Reply To: OnTableTop needs a forum – A discussion thread

[darkdanegan 21470xp 1]

Ok, I might have been persuaded to think a bit more deeply about the relevance of forums these days.  I wasn’t initially convinced by Sundancer’s original premise that the forums are dying and the reason is the technology (paraphrasing), and gave just one non-technology reason (my own perspective) as to why forums are getting less popular.  However, this thread has demonstrated that technology could be a significant factor.  Not entirely in the sense that the forums are unusable (if people really want a forum you can certainly use this one) but perhaps in the sense that OTT probably don’t want to push the forums hard until the technology creates a first class experience, and maybe that lack of marketing/focus has amplified the popularity of discord or other non-OTT forums.

I tried to give the forums another go on the recent mini-push to reinvigorate the forums and immediately got burnt by posting something that was deemed offensive by a country/culture that I had no experience of myself, and made to feel like i’d committed the most heinous crime ever.  And to be honest, that made me pack my bags from the forum, resolved not to return.  I am not a confrontational person, and have no desire to upset anybody, but the internet just seems to be looking for confrontation at every turn these days.  But if I’m really honest, the OTT community overall isn’t bad at all in this regard, and I do see the value in a focussed discussion around a clearly defined topic that can be dipped in and out of over time.  And forums are where this can be achieved, if enough people engage with them regularly (still possibly a challenge!).

Maybe I’ll give it another look….