CedricV
Well-known member
It's not wrong.
Been away for a few years
- Thread starter DieselMinded
- Start date
Hydrogen all the wayDiesel is obsolete. It looks the same as the last time i smelled it. If you're not electric, why bother?
That's what you sound like
Also, welcome back bro. lol been a while.
Drink water, piss in the fuel tank, ???, profit, sustainably friendly
GW2
Well-known member
I quit Facebook years ago. There is so much disinformation on Facebook that it makes me sick. I know of others who have quit Facebook for the same reason.
Meanwhile, the XF 2.2 forum that I administer is healthy & doing fine. Our moderators respond to posted disinformation when we see it, and our forum adds a few new members daily. Of course, a few others may drop dead...but that's life.
I am sure that many of my forum members are also on Facebook. However, forum users never ask why our non-profit organization does not also have a Facebook page. Our XF forum is perceived as a "go-to" source for reliable information (regarding the timeshare branch of the hospitality industry).
Incidentally, I read 3 newspapers daily including the Washington Post. To me, the reporting by professional journalists that you see daily in the Post, New York Times, and other smaller newspapers across the U. S. is far more informative & rewarding than Facebook.
..oh...I am not "hydrogen all the way"...but electric. I puchased a new Tesla Model Y about 3 months ago. Lovin' it and have not purchased a drop of gasoline since.
Opus X
Well-known member
from my short period of reviewing the past decade of suggestions that might not be a bad idea.
a lot of stuff gets suggested and sits out their for a decade or so and ignored it looks like?
i know tracy had commented on that in the past but i never paid attention to it until recently.
AjayJunkies
Well-known member
I am going to challenge what you said. And this isn't targeted at any one person, but an open invitation to all of us to focus on the right thing.
1. There are customers of the software (you and me as forum admins), and there are customers of OUR forums (regular internet users). I would argue that we, as forum admins, are behind the times than regular internet users. Regular internet users ARE here for the "new look." Last I checked, I don't care how popular any one XF forum is, Reddit and Facebook still has more users than you. The Internet has overwhelmingly voted, and aggregated social media sites have crushed independent forums. To say that our users prefer forums blindly ignores the trend of the last 15 - 20 years. The users that are left may prefer our forums (because they're old and don't like change - hello boomers!), but wow have we lost lots of users along the way. And we must acknowledge that.
2. In no way are forums simple to use. Really. Take a moment and examine the actual layout and structure of a forum. On the forum index, you're presented with a list of categories. Then you need to navigate a list of topics titles. Then you need to navigate the pagination of a long topic. To write a new topic, you need to enter in a topic title.
Forums were designed by database developers. Social media, on the other hand, has been optimized by behavioral psychologists. In no way should any of us pretend to say that forums are somehow more intuitive and easier than social media.
3. With all of this said, I'm not here to critique forums. But I don't think we are self-reflecting in the right manner if we pretend that our forums are somehow better designed. They're not. Forums are technology that's 2 decades old, painted over with dark mode. And we've lost the users to prove that we're not better designed.
What I think we should focus on is finding out what areas social media doesn't want to fight in. Those are the areas where independent forums will thrive - and the good news is that there are lots of areas. Social media has weaknesses. Social media has gaps. Social media doesn't want to try to discuss everything. And that leaves opportunities for independent forums! But let's not pretend that forums are fundamentally designed more simplistically or with ease of use.
Wutime
Well-known member
I'm thinking outside of the box here, but after reading @AjayJunkies thoughtful reply I reflected on forums versus social media. As well as trying to think up something unique to add to the conversation, aka the "suggestion box".
Forums, despite their decline in popularity, do have some advantages still, albeit seemingly fleeting. But, with the advent and growth of social media it does seem clear that an ingenious or creative change needs to be considered.
"Typical forums" usually have a tight knit group of real people, a centralized topic, and a clear sense of belonging. I suspect this is not unlike a FaceBook group, something I admit I know nothing about because I don't FB, but I suspect they're similar. The difference is that FaceBook is huge and global, where forums are localized and without reach; at the mercy of Google, and who knows where do no evil is headed next. Sticking with the status quo might see a continued steady decline.
