How to make a healthy vibrant forum?

[Colin YNWA]

So a conversation on one of them there Faciebook groups has go me pondering about the future of the forum. It was basically asking is there any point in this Forum anymore from a once pretty regular poster. Things have been slowing down around here for quite sometime and a quick look at the usage stats

https://forums.2000ad.com/index.php?action=stats

shows the cold hard evidence of that. This year looks to be the slowest to date. Official comments are thin on the ground, to none existant and frankly as other channels of communication become more and more prominant who can blame them. I have no way knowing what plans, if any Rebellion have for maintaining this site but there may be something we can do?

Amongst all the usual claims that this is a horrible place on this Facebook chat, claims I just don't see, a few scraps aside I've always found this the most lovely oasis on the Internet, there were some very good points. Firstly is the format of forums just old hat and such places will naturally wither on the vine and slowly die off? Should I just accept our fate and enjoy what we time we have left together?

BUT as also pointed out the format of a forum is by and far the most useful, practical and well organised way of keeping the discussion we have together, certainly a LOT better to use than Facebook for such things - even Search has got better. I have to be honest I use this place as almost a journal of my comic nerding and such - in a way that other platforms just won't replace - as my friends in the 'real' world just aren't comic-positive.

SO TO A POINT AT LASSSSTTTTT

What can we do to get this place buzzing again. How do we make this forum I adore so much, that has given me so much pleasure of the last 11 years - longer for others - a place that Rebellion can't ignore. That becomes the defacto place of choice for 2000ad fandom as it once was...

... or do we simply hold its hand and sing it a soft tear filled lullaby as we watch it drift away into the next life?

[Dark Jimbo]

...Firstly is the format of forums just old hat and such places will naturally wither on the vine and slowly die off? Should I just accept our fate and enjoy what we time we have left together?

BUT as also pointed out the format of a forum is by and far the most useful, practical and well organised way of keeping the discussion we have together, certainly a LOT better to use than Facebook for such things - even Search has got better.

Yeah, I don't agree that it could be de facto replaced. How could you have stuff like Funt's '2000AD in Stages' thread work the same way in FB?

I also think the killing of the art comps was a bit of a nail in the coffin, even if they had already been growing a bit quiet. They created such a buzz, such a sense of community that's never quite been recovered.

[Buttonman]

Male to female ratio 7.6:1? Hello Ladies! Unless they are counting Tom in his dress!

[Colin YNWA]

Male to female ratio 7.6:1? Hello Ladies! Unless they are counting Tom in his dress!

I think we should always count Tom in his dress!

[Bolt-01]

On a personal note, as I don't do FB if this place goes I'll have no-one to talk with about 2000 AD or even many other things unless I'm at a gig.

Yes, it is a 'lot' quieter than it was but I still find it to be the only place on the internet I can go for a bit of 'mainly' intelligent discussion.

[maryanddavid]

I don't post often here, never did tbh, but I still visit every day.
Much easier to follow a conversation, FB and other 2000AD discussion places are fleeting. I have no real solution, other than perhaps those that do lurk become a bit more involved.

[Proudhuff]

Male to female ratio 7.6:1? Hello Ladies! Unless they are counting Tom in his dress!

I think we should always count Tom in his dress!

Only at the weekends, but thanks for the support (tights)

[IndigoPrime]

Forum usage ebbs and flows. Unless this place becomes tumbleweeds, I’m not too concerned. Sure, some of the conversation has inevitably shifted to Facebook, but that only really works for immediacy. Facebook is a nightmare for ongoing conversation, deep threads, organisation, and search. Also – and most importantly – Facebook owns everything. You’re one hack or ban away from everything being gone forever. (And I should know. I admin a band page that very nearly lost everything through a spam bot attack.)

As for claims this is a horrible place, I’m not sure where they come from. I dip into Facebook reasonably often, and I don’t really see many comments along those lines on the official 2000 AD page. People are a mite grumpier in one of the groups I joined some time ago, but then half the time I wonder whether such things function specifically to gripe about everything 2000 AD and Rebellion are doing these days, having glued rose-tinted glasses to everyone’s faces.

