Prioritize more user facing features

[Sal Collaziano]

I've been running forums back before vBulletin was even available, when they were called message boards/bulletin boards, with some of my early forums running the wwwboard script and other cgi message board scripts. When vB2 hit in 2001 it was clear that it was a big jump in forum technology (at the time) and we were able to leverage the vbulletin.org add-ons to customize the user experience, which allowed us to build huge communities. That was 24 years ago.

We're at a point now where the traditional forum system is widely seen by the masses as outdated and obsolete compared to newer social network apps, which have completely changed user behavior and expectations. Even the better executed forum software options, like XF, are seen that way. It doesn't help that forums look and function a lot like the way they did back in 2001 in the eyes of the average user.

Focusing on some new approaches to how forums are used, like through a revamped Latest Activity feed described above could help change that perception. Like you said Sal, these pages can be optional for those forum admin purists who do not believe in that approach and don't want to use it. But for those who run larger forums and are looking for more ways to connect with the growing contingent of people who don't understand how to use forums, this is something we absolutely need. Because it makes it easier for those users to engage with our forum's content in a way they've become used to in other social networks.

I hear ya! The first forum I ever ran was on a BBS (bulletin board system) pre-internet in about 1985. It used a Commodore 64 and a 300 BAUD modem. That's where I got my start. When I hit the internet, I skipped wwwboard and started with UBB. I actually worked for ezBoard in San Francisco and came up with their Community Chest idea. vBulletin was a nice upgrade over UBB and then XenForo was - and is - great. I 'like' their #1 competitor, but not enough to switch. XenForo is my favorite.

You can't make social media people happy with a forum and you can't make forum people happy with social media. Or at least it seems. But might as well allow both types of people to use and build the community. Not doing so is like having an car made only for men OR women - not both.

 

[Ludachris]

I hear ya! The first forum I ever ran was on a BBS (bulletin board system) pre-internet in about 1985. It used a Commodore 64 and a 300 BAUD modem. That's where I got my start. When I hit the internet, I skipped wwwboard and started with UBB. I actually worked for ezBoard in San Francisco and came up with their Community Chest idea. vBulletin was a nice upgrade over UBB and then XenForo was - and is - great. I 'like' their #1 competitor, but not enough to switch. XenForo is my favorite.

You can't make social media people happy with a forum and you can't make forum people happy with social media. Or at least it seems. But might as well allow both types of people to use and build the community. Not doing so is like having an car made only for men OR women - not both.

ezBoard - brings back memories. I worked for a small startup in the late 90's and early 2ks that was a network of consumer-generated reviews/forums sites for different hobbies, one being mountain biking. We used a couple different bb scripts and we'd promote the forums in newsgroups and listservs, as well as SEO. I pushed them to migrate to vB2 when it came out, and I started moving my personal forums over. That network is largely dead now, sadly, but a few of their original communities are still alive and doing well, and are on XF (and owned by VS now).

 

[Sal Collaziano]

ezBoard - brings back memories. I worked for a small startup in the late 90's and early 2ks that was a network of consumer-generated reviews/forums sites for different hobbies, one being mountain biking. We used a couple different bb scripts and we'd promote the forums in newsgroups and listservs, as well as SEO. I pushed them to migrate to vB2 when it came out, and I started moving my personal forums over. That network is largely dead now, sadly, but a few of their original communities are still alive and doing well, and are on XF (and owned by VS now).

It was a very different world back then. These days, we need any advantage (or even just a level playing field) we can get in order to compete and captivate people.

 

[Ludachris]

It was a very different world back then. These days, we need any advantage (or even just a level playing field) we can get in order to compete and captivate people.

It's impossible to level the playing field these days with the insane amount of money and research the massive social network platforms have poured into behavioral science and dopamine addiction. But the point you're making is still right on, we need to adapt and use any advantage we can, however small it might be. And we need more innovation and flexibility in our forum software so that we can keep adapting to the changing landscape and user expectations/demands in the online community space.

 

[Sal Collaziano]

It's impossible to level the playing field these days with the insane amount of money and research the massive social network platforms have poured into behavioral science and dopamine addiction. But the point you're making is still right on, we need to adapt and use any advantage we can, however small it might be. And we need more innovation and flexibility in our forum software so that we can keep adapting to the changing landscape and user expectations/demands in the online community space.

It's a mystery to me how this isn't already an option. We've been watching forums become "the old way" for probably a decade. And now, here we are with Google valuing Reddit and Quora in search results over XenForo and every other forum platform individuals use to build communities. If you're not aware of that change, it's written about in various articles around the internet. The change came with the most recent Google search algorithm update.

Now, more than ever, forum communities can't afford to give up the new age viewer/user.

All but a very few administrators understand how much traffic (and data) their losing...

 

[Ludachris]

It's a mystery to me how this isn't already an option. We've been watching forums become "the old way" for probably a decade. And now, here we are with Google valuing Reddit and Quora in search results over XenForo and every other forum platform individuals use to build communities. If you're not aware of that change, it's written about in various articles around the internet. The change came with the most recent Google search algorithm update.

Now, more than ever, forum communities can't afford to give up the new age viewer/user.

All but a very few administrators understand how much traffic (and data) their losing...

I'm aware. Our traffic hasn't taken a hit yet, but if that trend continues, none of us will be immune to it.

My other concern is the growth of ChatGPT and other AI systems that are being used to answer questions now, instead of Google. Search engine usage could very trend downwards in the coming years, and websites could see less traffic as more and more questions get summarized AI answers without the user ever having to visit any website for information. Don't know what can done about that. I suspect that might hurt blogs more than online communities, but it will still hurt online communities that depend on SEO.

 

[Kevin]

And now, here we are with Google valuing Reddit and Quora in search results over XenForo and every other forum platform individuals use to build communities.

If Google gave the XF guys $60 million USD like they did to Reddit then I'm sure that they'd also create an API for Google to access content directly.

 

[Sal Collaziano]

I'm aware. Our traffic hasn't taken a hit yet, but if that trend continues, none of us will be immune to it.

My other concern is the growth of ChatGPT and other AI systems that are being used to answer questions now, instead of Google. Search engine usage could very trend downwards in the coming years, and websites could see less traffic as more and more questions get summarized AI answers without the user ever having to visit any website for information. Don't know what can done about that. I suspect that might hurt blogs more than online communities, but it will still hurt online communities that depend on SEO.

I get enough traffic from new age social media that my communities would get noticeably more activity from those people if the interface made more sense to them. This may not be the case for everyone. Yes, AI will be another hit on traffic - but for forum owners who have the capability of drawing traffic from new age social media, a familiar interface can only help.

If Google gave the XF guys $60 million USD like they did to Reddit then I'm sure that they'd also create an API for Google to access content directly.

We're probably better off without that. But I did lose half my traffic to Reddit and Quora. My communities can live without it - but it would be nice to get some (if not all, or more) back.

 

[Ludachris]

If Google gave the XF guys $60 million USD like they did to Reddit then I'm sure that they'd also create an API for Google to access content directly.

Wasn't aware of that but if you think about it, is it surprising? From a pure business perspective, if you were Google, would you have given preference to XF knowing they supply forum software to hundreds (or even thousands) of individual forum owners of all different sizes and capabilities, only a small percentage of them being large - or would you partner with Reddit, a single entity in full control over one massive community? I can't say I'd do any different than they did.