Are Forums Dead?

[Lynch]

The newest sensation is "SnapChat". Posting small vids, which the recipients only get to view one time. Kinda like a mini one sided conversation, IMHO.

My two youngest (18 and 19) have been using that for what seems like a good year or so. Seems pretty silly to me, but it's huge with the younger generation. Apparently also great for sending/receiving pictures of a naughtier nature that the recipients aren't able to retain.

I'm sure there really is a way to retain those pix, but it's more work than much of the currently lazyass generation wants to go through (I assume).

 

[TheSound]

I wouldn't know how many people tweet, but its probably in the region of billions as opposed to millions...I am of course prepared to accept that not all of them live in a goldfish bowl, and I never actually said they did. We do have a family Facebook page which my own kids update mostly with photos etc...and they chat with friends on there, though I have no idea what possible use I would ever have for it personally...there's a lot of fads I can't comprehend, Kindle is another one, what use is a device that has the storage capacity for 10,000 books?...even if you sat at home all day and did almost nothing else most people could probably only read maybe 2 or 3 books a week, so book #9,752 on your Kindle is about 90-100 years off, books aren't like CDs where you dip in and out playing the odd track and can get through probably 10-15 per day. Ok most people wouldn't fill the thing to anywhere near capacity, but I worry about a world without books where everything that matters to people is stored on a microchip in your pocket, books have done more for the historic progress of western civilization than any other single factor, they are basically what separates us from all the other mammals, things like Kindle could usher in the end of publishing, and when there is no more publishing then chances are there's no more authors, and all that's left of us is one gigantic interlinked blog.

 

[LG]

^^I agree with you TS, Books are magical to me and their importance cannot be overestimated. To go all in on the 'cloud/gadgets' worries me, within 20 years there might not be any books published in printed form.

 

[METALPRIEST]

The way I see it, if forums are dead, which I really don't think they are...we're doing pretty good compared to some.

We still have a nice community.

 

[METALPRIEST]

...I also chalk it up to CRF being troll free...yeah sometimes the staff doesn't always catch it (but stop it when we do), but our goal is to keep CRF troll free.

Nobody likes to go hang out with their friends and be trolled on a daily basis beyond general intelligent discussion.

We will always maintain a fun atmosphere here

 

[LG]

The way I see it, if forums are dead, which I really don't think they are...we're doing pretty good compared to some.

We still have a nice community.

There is a state of flux going on right now though MP. Many forums(music) that I used to know are dead or dying right now. While we are still doing alright there has been a fundamental change in online habits, due in no small part to what gadgets folks use now instead of sitting in front of their computers which we have talked about in depth already.

 

[Big Ears]

Books are one of the most fundamental forms of information technology. I have always loved them. Wikipedia is great, but I still buy and use reference books: a couple of recent purchases were The Dictionary of World History and The Readers Digest Book of Birds. I also cannot imagine reading a novel on a tablet (although it may happen one day) - I read a part of a novel on paper every day.

 

[Big Ears]

There are large music forums, which get mentioned fairly regularly in the music press, whereas originally the forums were discussing the magazines and publications. I think the journalists prowl the forums, because news gets out on the internet before the magazines are published. Assuming they were genuine and they seemed to be, I have asked relatively well known musicians questions on the forums. You cannot do that with the media. One of the problems with music forums, apart from spammers, trolls and Walter Mitty wannabees, is those who incorrectly state things as fact without experience or citations, so it becomes an elaborate form of Chinese whispers.

 

[LG]

^^There are a host of sources for 'factual' information when it comes to music. No doubt some are more reliable than others. But I've always felt a forum added 'personality' to the equation, the repartee' you have with the people you meet, the dialog and even disagreements are enjoyable as long as they are civilized.

Anyone can copy/paste an article and post it, but I'd much rather read an entertaining and genuine opinion written by one of our own members.

 

[Wicked Death Killa]

I also think that a site like this: plug.dj is another reason why music forums are dying.