On the nice or nasty, I will say that of the forums of any size I’ve moderated, this is by far the least hassle. We’ve had very few bans here, and those we have had got discussed at almost agonising lengths, usually over a period of days. It’s pretty rare that an admin/mod has to wade in and tell everyone to pipe down a bit.

[Jim_Campbell]

half the time I wonder whether such things function specifically to gripe about everything 2000 AD and Rebellion are doing these days, having glued rose-tinted glasses to everyone’s faces.

The 2000AD FB groups I've dipped into seem to largely consist of people who haven't bought a prog in thirty years complaining that the comic isn't as good as it was when they were 12.

As for the forum… I honestly don't know. Forums just aren't the thing they once were. A couple of tech forums I hang around have gone from so much traffic it was hard to keep up, to a handful of posts a day. I imagine we'll see an uptick in activity as the Rogue Trooper movie gets closer to being a reality, maybe another as/when/if there's substantive news about the Mega City One TV series…

[Dark Jimbo]

The 2000AD FB groups I've dipped into seem to largely consist of people who haven't bought a prog in thirty years complaining that the comic isn't as good as it was when they were 12.

Yup. As Frank noted just yesterday(?), most of the traffic of those Dredd groups is just endless posting of covers and blokes called Dave commenting 'i remember 2000ad still got this in my mum's loft somewhere.'

[IndigoPrime]

There’s also a fuck-ton of sniping going on in those Facebook threads. There are people that seem to delight now on wading into threads and having all their replies be accusing Rebellion of not paying royalties, while linking to that Mills blog post. Whereas here, we had a discussion. There was nuance, rather than someone blazing in, leaving the digital equivalent of a massive shit on the floor, and then running away again.

I like forums. I think they’re probably doomed long-term, but they’re a much better mechanism for actual discussion than anything else, bar possibly the paid (not free) version of Slack.

[Proudhuff]

On possible improvements:
 I think it would help if the forum got a bit more attention from Rebellion TBH, for example the Day Of Dredd could have been punted heavily here and a bit of buzz created, but that seems reserved for social media, it would be good if we weren't the poorer cousin when it came if promos and attention( sorry for the sour grapes) perhaps if some info came out only here (a bit like Talking Dead) it might enliven things?

 Art Comps, the odd freebie TPB and maybe some creator input would be nice (if a bit of a minefield) it seems when a creator goes pro they withdraw from here, (with one or two notable exceptions).
 I understand FB etc may bring in advertising and revenue etc, but I do get the feeling the Forum has been left to wither on the vine.     

[Dandontdare]

On a personal note, as I don't do FB if this place goes I'll have no-one to talk with about 2000 AD or even many other things unless I'm at a gig.

^^^ This. I am not signing my soul (or my data at least) to FB just to talk about 2000ad

I think it would help if the forum got a bit more attention from Rebellion TBH, for example the Day Of Dredd could have been punted heavily here and a bit of buzz created, but that seems reserved for social media, it would be good if we weren't the poorer cousin when it came if promos and attention( sorry for the sour grapes) perhaps if some info came out only here (a bit like Talking Dead) it might enliven things?

^^^ This too - The first I ever heard about "Day of Dredd" was when Proudhuff posted about it the other day .... if only Rebellion could hire someone to publicise such events on their public forum, you know like a PR droid.

No disrespect to CFM who does all the boring slog of posting them, but the art comp thread doesn't feel like a forum thing any more.

[Bolt-01]

which is a shame. I know I have no legs to stand on here (can't remember the last forum art comp I entered) but they were always a lot of fun to join in with and watch.

I do think that a lot of former forum members still lurk here - even if they don't log-in with familiar user names anymore.

[sheridan]

As for claims this is a horrible place, I’m not sure where they come from. I dip into Facebook reasonably often, and I don’t really see many comments along those lines on the official 2000 AD page.

I did a double-take when I read that too - considering how much nasty, vindictive, sexist, etc stuff goes on in some of those groups.