Geek Strand: The De-Evolution of Forums
A funny thing happened on the way to the forum...
In ancient times, the men would gather in the in village square to discuss philosophy, literature and events of their time.
That is the origin of the forum.
Over the years, it has evolved (or devolved) into different forms, ranging from the Senate floor to the corner bar.
Then the Internet came around and a new level of this ancient tradition was formed. Newsgroups were the first version, letting people from around the world communicate on various subjects—some serious, most not. It was on the newsgroups that I was first exposed to the Internet. The World Wide Web was still a dream and graphic were nearly unheard of. Then came the chaos of chat rooms, then the personalization of instant messaging.
However, people still hungered for a venue to debate their particular interests. E-mail groups like Yahoo Groups and Google Groups came along, but somewhere along the line, the now archaic idea of newsgroups was reborn in the form of forums.
Online forums seem to have become the default discussion forum. Nearly every Web site seems to have one of their own and to get anything done, you have to join. I have encountered products support pages where you have to join the forum to file for a refund. No, you can’t call. No, you can’t fill out an e-mail form. No, you can’t come to our store; you have to join our forum.
Personally, I don’t understand their attraction. First, you have to join, filling out you name, username, password, pick an avatar and all the little details required of you. Then you are not done. You have to wait for an e-mail to confirm your membership.
With e-mail groups, you had your Yahoo or Google ID and you signed up. All the details were there and all the discussion came to you chosen e-mail program.
In forums, you have to go to their web site and log in, check your messages, then scan through hundreds of posts in an attempt to find the conversation threads you are following.
If you are lucky, you have a forum with good software. I have been to lousy forums where the search function didn’t even work, and the most necessary functions, like e-mail notifications for when other members message you or even to warn you of new posts on conversations you have been monitoring.
Even to this day, the bad software for forums still exists and is in use. And it can be all avoided with a simple e-mail group.
Now, I am not saying all forums are bad. Apple.com’s support discussion group is probably the example of forums done right. And PBJunkie.com, the premier forum for paintball players is well done… and…well, that is about all. I can’t think any other forums that I go to by choice. They are just too clunky and cumbersome for me to carry around in my Internet life.
Christopher Huff is a self-confessed and unrepentant geek who as been living, writing and playing on the Grand Strand for several years. You can learn more about him and his writing at www.piratejournalism.com. Follow him on Twitter as BlueNinja. Comments can be sent to chris@alternatives.sc
I’d like to offer one correction to your article. The first online forums weren’t newsgroups, but bulletin boards, aka Compuserve and others, preceding newsgroups by nearly a decade. Such a revolution in communication at the time!
Thank you for this insightful article.
Marcia Lynn
Indeed, you are correct. Bulletin boards did precede the newsgroups, but (and I will admit it didn’t come off clearly in the column) I was speaking from my personal experience. I did not do much with BBs. I kind of missed out on that era. Also, most BBs were kind of private, “closed” networks, Someone running a server from their basement kind of things, and not really connected in the manner that we think of the Internet (my thinking again, excuse me if I am wrong on this). I didn’t know that CompuServe ran BBs. I thought by the time CompuServe, AOL and the others came on board that BBs were regulated to the “underground” world of computer mavericks, and that the baby Internet, newsgroups and e-mails had begun to take over and formed the basis of what we think of as the World Wide Web.
But, I thank you for reading and commenting, and I concede the point. Bulletin Boards were the first computer based forum for the everyday person.