I kept nodding last week when I read Bring Back the Humble Forum by Kev Quirk.
Why?
His comments about social media and forums resonated with me.
Other than Mastodon, which I moved to when the company formerly known as Twitter changed ownership in October 2022, I’ve stopped using social networks.
Quirk’s comment:
But I do miss the good old days of the humble internet forum.
had me wishing for those long-ago days, before social media.
Until 2009, I used forums to meet others who had similar interests.
Learn something new.
Ask questions as well as offer recommendations or resources to folks asking questions.
Like Quirk, my experiences on forums were positive.
I was welcomed, enjoyed the conversations, and felt I was contributing to the forum.
Before I became active on Twitter in 2008, I was active on multiple online forums.
But two were instrumental in my work and personal life:
- CommunityMX
- Godbit
Both forums were focused on web design and development. And sadly, both are closed now.
I look back fondly and remember the people I met through their forums. And eventually, I met many of them in real life at conferences.
Folks I developed friendships with that have lasted for 15 to 20+ years.
We’ve shared personal triumphs and failures, job referrals, family updates, gardening tips, photography, and more.
I’m not saying forums don’t have their own issues. They do.
And I’ve probably forgotten many of those issues.
But what I liked about forums—shared common interest, no algorithm, what I remember as more meaningful conversations (and less judgement)—are things I don’t see happening in social media today.
