Are forums dying and being replaced by facebook groups?

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I know most of you folks are semi-old geezers like myself who are either skeptical of social media or non participants, but I read a statement yesterday that I had'nt heard before. A writer in a print magazine said that forums were "on a downward spiral" and were being replaced by Facebook groups, I assume because they can be made more restrictive to limit obnoxious, or sadly, dissenting posters.

Have any of you folks heard this?

Please, try not to clutter up this thread by repeating your Facebook or social media rant. I'm not on Facebook either.
But if you have heard something on this, feel free to let us know.
This is one of the few forums I read and post on consistently, but it's also unusually polite and articulate.
Bill S

 

[SAFireman]

Bill,

This is the most civilized firearms forum that I have ever belonged to......the mods here do a great job limiting the idgits and spammers.

Like you, I am not a facebook participant (was not myspace either)

 

[gman51]

I let facebook go a long time ago. I heard Facebook has been censoring out quite a bit of gun commentary. But I am not on it so I really don't know.

 

[Fishinfool]

Not a FB'r myself either, although it did come in handy sometimes in my former LEO capacity when looking for a wanted person.

Its effect on forums probably depends on the forum topic. I think most folks on a gun forum like this would be less enticed to leave for FB, as opposed to say modern, high tech / low drag tactical stuff, where the participant is probably younger. A well run forum like this one has a wealth of searchable knowledge that is hard pressed to find in another venue.

Larry

 

[soFlaNative]

When I search the Net for a product repair or review usually I'll find a reference to a forum of some kind within the first page of results. Not familiar with Facebook groups I'd tend to believe that the more serious devotees of a particular subject may gravitate to a more specific format.
Everything will disappear eventually due to disinterest or entropy.
That said, this is my preferred brand of social media. After checking the classifieds, revolver and some other sub forums it is damn fine to hang in the Lounge with like minded folk for a bit.

 

[hostler]

I don't think Facebook (and the like) are going to replace forums. There's a lot more information passed on forums than on Facebook. I agree with soflanative in that the information and expertise on various forums is invaluable when looking to buy, fix and ID anything. The internet really is an amazing thing and has saved me more time and money than I could ever imagine. Gentlemen (ladies), we really have lived through an incredible time.

 

[Ranger17]

I follow and stick with a forum like this as it's been a pleasure to be part of and (thank goodness) a high % of the members/posters are friendly and helpful. As most of my collection is SW based, it makes sense to hang around here. And its the main forum I spend my time on.

I do though use FB, from keeping up with family to following writers i like to just posting pix (this grandpa has a tendency to do that a lot lol). I don't bother using it for any groups as it can censor things, but again it's more for my personal use than my hobby....

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

Unless it is in a technical journal, I would never believe what one form of mass media said about another!! Newspapers have always said that broadcast media was just a passing fad. Printed media is about to go the way of the Dodo! I don't begin to trust any form of reporting.

When I was in college a speaker at a class had been City Editor for a Cleveland newspaper during The Sam Shepard Trail (The basis of The Fugitive TV series). This Editor was responsible for running headlines that caused a poor quality trial to go stupid/bad! He was proud of his yellow journalism 26 years later.

The "Press" in general and Newspapers in particular, have Called themselves the Watchdog of the People. Yet, in the last 25 years, there have been scandal after scandal of Major Media's false reporting. Should there be a governing body? absolutely not! They just need to find people to report the news that have a better character that the last 2 or 3 crops! Some of the greats; Paul Harvey, Walter Cronkite, Edward R marrow (SP) to name a few, were human, but they told you when it was fact/news and when it was a personal opinion! Now, everybody has an agenda. The ones that I agree with are really as bad as the ones I don't!

The horse droppings coming from facebook and blogs, are not any form of balanced. They are opinion! And all of this is my opinion! (so, thanks for "listening")

Ivan

 

[Arik]

It's possible if you look at forums overall. All forums. But I don't think they're dying. This is a bit overreacting

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

[walkin jack]

First of all I'd like to thank you for the reminder about posting all our rants about face book. In my case that would be substantial. You have no idea HOW substantial. And for just the reason you imply in the OP.

Regardless of what all the fbers try to tell you don't need face book. Lots of nonsense to pick your way through and to tell you the truth I never much cared for the kid that sat behind me in the 3rd grade.

I belong to another site that I have been with for 19 years. We have nearly 350,000 members and I was #17 to join. I have made friends that I'd believed would be a life time friendship. Now most of them are bailing out and moving on to face book.

In effect scraping off all of the ones that stand their ground about face book and forsaking the original site just short of completely. Only posting a few times a year and no longer in personal contact.

They expect every one to jump every time a new fad pops up. I will NOT do it. I still have a computer for email. a Cell phone. and a mail box on the front of my house.

At first I was hurt which turned to anger and now has settled into indifference. If that's all that my friendship meant to them then I haven't lost much. I'm still sad but I and TREMENDOUSLY consoled by my good fortune to have found this my new cyber home.

Y'all may never know the extent to which you have saved and comforted this grouchy old curmudgeon! My heart felt thanks to you all.

 

[rburg]

Man, I don't know. Can you say "shucky darn" on FB and not get hammered by an overly prudish moderator? Just asking..

Its my impression the idea that Lee is pushing is to archive all the posts and not cull/pare them. Even foolish ones like this. Who knows how long that can last. As long as it does, FB sure would need a lot of people with real knowledge of the subject to even try to replace this place. I don't see that taking place. Besides, FB is where you go to look at photos of your grandkids.

 

[Muss Muggins]

It's possible to do both . . .

(There's a lot less anonymity available on FaceBook . . . )

 

[TTSH]

Is FaceBook still around? I hadn't noticed.

 

[bushmaster1313]

I do not have a facebook account

 

[rwsmith]

Facebook....

Facebook Schmacebook.

It wouldn't be moderated to an extent anything like here. Lee and the mods have control, I think that way is the best and one of the reasons this board IS the best.

 

[fiasconva]

I have a feeling that the PC police will eventually take over Facebook and talk of and pictures of evil guns will no longer be allowed. We ain't got to worry about with forums like this.

 

[Tom K]

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has become about 75% less valuable to me because they shut down their discussion forum section. Now if you want to make a comment or ask a question you have to go to their Facebook page, which is a non-starter for me.

 

[JohnSW]

I never joined Facebook, because their rules say that you are supposed to use your real name. No thank you. I don't want every word I write to part of my Permanent Identifiable Internet Record.

They reportedly do a lot of dumb image censorship too. In one case, they deleted the famous Vietnam Napalm Girl photo, claiming that it was child pornography.

 

[doug86]

I never joined Facebook, because their rules say that you are supposed to use your real name. No thank you. I don't want every word I write to part of my Permanent Identifiable Internet Record.
.

Which is exactly why comparing FB to forums is like comparing apples to hub caps. There is very little chance of anonymity for FB users (can be done, but hard to do), so those who voice an opinion can't really hide behind "doug86" or what ever.

That changes the dynamic. On FB, each person gets to be in charge of his page, and can kick off, block or accept anyone they want. Over here, the owners of this forum are the only ones who can keep me out.

The two things are quite different in my opinion. I like both.

 

[NCW Ray]

I do both...but when I want accurate info I come to the forums such as this one. Here I can search and find the info I need, plus it's easier to verify the poster of the info. I never read just one post from one poster and use the info without me first getting a feel of their knowledge by reading many posts made by them. On FB I see lots of people join the group and say they just bought their first handgun and then in a month they're posting like they're experts.

I sure hope the forums don't go away!