The death of the internet forum

[Nephilim96]

I don't think forums are really dying as much as this particular forum is dying. I go on some sports forums that have like 100,000 posts per day. (I agree that forums in general are less popular, but some of you are over exaggerating the "death" of forums)

Also, while we're talking about things that are dying, facebook is dying imo. Apparently they get like half the traffic now that they used to get in like 2010. I also personally know a lot of people that have either "deactivated" their account or started going on it like once a week at most. Hell, I even barely go on mine anymore, and the only reason I ever do is to look at things bands posted, or to talk hockey with a single friend of mine who doesn't really post on forums. Now, all the little teenage girls use twitter to post their stupid shit, instagram to post their pictures, and when they nee to chat, they use skype or text, so facebook is kind of obsolete for many people.

 

[Nephilim96]

Except not everyone's comfortable giving out their personal info via Facebook. I sort of like the anonymity here.

(And here I am five minutes later. Who said this place was dead?)

This site is not even as lively as it was when I joined, and I'm a fucking noob compared to 95% of the posters here.

 

[Dak]

I was on a FB group that discussed random shit. We tried moving to a forum, and only about 1/3 really made the initial move, and then that dwindled to nothing, and then people started using the FB group again, but it was only about 1/3 of the original total now. I agree FB has slowed down to. Old people are killing it with nonstop sharing of ten year old memes.

I think some of the main problems for UM is that it's no longer one of the best sources of metal searching on the web. That's what got me here initially. The rest of the web is catching up. Music also offers a lot less discussion material outside of "controversial opinions" than does an ever changing subject like "Sports". Yeah music changes, but not nearly as quickly. The controversial opinions thread recycled a couple dozen times at the end over Opeth/Iron Maiden/Judas Priest/The Big 4.

No one really cares to discuss post-alternative-shoegaze-black-metal-with-symphonic-and-progressive-influences. It is what it is. You like it, you don't like it. Whatever.

Are we possibly experiencing a broader phenomenon? The emerging adulthood of the internet?

 

[Krigloch the Furious]

This is where I get all my metal needs. Finding new bands constantly from the punks on this forum.

 

[Ben_t]

It got boring when I left.

Really though, I have been here probably like twice in the last 3 years and I can still recognize almost all the threads. It's always people talking about the same things, so after a while it can certainly get boring.

I also don't listen to metal as much as I did, have a daughter and a usually pretty busy at work.

I'll likely be back soon to advertise a lot of CDs that I'll be selling. Just have to stop being lazy with that and actually do it.

 

[Mort Divine]

Basically every ordinary vBulletin/etc-format discussion forum I inhabit seems to be slowing down. Not that there aren't new ones involving new things still popping up, but I think most of the internet has moved to Facebook, 4chan/Reddit, and other such things. And that includes guys that met on a given forum moving their discussions to Facebook.

Facebook discussion groups are so disorganized looking compared to places like this. It is a shame that social media sites like that have over taken places like this. The majority of my internet life has been spent on vbulletin based forums and I've got many fond memories of them.

 

[Dak]

Exactly re:disorganization. Threads, along with basic formatting/word processing options are critical for conversation past "omglikehowcool".

 

[The Ozzman]

A UM Facebook group would be the same damn thing as the forum, except on facebook.

I tried this. It was a failure.

Basically every ordinary vBulletin/etc-format discussion forum I inhabit seems to be slowing down. Not that there aren't new ones involving new things still popping up, but I think most of the internet has moved to Facebook, 4chan/Reddit, and other such things. And that includes guys that met on a given forum moving their discussions to Facebook.

See, I would think bulletin boards would be more popular. They at least offer a bit more anonymity than Facebook does since people here don't use their full names for shit.

 

[jakethedog]

I finally joined this site because it's the most lively metal website there is (sadly.) Maybe it's just at a lull. Who knows?

But the way conversations are laid out on Facebook is stupid - responding to comments, and the fact that EVERYONE can see your shit. There's no privacy on that website anymore.

 

[Funerary_Doom]

I actually really like forums. I've been on a few anime forums since I was 11 (yikes, I know but stopped posting there at like 15) and recently started posting on forums again with this one.

It's hard on Facebook to discuss things or just chew the fat because certain things I can say here I get shit if i say on Facebook due to professional contacts and or family. The anonymity is great and it also gives you fans from all over the world, while Facebook will just have the option of talking to the same group.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Why can't you just create fake Facebook accounts? I have one with my real name that I made only because I was forced to for something school-related, and a John Smith which I use for the rare occasion I want to access Facebook (usually something music related). I mean, I realize that they're still going to be tracking you by IP, but as far as family and such is concerned I don't think it'd be a huge deal, but maybe there's something I'm missing.

EDIT: And yeah, I basically grew up on forums too. I didn't start posting on them until I was 12, but they're always been my preferred medium on conversation (real life included). What's really depressing is when a forum goes through some software change or server failure and bam, there go tens of thousands of posts into nothingness. One of the things I like the most about this place is that it goes back to 2001 and remains intact, unlike so many metal forums that either have a shitty 30-day cutoff or arbitrary pruning.

 

[SentinelSlain]

says someone with a join date from 2007 but only 3,619 posts. You must have lost thousands in deleted threads.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

says someone with a join date from 2007 but only 3,619 posts. You must have lost thousands in deleted threads.

I obviously wasn't talking about this particular forum regarding that. I've lost at least ~25000, most from my earliest years of foruming. Childhood, gone in an instant.

 

[jakethedog]

Kinda sucks. UM used to be packed with people

The gun forums are still packed though.

I actually really like forums. I've been on a few anime forums since I was 11 (yikes, I know but stopped posting there at like 15) and recently started posting on forums again with this one.

It's hard on Facebook to discuss things or just chew the fat because certain things I can say here I get shit if i say on Facebook due to professional contacts and or family. The anonymity is great and it also gives you fans from all over the world, while Facebook will just have the option of talking to the same group.

Plus we all know Zuckerberg wants our info to sell to retailers. So we'd all probably end up getting advertisements for edible babies "cause that's what metalheads like".

 

[Mort Divine]

Yep, I had a lot of really embarrassing posts lost in the ether on a few gaming sites. I also cannot remember for the life of me my first account name on here (Ex-cally-boo was the original one for THIS account) that I got banned by joining here specifically to troll Deron for some reason.

 

[jakethedog]

I basically grew up on forums (fora?) as well. And now years later I'm back - probably here to stay too. This seems like a cool place.

I wonder if this is going to be a new phenomenon - "kids who grew up online". God only knows what we'd be doing 40 years earlier.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Yep, I had a lot of really embarrassing posts lost in the ether on a few gaming sites.

Was Forumplanet among them?

 

[AchrisK]

I am more busy that I used to be. I am still as interested in metal as ever, but I have never liked the style of metal discussion here. That is, a thread called "death metal" which has 2 million posts in it, as opposed to many different posts with descriptive titles which might spark some interest without feeling obligated to read a few pages back. Mostly I just have less time. I tend to check here now and then, and come around during football season for Fantasy Football.

 

[jakethedog]

That is, a thread called "death metal" which has 2 million posts in it, as opposed to many different posts with descriptive titles which might spark some interest without feeling obligated to read a few pages back.

Yeah, that part really could be set up better. But it really doesn't annoy me that much... I've seen places with much more confusing/screwed up layouts.

 

[Mort Divine]

Was Forumplanet among them?

Nah. I think the main ones were Mystic (which shut down ages ago) and TheFinalFantasy hah