I guess alot of ppl go to college, take pop-psych classes, buy into it and become experts, idk), for some, it's a real ego power trip.

Sadly, there's all too many willing participants, the lonely, etc., and ppl searching for answers, but they get alot of arrogance and nonsense instead. Genuine brotherly love seems lacking on many of these sites.

And I say this admittedly as someone who could do better himself. I have much improving and growing in grace to do.
I try to be of good cheer, and welcoming, but I'm not always sure what I'm welcoming new ppl to. I try to convey the gospel and help ppl get saved and share some prayers, but maybe some ppl dont want that?

Also, I think chat should be more welcoming, maybe ppl want to talk instead of type. idk, but if the chatforums are dwindling all across the board, maybe ppl are wanting something new? (new isnt always good) Or the gospel to be more real. (It's real, but it gets compromised alot).

I think we all need revival, and should be doing more to pray for and with each other, and working towards unity in Christ so ppl dont feel like theyre on the outside looking in. We're all equals in Christ.

(jmo, sorry for the length, but I don't even know if my opinions get read so much. Thats ok. I mean well, but I often don't know how to say it, and sometimes get misunderstood) peace

 

[Lamb]

Snerfle, so are internet forums dying?

 

[Tigger]

I think they hit their peak and now have leveled off to those who are drawn to them. Christianity is my favorite subject and I tend to wear out those around me :glasses:. when I get going on the subject my son will say "its Tigger time!" Ok so my real name isn't Tigger but it does start with 't' so the phrase works irl. Lol! Its just convenient, my wife and I will be just hanging out and I'll get on and start seeing what's up. As far as family and friends we communicate primarily through FB.

 

[Brighten04]

Well,:dunno: I remember when I first started on the internet back in 1999.Chrstian Chat rooms were BIG. I enjoyed it very much. I met some wonderful people from all over the world. At the same time, there were message boards which were not as popular. What happened imho, people started disrupting the chat rooms who were disruptive and down right vulgar. I got to the point where I stopped attending altogether. I went offline for about a year. When I returned I went to one of the chat rooms I had used earlier and nobody was home.Well, to be honest, it showed that people were in attendance but nobody was saying anything in the public chat room. I just posted in the public chat room"Where is everybody?" Man, private messages stared popping up so fast they made my head spin! LOL. They were mainly from places in Africa and South America. I beat a hasty retreat! LOL.I discovered that the chat rooms had become dating sites rather than places where fellowship with believers happened. I found that the Christian forums were a little more structured, but even forums like this one can be disrupted by people who only want to be nasty. Some things people post on forums would never be said to a person's face.I think good moderation will help forums to survive.Like here, when people are particularly unpleasant, they get corralled. I think that is a good thing. Also, posters need to abide by the rules set by admin.I think forums will endure for a while yet.

 

[user1234]

Snerfle, so are internet forums dying?

:=D: Lol .. i guess with all that post, i didnt quite answer the Q , did I? Lol sorry
Well, they are changing, I would say, but that doesn't necessarily mean dying, as in ending altogether.

But there are forces from without, and infiltrations, that want to see them stopped, especially those that convey the message of the cross and resurrection of Jesus, so if brothers and sisters in Christ don't work to unite, and allow the things mentioned in post #4 to continue and get worse, then, yes, it's a change towards dying and death.

If they're being used to bring glory to God, help others be saved and grow in love, unity, knowledge of Jesus, then the change will be towards life and can be used for revival.

So they're changing, yes, whether growing or dying depends alot on what God wants His ppl to do with them, and how much we're willing to comply.
Of course, Im talking about 'christian' type forums.
There's lots of other types, I dont know what their prognosis is. Interesting question, though.

God is in control of the fate of forums, obviously. He may be watching closely what we're doing with them in the meantime. (im sure He is)
Not much diff than alot of churches, tho.
Get the Word of God and Jesus out ... help ppl get saved and grow, the church blossoms. If the Word is surpressed or Jesus is hidden in the back, the church loses it's light.
Things are always changing. A lack of faith, hope, and love usually means a change for the worse.
WITH faith, hope, and love, ... With God, all things are possible.

 

[hotrhymez]

I think Facebook and Twitter and social media in general kinda hurt internet forums...I remember I started going on forums in the early 2000s after we got rid of AOL..then when Facebook got really popular in the late 2000s I started going on there more.

