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Are Niche Forums Dead in the Age of Reddit and Facebook Groups?

Shawn Gossman

Shawn Gossman

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Most forums are niche, right?

But aside from forums about forums and really specific niches that don't exist on Facebook groups or Reddit, do you think most niche forums are dead because of these platforms?

If not, why not? Do you think they are thriving on social/Reddit?
 
Shawn Gossman said:
Most forums are niche, right?

But aside from forums about forums and really specific niches that don't exist on Facebook groups or Reddit, do you think most niche forums are dead because of these platforms?

If not, why not? Do you think they are thriving on social/Reddit?
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Some niches, yes. However, many niches may have subreddits set up on facebook groups and/or reddit, but these particular areas are dead in the water. These platforms are a lot bigger than ours, but we can still thrive even competiting against them.

For example, there are 3-5 different subreddits that cater to the same niche that VPL does, and we're a lot bigger & more active.
 
Cpvr said:
For example, there are 3-5 different subreddits that cater to the same niche that VPL does, and we're a lot bigger & more active.
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It's all about building that community!

Once you establish a community, loyal relationship building is pretty easy.
 
ruscoe said:
I like to think forums will make a comeback as people tire of social media. I'm tired of it, at least!
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I hope you're right, but I feel like something other than forums will be the next outlet.

I feel like forums are like Msn Chat, the old tech. I foresee SaaS platforms winning as the next outlet.

Of course, everything will be mobile, too. Forums lack the mobile innovation that most everything else is capable of.
 
Shawn Gossman said:
I hope you're right, but I feel like something other than forums will be the next outlet.

I feel like forums are like Msn Chat, the old tech. I foresee SaaS platforms winning as the next outlet.

Of course, everything will be mobile, too. Forums lack the mobile innovation that most everything else is capable of.
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I think forums are fine. They just need actual mobile apps that are included in the app stores and are easily to install for some instead of the normal PWA apps.

Maybe some users find it too confusing to install the simple PWA apps that we have now. The SAAS forum options offer similar features but cater to those selling courses like Mighty networks and circle. Substack is basically a forum as well and they have a large user base.

Forums are also easy to browse on mobile so I don’t necessarily see what they’re missing from the mobile interface itself. Responsive design? Most of them have it.
 
ruscoe said:
I like to think forums will make a comeback as people tire of social media. I'm tired of it, at least!
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Unfortunately, what I've noticed happening is users jumping from one social media platform to another once they are fed up with the one they are using. With this pattern, social media platforms will always be ahead in the mix.
 
Cpvr said:
I think forums are fine. They just need actual mobile apps that are included in the app stores and are easily to install for some instead of the normal PWA apps.

Maybe some users find it too confusing to install the simple PWA apps that we have now. The SAAS forum options offer similar features but cater to those selling courses like Mighty networks and circle. Substack is basically a forum as well and they have a large user base.

Forums are also easy to browse on mobile so I don’t necessarily see what they’re missing from the mobile interface itself. Responsive design? Most of them have it.
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I agree.

Platforms need a better way of serving mobile users.

Responsive themes are better than nothing but they're not as good as what you get on social and that's why social will always stay ahead,
 
Shawn Gossman said:
I agree.

Platforms need a better way of serving mobile users.

Responsive themes are better than nothing but they're not as good as what you get on social and that's why social will always stay ahead,
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Exactly! Forums have just been doing a lot of catch up with social media platforms which is sad because it doesn't look like there's any chance of what's obtainable in forums to match what's available on social media sites.
 
Shawn Gossman said:
A lot of people don't want to see forums favor social media looks and features but that's the kind of platform that gets used, used way more than forums ever will.

I think forum software needs a BIG facelift.
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There's always a way to revamp your designs if you'd like to. Hire a theme designer and have them make a forum look like a social media site.

That's a thing here. If forum software's want to do it, then they will. Forums aren't supposed to be like social media sites. They birthed social media.
 
ruscoe said:
I like to think forums will make a comeback as people tire of social media. I'm tired of it, at least!
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Until forums can advance into the era of 2025 and offer users what they are used to on other platforms.. not gonna happen.
The same "hope" was there with BBS sites when the internet started becoming a thing. Even those BBS scripts that looked forward and offered certain internet access abilities died an agonizingly slow death.
The simple fact is, WAY to many forum script developers are stuck in the era of "what was" and can't deal with the reality of "what is".
Some of us have been around for 4+ decades and involved in the "tech" and watched the landscape evolve.
 
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