The Future of Forum Software

[l3ta]

Do you think forum software will dissappear eventually? Will it morph into something that looks more like social media and less like old-fashioned message boards? Will you keep your forum for as long as it is supported even if it is not gaining any more members for purely sentimental reasons?

 

[ManagerJosh]

Do you think forum software will dissappear eventually? Will it morph into something that looks more like social media and less like old-fashioned message boards? Will you keep your forum for as long as it is supported even if it is not gaining any more members for purely sentimental reasons?

Forums will not go away because there's something nice about having a pseudonym. Social media sometimes runs a bit too close to home, especially where one is only two mouse clicks away from your personal or work life.

 

[Brad Padgett]

Forums basically in my opinion are the building blocks of the internet. Reddit is a good example of what forums are starting to turn into but aside from this I don't think it will become like social media in the least bit. Xenforo 2 seems to be a really good platform with much potential now and in the future. Other softwares competing such as IPS aren't half as bad either. If the internet is done away with is really the only way I see online communication in forums going under the rope. There's always someone needing a forum for a website in a commercial aspect even if not the hobbyist kind. People need structure on the web.

 

[frm]

Forums will not go away because there's something nice about having a pseudonym. Social media sometimes runs a bit too close to home, especially where one is only two mouse clicks away from your personal or work life.

This is exactly why I started my niche forum. A large demographic is military and military are unable to have personal lives due to clashes it may potentially have with their professional life, to include being career ending stuff, depending on what's posted. Of course I wouldn't want to host something that would be a career ending thing, like racism, etc.; but we all make mistakes and a simple post shouldn't land you in a situation where you're getting 1/2 pay for 2 months and judged on that one post for the entirety of your career–that's ridiculous.

People need structure on the web.

Facebook Groups just don't cut it when structuring discussions too.

 

[Suzanne O]

To be totally honest with you i reckon social media will be gone before any online forum software goes.
The future for tumblr is pretty grim. They are already getting rid of bots and those who love the sims.

Google + has gone or is about to leave.