What online discussion forums require

Bill Mattocks

Sr. Grandmaster
MTS Alumni
Joined
Feb 8, 2009
Messages
15,627
Reaction score
4,434
Location
Michigan
I am not Bob and I don't want to speak for Bob, but I thought in light of recent events, it might be interesting to discuss what the nature of a discussion forum is, and what makes one popular. I ran computer bulletin board systems (BBS) back in the mid 1980's, which are the grandfather of today's online forums, and not that much has changed about them.

First of all, consider that there is a difference between a 'good' forum and a 'popular' forum. Chess is a good game; not many people like to watch it being played. Forum owners need eyeballs and activity or their forums are not popular and if they're not popular, they're not profitable. Sorry guys, but discussion forums cost money. Many forum owners start forums for the love of the subject matter, but it gets expensive quickly to support more than a few hundred active users, and that money has to come from somewhere. Paid advertising helps, but part of the rates those ads earn are based on the number of hits they get and how busy the forum in question is.

Forums by nature tend to attract vocal people who post, and lots of lurkers who don't. Vocal people tend to be opinionated. Most people don't mind opinionated folks, even those they disagree with, but they do want to be entertained. When the opinions stop being entertaining and start being offensive, people object. And even that can be OK, because discussion forums need a certain about of stress and disagreement and strife to be popular. Who would go to a discussion forum where everyone agreed with each other? But there is a ratio, a balance, that must be maintained, or the forum tips off the edge of popular and becomes a train wreck. The 'good' posters stop posting, and the lurkers quit reading it. Eyeballs aren't clicking on the page anymore, and sponsors and ad rates drop for the discussion forum owner.

So think of Bob like a farmer. We're his crop in a sense. He has to feed us and water us and give us sunshine and let us do what we want to do (as long as it's popular) and even put up with a certain amount of strife and disagreement in the forums; but from time to time, some weeding must be done. This can be done with reposting of the rules, making an example of a few bad eggs, temporary or permanent bans, or shutting down forums completely. However, the 'nuclear' option is seldom the best one for the forum owner.

There is a reason that most online discussion forums which cater to everything from audiophiles to hockey fans to horologists (not what you think) and photography fans all have an 'off topic' discussion area or two. They have it because there's only so much to be said about the main topic, and the forum owner wants people to hang around, develop a sense of community, and talk about other things when they're not talking about the main subject. Yes, this is a martial arts forum. But not everyone wants to talk about martial arts (or watches or music or hockey, etc) all the time. Keeping people coming back is important to the business model. So yeah, off-topic forums.

But the off-topic forums are the ones that tend to generate the most active use. So they are important. But they must also be kept weeded, or they go out of control and become detrimental to the overall community.

It's a different perspective than one that most users think of when they use a discussion forum, but I think it's important to keep in mind. It is not personal. It's weeding, pruning, trimming, fertilizing (sometimes a bit literally) and nurturing.
 

Bob Hubbard

Retired
MT Mentor
Founding Member
Lifetime Supporting Member
MTS Alumni
Joined
Aug 4, 2001
Messages
47,245
Reaction score
771
Location
Land of the Free
There is a reason that most online discussion forums which cater to everything from audiophiles to hockey fans to horologists (not what you think) and photography fans all have an 'off topic' discussion area or two. They have it because there's only so much to be said about the main topic, and the forum owner wants people to hang around, develop a sense of community, and talk about other things when they're not talking about the main subject. Yes, this is a martial arts forum. But not everyone wants to talk about martial arts (or watches or music or hockey, etc) all the time. Keeping people coming back is important to the business model. So yeah, off-topic forums.

Yep. I aimed for building a community. Not a wiki. :)
 
OP
Bill Mattocks

Bill Mattocks

Sr. Grandmaster
MTS Alumni
Joined
Feb 8, 2009
Messages
15,627
Reaction score
4,434
Location
Michigan
Yep. I aimed for building a community. Not a wiki. :)

I'm sure there are a few people who get up in the morning, have their coffee, and then log onto MT to see if there are any new pointers posted on how to block a low kick or what the XYZ martial arts organization has gotten up to lately, or how much promotions cost in Lower Elbonia, but I'd wager most of us log in daily to see what our MT friends, acquaintances, and yes, even enemies are up to. We come back for each other, and martial arts is the overarching theme that ties it all together. So off-topic is part of what builds community, IMHO. It's just what when people do NOT want to read the off-topic forums, they have less reason to hang around in general. So they may visit for the stated purpose of the forum, but not as often or for as long. That's my take on it, anyway.
 
OP
Bill Mattocks

Bill Mattocks

Sr. Grandmaster
MTS Alumni
Joined
Feb 8, 2009
Messages
15,627
Reaction score
4,434
Location
Michigan
Yep. I aimed for building a community. Not a wiki. :)

I'm sure there are a few people who get up in the morning, have their coffee, and then log onto MT to see if there are any new pointers posted on how to block a low kick or what the XYZ martial arts organization has gotten up to lately, or how much promotions cost in Lower Elbonia, but I'd wager most of us log in daily to see what our MT friends, acquaintances, and yes, even enemies are up to. We come back for each other, and martial arts is the overarching theme that ties it all together. So off-topic is part of what builds community, IMHO. It's just what when people do NOT want to read the off-topic forums, they have less reason to hang around in general. So they may visit for the stated purpose of the forum, but not as often or for as long. That's my take on it, anyway.
 

Big Don

Sr. Grandmaster
Joined
Sep 2, 2007
Messages
10,551
Reaction score
189
Location
Sanger CA
[h=2]What online discussion forums require:[/h]The way I see it:
  1. A website
  2. Bandwidth
  3. several people of differing opinions
as they say in CA
es todo
 

RandomPhantom700

Master of Arts
Joined
May 19, 2004
Messages
1,583
Reaction score
69
Location
Treasure Coast, FL
[h=2]What online discussion forums require:[/h]The way I see it:
  1. A website
  2. Bandwidth
  3. several people of differing opinions
as they say in CA
es todo

Good point. I'll go ahead and amend the thread title for Bill: "What healthy, long-lived online discussion forums require." :uhyeah:
 

The Last Legionary

All warfare is based on deception.<br><b>nemo malu
Lifetime Supporting Member
MTS Alumni
Joined
Oct 26, 2005
Messages
1,041
Reaction score
98
Location
Isle de la Moros
I'm not here for the martial arts. (No duh) I'm here to share a few laughs, see what's new, say hi to a few fans/friends, and occasionally try to help out. Used to do more, but life, job, burn out and differing viewpoints on some administrative things took me out of the command structure years and years ago. But, 2c here.

For a successful forum, you need a consistantly enforced rule set. Though there have been ups and downs, overall this site has run pretty consistant all the years I've been here (and that's 10 folks). Rogue mods aren't tollerated, though in the past it's taken too long to decide via commitee to handle some of the turds effectively. If there's one problem, its an over attempt at 'fairness'. Other things needed, stable hardware (got it), stable software (got it) though both have had hiccups over the years.
After that, you need people. That's where it gets hairy.
 

Latest Discussions

Top