Again, just thinking outside of the box, but if there was a way to leverage the power of forums from a community perspective; the fact that there are vetted, respected, and senior members with wisdom that are often already known to be actual real people - something that sometimes feels to be a shrinking minority on the internet - could be leveraged better. We could leverage our community members, their expertise and seniority, across the XenForo ecosystem in an advantageous way. For the benefit of each forum community, and in some way, bring more users and discussions together for more activity. It would benefit forum owners and could make forums more lively and interesting.
Currently, unlike the behemoths of FaceBook, X, etc, where their "forum community" pollinates their users across all sorts of different topics and conversations, a "typical forum" like XenForo always has members segregated from community to community (domain to domain). Segregation is part of the charm, but it's definitely a detriment when competing against the behemoth's.
AI is getting super cheap and it's relatively accurate at matching topics, information and users. Especially if a "user profile" can be created from past posts. If there was a way, when topics align, or users sentiments align, to merge conversations across forums in an intelligent and non-intrusive way, it seems like it could be beneficial at turning things around and having forums grow instead of stagnate and decline.
Obviously there's serious implications and a lot of thought required if there's any substance in this idea.. But it seems like a somewhat natural progression. Even if it's just in some small way, in some small portion of a forum, or discussions flagged "accept outside input".
Why can't forums have aspects of being more like social media from the perspective of sharing users and ideas. NOT including a FaceBook script to handle comments, or using an Instagram feed, but actually uniting between our forums to share when it's highly appropriate and beneficial. It could all be controlled or opted out, and opted in, both by users, by community owners as a whole, and even by specific sub-groups within a forum.
I run a charitable health forum and our members are amazing and the moderators top-notch. But often there's some off-posting that occurs not related to the primary health issue. These people need and want help, but often get told to bugger off because it's not exactly related. Now, usually we just create another community on another domain, and try to grow that.. but those days are over. I'm 100% certain it would be great to share certain sub-forums of discussions to other health forums more on-topic so their users could input, and vice-versa.
Prior to AI this would be a management nightmare, but now it would be relatively simple and beneficial. Done properly, with SSO and proper messaging, users could primarly interact just with their original forum, but within their forum, also lend a hand and/or have a discussion with members from other communities. Maybe a banner to represent their "home forum".
Oh, and cheese with infinite scrolling
Food for thought.
Forums, despite their decline in popularity, do have some advantages still, albeit seemingly fleeting. But, with the advent and growth of social media it does seem clear that an ingenious or creative change needs to be considered.
"Typical forums" usually have a tight knit group of real people, a centralized topic, and a clear sense of belonging. I suspect this is not unlike a FaceBook group, something I admit I know nothing about because I don't FB, but I suspect they're similar. The difference is that FaceBook is huge and global, where forums are localized and without reach; at the mercy of Google, and who knows where do no evil is headed next. Sticking with the status quo might see a continued steady decline.
Again, just thinking outside of the box, but if there was a way to leverage the power of forums from a community perspective; the fact that there are vetted, respected, and senior members with wisdom that are often already known to be actual real people - something that sometimes feels to be a shrinking minority on the internet - could be leveraged better. We could leverage our community members, their expertise and seniority, across the XenForo ecosystem in an advantageous way. For the benefit of each forum community, and in some way, bring more users and discussions together for more activity. It would benefit forum owners and could make forums more lively and interesting.
Currently, unlike the behemoths of FaceBook, X, etc, where their "forum community" pollinates their users across all sorts of different topics and conversations, a "typical forum" like XenForo always has members segregated from community to community (domain to domain). Segregation is part of the charm, but it's definitely a detriment when competing against the behemoth's.
AI is getting super cheap and it's relatively accurate at matching topics, information and users. Especially if a "user profile" can be created from past posts. If there was a way, when topics align, or users sentiments align, to merge conversations across forums in an intelligent and non-intrusive way, it seems like it could be beneficial at turning things around and having forums grow instead of stagnate and decline.
Obviously there's serious implications and a lot of thought required if there's any substance in this idea.. But it seems like a somewhat natural progression. Even if it's just in some small way, in some small portion of a forum, or discussions flagged "accept outside input".
Why can't forums have aspects of being more like social media from the perspective of sharing users and ideas. NOT including a FaceBook script to handle comments, or using an Instagram feed, but actually uniting between our forums to share when it's highly appropriate and beneficial. It could all be controlled or opted out, and opted in, both by users, by community owners as a whole, and even by specific sub-groups within a forum.
I run a charitable health forum and our members are amazing and the moderators top-notch. But often there's some off-posting that occurs not related to the primary health issue. These people need and want help, but often get told to bugger off because it's not exactly related. Now, usually we just create another community on another domain, and try to grow that.. but those days are over. I'm 100% certain it would be great to share certain sub-forums of discussions to other health forums more on-topic so their users could input, and vice-versa.
Prior to AI this would be a management nightmare, but now it would be relatively simple and beneficial. Done properly, with SSO and proper messaging, users could primarly interact just with their original forum, but within their forum, also lend a hand and/or have a discussion with members from other communities. Maybe a banner to represent their "home forum".
Oh, and cheese with infinite scrolling
Food for thought.
Last edited:
GW2
Well-known member
I agree with this statement. And, I think my XF forum does exactly that...provide something that Facebook or other social media does not.
The posts on my forum are categorized into various topics...as are most forums. Our moderators move posts around as necessary from time-to-time so as to keep the various categories on-topic. Opinions are welcome, however incorrect or hearsay information is generally quickly corrected by other forum members or a moderator.
My forum contains 20+ years of posts (history) on numerous subjects relating to timeshare vacation ownership as posted by hundreds of forum members, including posts regarding specific resorts by company and geographical location. My forum is a compendium of an encyclopedia, owner's guide, personal experiences, and opinions of how to maximize your timeshare purchase to your advantage. You can do a search on my forum for a particular topic and expect to see facts & opinions in an organized manner. That is the advantage of my forum (my opinion).
On the other hand, Facebook (also my opinion) is a rather disjointed, unorganized, and unreliable source of accurate information.
please implement it.
AndrewSimm
Well-known member
I think having a header with no logo is bad design. The right side of the header needs to be consolidated so that more navigation options fit without scrolling. The way reactions are displayed at the bottom of posts look bad. After searching, I should be able to click on content types to filter search results to those content types. The whole file folder tab look on the navigation is very dated.
My point is that XF needs a refresh to the base. It's a good thing one is coming.
My point is that XF needs a refresh to the base. It's a good thing one is coming.
mjda
Well-known member
Yes, this! Drives me nuts every time I type the keywords, then change the content type and have to go back to delete the keywords and type them again.
frm
Well-known member
scskmg
Member
Too many sweets from the "sugar bakery" can put a strain on your health in the long term ..Fitness is therefore a healthy and still recommended balance for everyone's body and mind. Conclusion: The classic forum landscape can certainly be compared to a motivating fitness program to promote health
Suzanne O
Well-known member
Suzanne O
Well-known member
I don't post much on facebook these days except for a couple of groups i'm in.I quit Facebook years ago. There is so much disinformation on Facebook that it makes me sick. I know of others who have quit Facebook for the same reason.
Meanwhile, the XF 2.2 forum that I administer is healthy & doing fine. Our moderators respond to posted disinformation when we see it, and our forum adds a few new members daily. Of course, a few others may drop dead...but that's life.
I am sure that many of my forum members are also on Facebook. However, forum users never ask why our non-profit organization does not also have a Facebook page. Our XF forum is perceived as a "go-to" source for reliable information (regarding the timeshare branch of the hospitality industry).
Incidentally, I read 3 newspapers daily including the Washington Post. To me, the reporting by professional journalists that you see daily in the Post, New York Times, and other smaller newspapers across the U. S. is far more informative & rewarding than Facebook.
..oh...I am not "hydrogen all the way"...but electric. I puchased a new Tesla Model Y about 3 months ago. Lovin' it and have not purchased a drop of gasoline since.
I'm also a fan of posting on my forum more than i would with any groups because those groups can have some real nasty people in them.
Also if somebody makes a group about you and there's a lot of rubbish being floated about. Then it's on you to do something about it.
If those people continue to bully you then all you have to do is report them.
Most people on there are just trolls.
ANONYMOUSKOREAN
New member
Yeah so for those unaware this isn't really good forum software. This is proprietary from a shell company that buys up dying forums and just fills them with ads and ****ty premium promotions.
Arantor
Well-known member
VerticalScope uses a modified XF by their own admission, though that set of modifications is pretty soulless and uninteresting. (Also not really a new competitor.)
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