I think in general using Facebook is easier for people..plus with internet forums sometimes you have to pay to keep it running..and you need moderators, etc...I remember trying to start my own internet forum like 10 years ago and I got a whopping 5 members, lol

I think this is the forum I visit most nowadays..and sometimes I peek in on CF...but shhhh dont tell anyone lol..though yeah I think social media is the big thing now.

 

[user1234]

I think Facebook and Twitter and social media in general kinda hurt internet forums...I remember I started going on forums in the early 2000s after we got rid of AOL..then when Facebook got really popular in the late 2000s I started going on there more.

I think in general using Facebook is easier for people..plus with internet forums sometimes you have to pay to keep it running..and you need moderators, etc...I remember trying to start my own internet forum like 10 years ago and I got a whopping 5 members, lol

I think this is the forum I visit most nowadays..[SIZE=+4]and sometimes I peek in on CF...but shhhh dont tell anyone [/SIZE]lol..though yeah I think social media is the big thing now.

Don't worry, your secret's safe with us. We have a 'secrets/confidentiality' thread to prove it. :wink:
(traitor!!) :=D:

 

[Tigger]

Don't worry, your secret's safe with us. We have a 'secrets/confidentiality' thread to prove it. :wink:
(traitor!!) :=D:

:gathering:

 

[tango]

Is it the death of internet forums yet or is there still hope? If they are dying a slow death what is going to replace them?

I think a lot of discussion is shifting to sites like Faceache. Personally I don't bother even trying to have rational discussions on Faceache simply because there are so many people there who are little more than the cyber equivalent of howler monkeys, and it often feels like playing chess with a flock of pigeons.

 

[Stravinsk]

Is it the death of internet forums yet or is there still hope? If they are dying a slow death what is going to replace them?

Internet forums such as this one provide a level of anonymity for communicating ideas online, and there will always be people with the desire to use it, so while there is plenty of competition with other forms of net communication, I doubt it.

 

[MS140ukn]

as of now, i dont see a steady trend of forums dying out, except for the new, upstart forums trying to get off the ground, but ive noticed many of these new forums all have the same content copied from other forums. and even some admins on those forums lack determination and willpower to upkeep their forum, leaving the members and mods to work it out amongst themselves. if there was a mass exodus of forums going, they would be replaced by social sites like twitter and facebook.

 

[Rens]

Youtube is good. If you read the comments with really good worship songs, people sharing testimonies, praying for each other. On Facebook they have closed christian discussion groups, but they don't do so good as forums and if it's not closed you're not gonna comment on some weird stuff some christians post, like that christmas trees are demonic or crazy fights, because you want to give your unsaved friends the impression that christians are normal.

 

[Lamb]

Here is what I am seeing...

I have hunted around at other forums and they aren't doing as well as they used to. I have been keeping an eye on a forum that started about the same time this one and the owner puts a lot of work into the forum. Half of his membership is banned because they're spam trolls. He's really not doing any better than us even though he has more members. They're just banned.

A lot of people I invited don't want to join a forum. But they'll post on Facebook groups. I think they prefer to know that people aren't hiding behind a username and are real people. There's accountability in that.

People my daughters age, in their 20s are too busy to get started on forums if they've never been a part of them. They do other things with Snapchat, Pinterest, Twitter, and some even stick with Facebook even though they're slowly leaving it to the older people. For the 20 somethings who are on forums, they won't leave their friends to go somewhere else. They're pack animals.

My friends/relatives in their 30s are too busy with their kids to do much of anything but post pictures on Facebook and search for recipes for dinner. They run their kids to practices and rehearsals and hope to get in a shower once a day

Those in their 40s-60s may have tried message boards but were burned at one point. Or they've seen the same threads. There is nothing new for them and they aren't eager to go out and make friends. They're on Facebook too.

Those over 60 of my friends and family have a difficult time learning new technology although they're willing to try. One friend of mine said this site was too difficult to navigate. This site is like others and even simpler than most I've come across. I offered to help walk her through it over the phone.

I do see a decline after searching out the net. Some sites that have message boards are closing up the forums. Long time members are sad but they'll end up someplace else or go to Facebook.

Josiah said when he joined that sites need to have something unique about them to get members to sign up. I'm finding that's true. The general board that is new is bound to fail.

