I read an article the other day about social media killing off Internet forums. I tried to do a quick search to find it but find numerous websites asking the same question. My posting was never particularly prolific but I have been posting less and less. There seems to be fewer active posters on the BCG and fewer lurkers than there used to be .
Anyone got any views?
Anyone got any stats? 
I posted an article about the death of forums a few weeks back in the general, general thread.
Things like Facebook and Twitter are certainly more dominant now. I think a lot of this is due to the rise in mobile internet activity. I think next year, if not already, over 50% of online activity will be on mobile devices.
Compared to apps such as the above social media ones, online forums seem a little fiddly and clunky on mobile devices. Coupled with the declining attention span of people, it means forums are going to struggle.
It's a shame as the new, modern outlets for chat/communication don't have that warm community feel forums have.
I'm wondering now Ben if it was your thread I read?
It's the warm cosy feel I like about the BCG. I can't see twitter etc filling the same hole.
I do hope not, but agree that this site is quite difficult to navigate on my phone and much easier to contribute to via the laptop or larger tablet. I've only been a full member of this site since February, although I did lurk before that (which makes me sound like a sad gentleman wearing only a raincoat, boots and a hat: I'm not, honest...) I like being able to post here under a flimsy cover of anonymity. I don't even mind Aaron changing my grammar.
At least it's not as banal as the IMDB message boards which always seem to consist of threads such as 'Does She Get Her Kit Off In This Film' or 'Is XXX A Munter or What?' Huh.
I think that the less people who post, the harder it is to post
When it's a big lovely community then it's great.
But when it's down to a few of us lurking around waiting to punchline the next post, it becomes a lot less welcoming & less fun
I know what you mean Steve. Sometimes recently there has only been about 8/9 threads posted on.
Maybe we need a 'come back to the BCG' campaign. Could a generic email be generated to tempt people back?
And none of them bumped up by me from 2009
It's a sad state of affairs alright
Quote: Steve Sunshine @ 18th December 2014, 11:05 PM GMTAnd none of them bumped up by me from 2009
It's a sad state of affairs alright
I don't understand the appeal of FB or Twitter. One seems clunky to me and the other trite. But they are what the establishment has bought into and promotes. The way they have replaced the Royal Mail is just like letters replaced pigeon post. There may well be a natural tension between desires for networking and operating a lively street corner club. I've always preferred community. It's lo-fi. Yo La Tengo on a glorious rough day, basket weaving in Pembrokeshire hamlets and urban warriors producing half baked films about crumbling mental institutions. None of these things would occur if life was only about likes and going viral.
Although I'm a bit of a Facebook addict, the great thing for me about forums is that you meet and get to know total strangers, i.e. new people. Of course some of them turn out to be arses (obviously I discount myself amongst these) but that's all part of life's rich tapestry.
The forums DO need to be more mobile-friendly because I only really comment when I'm on my laptop. Writing a long post on a mobile device with the risk of losing it is too high!
If I knew how, I would totally create myself a third-party app, where the forums, threads and posts were all laid out nicely, clear and bold.
At the moment, on my 4.5" phone and 7" tablet, I have to zoom in and I can't read long threads comfortably because I can't fit the post and the user name on the screen at the same time, it's uncomfortable.
As far as forums go in general, yes they probably aren't as popular because of "fast paced" sites like Twitter but a problem might be that there are toooooo many "niche" forums now, such as "Taylor Swift's Left Knee Pit forum" and "The History of VCRs from Dec 1987 - Feb 1988". Everyone's spread a little too thin...
An example on THESE forums would be that there are too many categories, and whilst it's neat and organised I'm not sure as many people wander off into the more obscure corners of the boards. I see far too often people missing out on the "Active Threads" link and instead scrolling through the forums manually (not that there's anything wrong with that) But I'm sure people get lost along the way). This website is old school and doesn't need flashing heavy rendering layouts but it would be nice if everything was reigned in a bit more -
- British Comedy
- Foreign Comedy
- General Chat
- Writers
That's all you need, the forums would look a lot more active/busy and more people to talk to with more conversation flowing.
Anyway, to answer your question: maybe?
Well since the mods started charging a daily subscription charge and fixed penalties for those with less than 10,000 posts, not to mention the premium charge for lurking I've just not been able to keep up with the payments, though I suppose the kids could do without Christmas stockings this year and thankfully it's been mild of late so the heating can be kept off...but how long can one person reasonably expect to be able to dodge the Can't Pay, We'll Take It Away team for??
Quote: Shandonbelle @ 19th December 2014, 7:13 PM GMTWell since the mods started charging a daily subscription charge and fixed penalties for those with less than 10,000 posts, not to mention the premium charge for lurking I've just not been able to keep up with the payments, though I suppose the kids could do without Christmas stockings this year and thankfully it's been mild of late so the heating can be kept off...but how long can one person reasonably expect to be able to dodge the Can't Pay, We'll Take It Away team for??
It's tough on us pensioners too, we don't get much else to amuse us and without some laughter we might just curl up and die.
Not unless you continue to leave those heated rollers plugged in overnight Bill 