Are Forums Dying, And Why?

[deathmetal]

For example, when my mother in law with Alzheimer’s went missing and the local papers released a Silver alert in the online local papers, the comments became insane with trolls making the issue into a political issue, making up stuff that they had no idea what they were talking about. We had a serious issue, and the family had to deal with all sorts of allegations because of this political mental illness that has been festering for years in our culture.

I am at a loss for how one politicizes a tragedy of that nature, but I suppose someone had to get their cruelty out. The random sadism of people on the internet never ceases to amaze. I wonder if that is political so much as angry people looking for someone to put down, and they chose politics as their vocabulary.

 

[alan73]

PSU ?? PlayStation or Penn State Forum . I googled it, those were my choices.

 

[danielplainview]

This is a very interesting topic, one that came up while I was in Vegas this weekend. Here's what I heard. There is a feeling that forums are less busy than they used to be. Some of the people who I spoke with, who are well known in the community, said that they look in from time to time, but are reluctant to post for several reasons. Mainly they are turned off by the fights and they are turned off by the political asides. To them, pipe smoking is one of life's great pleasures and strife diminishes that pleasure. There's enough of that in life in general. They feel that it's counterproductive, unhelpful, and unnecessary. So they stay away and don't share their knowledge, which is a shame, but there it is.
That’s why it’s important we dont feed the trolls.
I usually never comment on powder keg threads. I don’t understand why there are so many pissing contests on a pipe forum. That said, there are a couple of posts I’m not proud of. Downfall of late night whiskey rants.
Btw, I like the PipesMag set up. DGCF recently changed over to Tapatalk and lost a massive amount of traffic. Keep it old school

 

[georged]

A lot of thread-relevant info in this article:
https://staltz.com/the-web-began-dying-in-2014-heres-how.html

 

[dmcmtk]

PSU ?? PlayStation or Penn State Forum . I googled it, those were my choices.

Alan, the link is right in my post. :wink:

 

[Chasing Embers]

I prefer panties to be on the floor.

I prefer them to be at work, or in the kitchen.

 

[jvnshr]

In order to write on a forum, you have to read first. Nobody reads nowadays. Steve Jobs' aim was to design an operating system that a person can learn in less than 15 minutes. Few years ago you had to spend some time in your phone's settings so you can find what you were looking for, today they all have built-in search options. I always find my phone notifying me about the stories (presentations) he made out of the media on my phone for me, or killing unnecessary apps that were draining the battery, updating the apps when it's connected to the WiFi, it is simply telling me to stay there and stare how it is doing it in a smarter way. And it is inverse proportion, smarter it gets, dumber I become. They have things called feeds on FB, Instagram and other social media. You don't have to be smart enough to choose and read whatever you want, you just have to sit, relax and enjoy the information flowing in front of your eyes. Alan is bored, Peter is at work, Amanda criticizes the system, oh let me just sprinkle some ads among those, here you go, the cat food you were searching on the Google the other day. Forums are dying? Even the websites are dying. Website? Isn't there an app for that? You know what teenagers are doing nowadays? Opening a live video in an app and doing this:

I mean, I was a teenager as well, I also did stupid things like jumping out of the dormitory second floor window to go to buy a beer (because of the curfew) and realizing that there is no way to get inside again while waiting to hit the ground right after jumping. But that tongue? What the heck is that? Gentlemen, you are the last of your kind. After you are gone, it is all going to be a history.

 

[admin]

This has been an interesting read.
I thank you all for being active participants on the PipesMagazine Forums.
First of all, don't worry. Our traffic has been steady for years. It goes up and down at different times, but averages out at the same for the last 4-years.
I think we do well because we are so niche, and that the nature of our hobby / lifestyle sometimes lends itself to getting quite detailed where we need lots of words, and conversations.
As far as the wise old pipers at pipe shows that don't participate on forums - that is nothing new. I stopped going to shows three years ago, but I went to them for 6 years prior. They were always filled with guys that never went on forums. The point is that it is nothing new, and imo, not an explanation on how forums are dying. Some are. This one isn't.
Forums are the original social media that were around before the term "social media" was coined.
I participate a lot on FB, and a little on Instagram (more recently). I hate Twitter mostly because of the character limit.
FB and other "social media" have their purposes, and so do forums. I find that forums are about socializing, and about getting good, detailed info when you need it - like "how to" and other advice. I find that social media is more just about socializing, and showing off, and branding yourself if you choose to do so.
I have another business that started a little over a year ago, which is doing well, and it started because of Facebook, and is still supported by it. This site here is also supported by FB, but to a smaller extent than Google.

 

[Chasing Embers]

What times of year are most active, and which are least? Would make an interesting study.

 

[admin]

What times of year are most active, and which are least?

The traffic levels go up and down, but in quite narrow margins. Summer is usually the slowest.

 

[hawky454]

Dave G DGCF? I don’t understand how being compatible with Tapatalk would have any part in the loss of traffic? You don’t have to use Tapatalk if you choose not to. It would just be an option.

 

[snowyowl]

IRChat, the BBS, AOL, CompuServe... all replaced by something "better" (where better means for most users). Those were like that hard to find but favorite tavern or shoppe off the main road with a sign that was just a little harder to find, at night. [Insert, "I remember when..." here.]
Forums, based as this one is -- coding-wise -- are going away because newer ways are easier to find and use and easily adaptable-upgradable to new users and their new hardware and software: driven by new technologies and located right out on the main road, so to speak. Dying off for the same reason(s) that mom-and-pop-anythings are harder and harder to find. And we are "all" to blame. Or is it just the way things have always been. [Insert old-guy lament, here.]
This forum will be around for quite some time to come, maybe relocated out onto Main Street, maybe not. After all, the horse-radio-newspaper... aren't dead-dead, just essentially dead from the importance they once held. Run over by The Fast and the Furious, The Walmart, and Reddit. [Insert dying for dead if you like, here.]
#oldguy

 

[oldmansmoking]

I sincerely hope Forum’s are not dead or dying, this Forum has been so good. The advice you could only get from people in a shop tobacconist or in a smoking pub (long dead)

The people make this Forum, long may it last.

Let’s make it last.

 

[irishearl]

Personally, don't see the attraction to Facebook pipe groups. That format doesn't really allow for any extended discussion of topics. Mostly seems like an ongoing stream of pipe selfies. Much prefer the forum platform.

 

[unkleyoda]

My 2 cents:
People have phones with them all the time.
This forum is horrible on a mobile device.
This forum in comparison to other forums is designed very, very poorly. It has a design from the early 2000's.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Weird, that makes me want to see what it looks like on a computer. Is it really that much better? I've only ever seen it on my phone and iPad, and I seem to find it hard to leave. ::

 

[Chasing Embers]

No problems at all on my phone. Posting replies, pics, letter size. No complaints here. Don't even own a computer.

 

[skraps]

I think the comparison is to other places where they are designed for true mobile browsing. This site is not responsive web design, nor does it have a true mobile site.
All a matter of preference. Many are just used to the way it is, and that's fine.

 

[jvnshr]

My 2 cents:
People have phones with them all the time.
This forum is horrible on a mobile device.
This forum in comparison to other forums is designed very, very poorly. It has a design from the early 2000's.

I access to the forums from my computer (Windows), Galaxy S8 (Android) and Apple Ipad 3rd Generation (IOS). I don't remember having any issues, except it is a little bit difficult to compose a PM on my phone. I've tried several times to join and be active on another forums however I couldn't. It is the simple and effective design of this forum keeping me here.

 

[deathmetal]

The problem with statistics is this:
Warm bodies is a measurement that is the opposite of quality.
You can always bring in more warm bodies. MySpace committed suicide on that basis.
The question is who you are a bringing in.
Is it an MSO489, Cosmic, Mayfair70, ssjones, Mawnansmiff, CortezAttic, jvnshr, or ChasingEmbers?
Or just another person who wants to buy a $7 cigar and be done with it?
No hate against $7 cigars... it's my price point. But I've been reducing property values around here for some time.