My history with message boards started over 20 years ago with a dial up community run by the local newspaper. They had 200 beta testers. To this day I remain close to about 10 of those members. Some tried to come here. Some didn't feel welcomed. Some wouldn't post. Some didn't feel their opinions mattered.

I realize that it's up to God what happens but I also know that it's up to the members too. Having threads that make members think and want to react are perfect! Having posts that respond with content and not just I agree or disagree helps move along the conversation. Asking each other questions brings a community feel.

 

[Rens]

We should make it simple for old people left alone in a home with noone visiting. They did that recently here. Let's invite him.

 

[Josiah]

IMO...

Internet discussion forums are a form of social media focused on a common interest. I do not predict their demise.

I think the "problem" with Christian ones is the large abandonment of the issue of Truth among Christians and the wholesale embrace of relativism, emotionalism and pragmatism. The issue people want to discuss is not what is true but how everyone feels and what seems to help them feel better. And oft times even that is abandoned and "Christian" sites become play oriented, focused on secular games. Rather like a lot of churches were truth also has been abandoned and replaced with pop psychology, fun social stuff, entertainment and maybe "support" groups. I'm not making any value judgements, just what is.... is.

Consider CF (for a few years, the largest Christian website on the internet and the "mother" of all Christian discussion forums). It was begun by an Australian medical doctor dedication to an open, real discussion of the Truth - especially issues where consensus is lacking (debate continues) in the conviction that if real and open and honest discussion happens, understanding will advance and perhaps even agreements might be achieved. I can remember when over 200 posters would be JUST in the "General Theology" forum at any given moment! But some felt hurt or endangered by this - resulting in ever more walls, rules and power struggles for control. Eventually, the site was destroyed and sold. Today it is a commercial site dedicated to being as meaningless and worthless as possible - so that none will feel threatened or hurt, none will ever be corrected, truth will neer be an issue, and Chrisitans can play games and talk about entertainment and feelings - insuring that understanding will not be advanced and truth will made as distant and regarded as irrelevant as possible. Today that site is a small fraction of it's former self, no longer respected, no longer achieving ANYTHING except profits for its current owner. I've seen this same devolution happen at other sites (just as it has in some denominations and parishes).

Josiah said when he joined that sites need to have something unique about them to get members to sign up. I'm finding that's true. The general board that is new is bound to fail.

When CH just started, I shared that often new businesses (and I think websites) fail because they lack a CLEAR vision, mission statement, purpose - a well defined "market." They try to be as general as possible - and just like the huge, mega, well-established business that already exists next door (trying to out-do them at THEIR own game, which obviously they've mastered). Often, it makes more sense to be an alternative. For awhile, I saw that happening at CH in spite of not being intentional - because CH seemed populated a lot by CF "fall outs" - people like me who LOVED the original purpose and function of CF but as it devolved and as the WAR ensued, many of us left (willingly or otherwise) and as we reached out to each other - CH became a kind of new CF. But that only works so far. And yes, without the through theological discussions ... with the natural "fall out" that happens at sites (and churches)... with the corpus of CF "fall outs" tapped out... well, growth is going to be an issue.

Small doesn't concern me. My parish is very small and while that took getting use to for me, I've come to love it. I think CH should be what it clearly intends to be. And be good at THAT. It will appeal to come, not to others. Heaven knows, there are MANY alternative sites they can participate in if CH is not to their taste. But what I would discourage is for CH to try to be nothing, as "milktoast" as possible, to try to "copy/paste" what much bigger sites are (why should someone LEAVE a site they love and is just what they want for a tiny, new site?).


Just MY perspective.....


A blessed Lent to all....


- Josiah



.

 

[Wilhemena]

Big cities can keep their rats even though the small rural regions plateau is my humble opinion on massive forums compared to the homey feel boards. My goodness, I am of the age where senior citizens struggle to double click their mouse but being blessed with the nerds in my household I am far advanced than my peers which gives me more opportunity to seek out friendship outside the country club.

It is extremely difficult to gain friendship on large bulletin boards and it is equally difficult on the small ones where there is already a tight bond connection. I feel this is why Facebooks has become the source for question and answer time since like minds join groups where their friends are also found.

Internet forums may be dying out but then again the dead often come back to life, do they not?

 

[Lamb]

Rats...I love it :rofl3: