Facebook is killing traditional forums, but there is still time to adapt

[dethfire]

The reality is that iOS push notification and the Apple Store is a %$#@% to deal with.

For years I used TapaTalk's branded app and it was a gigantic PITA to manage. It's not just, build it and upload. There is a ton of BS to go through. So I killed it. Haven't seen any negative effects from doing that.

 

[jauburn]

The true test was when an active Member who previously expressed no interest in Facebook, suddenly friend requested me on Facebook. Then the countdown began....Participation on my Board decreased, crap posted on Facebook and Facebook Groups increased, and often times they pulled up their tent stakes and POOF, were gone.

Luckily our boards have survived but not without casualties. This survival is largely due to converting to cutting edge softwares, which we think best competes with Facebook as far as Uploading of images etc.

It's true. Everything changes, including the environments in which our forums were created and made sense.

Change is just a fact of life, and especially a fact of life in technology. The only question that will ultimately remain is whether you have the energy left to adapt or persist, regardless. If you don't, you have to consider moving on. Those, essentially, become the options.

 

[tommydamic68]

fact of life in technology

Thats the problem, no forum software has "improved technology." Forum software changes the outer packaging a bit, but its still the same old "boards."

 

[DigNap15]

Hello
I have just read thsi whole thread right the way through.
I'm an older guy and I always liked fourms for my hobbies etc.
Now I have just started my own, forum and its going very well, due to the fact that an opposition forum decided to close donw to concentrate on their core business. (and due to worries over censorhsip)

I dont only see FB groups as an opposition but Blogs.
Look at every webhoster and they all say join us and we'll set up your Wordpress.

My job now is to attract new users,
But how? many young ones do not know what a forum is, or a postage stamp.

 

[gogo]

Yes I need an app, not a generic one but something that can be highly personalized.

It's a dream though.

 

[gerryvz]

I have run a niche forum for a few specific models of Mercedes-Benz, for the past 10 years. Right now I've got about 8,700+ members, with about 1,500 of them being active. My forum's focus in strongly on technical information -- HOW-TO tutorials on maintenance, repair and restoration, technical specs and information unavailable anywhere else (even from Mercedes-Benz), and basically providing owners with the resources they need to keep their cars on the road. I have about 15-20 members who are real experts and contribute amazing information for the benefit of the members, and have for many years.

Facebook has a couple of "Groups" that specifically cater to the Benz models that my XF forum covers. A few of my members are members of the Facebook group. They report to me that the signal to noise ratio in Facebook groups is extremely high .... meaning the value is pretty low in terms of quality of information. Basically I'm told (I have not had a Facebook account since early 2013) that it's a big show-off social club and tends to be younger folk who are not really that interested in repairing and maintaining their cars. The Facebook groups tend to be geared around posting photographs, want ads, and commenting on others' posts.

So in my book, not very substantive, because any sort of structure and ability to organize information is lacking. It's the on-line equivalent of a "Cars and Coffee" gathering on a Sunday morning at a shopping mall. Which is great -- there is a need and demand for that. But that sort of thing is very different than what a forum can offer. Although I have to say I recently did a member-submitted photo display with @AndyB's "Photo Contest" add-on, and it was a HUGE hit.

Bottom line, I don't consider Facebook in the least as any sort of threat that siphons off my members. People who need real, substantive, credible information find me via Google; XenForo's SEO capabilities have if anything increased/improved that. People who want to show off and talk to others on a more "social" basis, go to the Facebook. There's room for everyone, and every type of venue.

The best thing any forum owner can do is focus on making the CONTENT of their site as relevant, informative and useful as possible to their members, and the membership will grow.

Cheers,
Gerry

P.S. I used Tapatalk on my vB forum for a number of years, and kept it after migrating to XF in March, 2019. And I kept it for about a month after migrating, when I realized that the mobile capabilities of XF were plenty fine for mobile users. Removed Tapatalk after letting my members know, and though a couple of folks were not happy, haven't heard a peep about it since, and it's nice to get rid of that (what I consider to be) insecure virus !!!

 

[RobinHood]

People who want to show off and talk to others on a more "social" basis, go to the Facebook. There's room for everyone, and every type of venue.

There's no reason for traditional forum communities not to have the functionality and UI to enable users to also easily share, comment, discover and interact with eachother by sharing pictures and media better. The big social sites like facebook and instagram have done nothing revolutionary in years. They just handle media and discovery much better, and have a better UI for navigating it.

You said yourself that the photo contest was a massive hit.

By giving up on and leaving that to facebook you're just giving users a reason to leave your platform to discuss your niche and chat amongst themselves elsewhere. If your site also handled the more media heavy social aspect as well as facebook, perhaps more of those users would be more inclined to start reading up on the high quality technical content that you also serve and contribute similar content themselves.

 

[drastic]

I would pay right freaking now to have a style that put user profile posts in a center column and mimic facebook.

I wouldn't even need the actual forum section at that point.

We have the tech built in, but who can reorganize it a bit to give the users that "social" feel to it. It's almost like our social media users are so used to seeing things a certain way, that different things scare them off.

 

[IMCD]

FB grupos have a total garbage format and will eventually die.

Reddit is a forum and still growing.

If you run it right, a forum is still a great resource. I still seek out forums if I want a question answered.

 

[DigNap15]

FB grupos have a total garbage format and will eventually die.
Reddit is a forum and still growing.
If you run it right, a forum is still a great resource. I still seek out forums if I want a question answered.

I just joined a Facebook group to see what all the fuss is, and there is no comparison.
Its hard to see what's going on, and any replies to your posts just disappear
All the topics are lumped in together.

 

[DigNap15]

I would pay right freaking now to have a style that put user profile posts in a center column and mimic facebook.

I wouldn't even need the actual forum section at that point.

We have the tech built in, but who can reorganize it a bit to give the users that "social" feel to it. It's almost like our social media users are so used to seeing things a certain way, that different things scare them off.

What and then have a coloum two inches wide for typing comments!
No way

 

[drastic]

What and then have a coloum two inches wide for typing comments!
No way

if you're on a phone, like 80% of my users are, that's about all you got anyway.

if someone released a style like this, you don't need to use it.