Growing a forum community in 2023
- Thread starter ArtG
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It will only get worse and the forums will not survive in their present form
AnjaC
Active member
I hear that since more than 10 years and we are still alive....
The old forums will still be there, but it won't be the same as it used to be. The new ones will have a hard time.
PatriotGB
Well-known member
This chart is virtually meaningless without more context / information. What is the source? What does "interest" mean? And how was it measured?
Note that the decline started in 2009. That's when Facebook hit its stride and grew exponentially. I'd like to see the trend of that chart after 2020. I wouldn't expect a big change, but maybe a subtle tick upwards.
Note that both charts end at 2020. Google "Facebook user decline," and you'll find plenty of recent articles about that.
Facebook Set to Lose 1.4 Million Users This Year Amidst Rapid Decline
It is estimated that Facebook’s US user count by the end of the year will be around 178.3 million.
Personally, I quit FB cold turkey almost 2 years ago after over a decade of VERY active use. In so doing, I abandoned my primary means of communicating with friends and family. It had to be done.
I believe the pendulum is swinging back to forums for special interest groups. FB fell on its own sword and continues to do so.
The special interest forums where I have been a member for the same time period have not shown any signs of waning. They are growing. And now I have my own niche forum that is growing very nicely. In a week, my forum will be 10 months old.
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It is much harder to grow a community nowadays with social media to compete with. The only forums that thrive today are the ones that have already been established at this point. Not much can rectify that since most people use social media over a dedicated site on a topic. There are very few instances in that an average person would use a dedicated community over social media, and I think that's where the problem lies for community growth.
However, our company has succeeded in specific niches, and we have grown our communities significantly through user promotion and a little advertising.
However, our company has succeeded in specific niches, and we have grown our communities significantly through user promotion and a little advertising.
ArtG
Active member
I don't believe it's a zero-sum game between forums and social media. Yes, it certainly isn't like the old days where you can build it and they will come. Very different today.
However, I believe that in most niches, social media and forums can co-exist and complement each other. For example, my niche is freshwater planted aquariums. Most of the activity has moved to Facebook Groups over the years. I started two months ago focusing on the needs of that community that social media can't fulfill. We've been growing. Slowly but that's OK.
On my site, a member can create a diary of their aquarium and have people see it, offer help, support, etc. People can find longer articles on subjects and participate in photo contests, etc. None of these things work well on Facebook where you really can't post more than 2 -3 lines into the constant waterfall of messages. If you get one or two valuable responses, you feel good.
I encourage my members to use both as intended. Longer talks, relationship building, diaries, contests, etc should be on forums. When they just want to go to a less thinking more eye candy environment, then Facebook and Instagram are there for them.
However, I believe that in most niches, social media and forums can co-exist and complement each other. For example, my niche is freshwater planted aquariums. Most of the activity has moved to Facebook Groups over the years. I started two months ago focusing on the needs of that community that social media can't fulfill. We've been growing. Slowly but that's OK.
On my site, a member can create a diary of their aquarium and have people see it, offer help, support, etc. People can find longer articles on subjects and participate in photo contests, etc. None of these things work well on Facebook where you really can't post more than 2 -3 lines into the constant waterfall of messages. If you get one or two valuable responses, you feel good.
I encourage my members to use both as intended. Longer talks, relationship building, diaries, contests, etc should be on forums. When they just want to go to a less thinking more eye candy environment, then Facebook and Instagram are there for them.
PatriotGB
Well-known member
That WAS true... for a while. It is my belief that the pendulum is swinging, and swinging HARD, back the other way.
Why? Because "big tech" social media has gone off the deep end with censorship and "cancel" culture.
Private forums don't have that issue. Also forums like these are FAR more organized, better-archived, and more searchable for information than the likes of Facebook.
PatriotGB
Well-known member
That was true for my niche, as well... until big tech started deleting and canceling groups in my niche. So, I guess that's lucky for me! LOL!
