Does the internet need a forum?

When writing this article, read the "forum" Baidu Encyclopedia entry, the author of a person is absolutely not able to write so many, but still want to talk about the forum, one has been engaged in the forum related work, second, the author's next work may also have a relationship with the forum, Forum in many people's eyes has become a communication and marketing of the necessary places, some corporate web site in relation to the promotion of marketing, always think of the forum, if not their own to build a forum, not to do a forum to promote. However, this era to do these things, most of the time is not a mindset is not the intention to care about promotion and marketing.

　　Review Forum

Baidu Encyclopedia of the Development of the Forum has a very good summary, the emergence of the forum is the first because of technical constraints, a few decades ago the speed is not so convenient, in order to exchange information someone came up with a forum. The popularity of the Chinese People's network with QQ such as instant chat tools and spread out, but to in-depth understanding of the Internet, or to go to some professional forum to register an account, and then know a bunch of friends, in the exchange of growing up for Daniel, this is the meaning of the internet!

In the early years, especially in China, a lot of excellent websites are from such humble small forum constantly growing, the big has Sina, the professional has the game in the video games bus, the literature has the Banyan tree, even now, the forum is still many website very important part, many websites directly to the forum as the main part, for example Tianya, Like a mop.

　　The outbreak of the Forum

The Forum has been recognized by people, more because of his qualifications, the outbreak of the forum is also caused by a combination of various reasons.

Now is also the case, whether it is a forum, blog, Weibo, valuable content to allow more netizens have the impulse to read and participate. In the early days of the Internet, the forum is obviously a most reliable way, the current many popular words are also from the forum, such as moderators, irrigation and so on, I think the moonlight blogger than I understand that this is the cultural level.

Down is the technical level, in fact, the forum is not simple, at least one person to make a match with Discuz and Phpwind is really not easy, the early forum must have a technical Daniel in the support of the development of the Forum. In China, the advent of Discuz and Phpwind has given the opportunity to many technically not very good people, and discuz Open source has an extraordinary significance. CN domain name of the hype, the reduction of space prices, as well as network supervision in those days when not so tense, the forum really like springing up.

Each of us needs to communicate. Forum is anonymous, if you are scolded on the Internet very miserably, do not use the original account number, to get a vest on the line. In real life, we all need this way of communication. Because each person's difference, each person's environment is different, that wants to break through the geographical limit, seeks the like-minded friend the idea must appear in many people's mind. This is the forum to meet the needs of people's meaning.

The reasons above are still the main reason, triggered the development of the Forum is because of the promotion of the Forum and marketing effect, in the early days, the forum marketing did play a very good effect, and then, the forum was a lot of people stare.

With the development, the Forum has gradually exposed its various abuses, especially in the number of visits and content are particularly many cases, how to identify the value of information, if the expression of personal thoughts, if the theme of the Forum will affect the forum later development.

　　The Fever of the Forum

When the blog appears, the situation of the forum fever is very obvious. This argument may be more of a blog service provider. The forum represents the voice of a group of people, and the blog represents a person's voice. Compared to the blog is actually more than a forum to get people's needs, you can leave the group, but you will never be able to live without your own individual. Blog now has become a lot of people have the necessary services, many companies, organizations, enterprises have also opened a bo. Remember the previous period of time the world population rankings, QQ space rankings are already ranked top ten.

Behind the blog is SNS. If the original blog service plus real-name authentication and relationship network, and then add more to the individual and share to provide the function, that is, SNS, but did not realize the need for people to make friends, so that Facebook, everyone, happy one night burst red. In the micro-Bo era, the forum has become more serious, many new generation of netizens may have never been to a forum, and may not even know what the forum is. The development of the network, a variety of information resources to facilitate access has allowed them to no longer use the forum this mode.

Ali into the capital Phpwind,discuz by Tencent acquisition all foreshadowed this point, the Forum has not been the mainstream of the Internet, here does not represent any emotional color, at least for Discuz, the acquisition by Tencent may allow themselves to develop better.

Not only is the blog, SNS, micro-bo Impact, peer competition has affected the development of the Forum, Baidu Bar and the growth of watercress more compressed the forum's development space.

For watercress, many people said he is SNS, in the author's opinion, watercress is more like the strengthening of social functions of the Forum. Let's just say that if your friends are happy, then you may not need everyone, but your favorite books, movies, music can not follow you to go happy, emphasize the subject content, but not to limit the free content from users, formal watercress exists significance, whenever we google some books, movies, Music, the results of search engines are always inevitable from the content of watercress.

Baidu Bar More is in the technical to give the forum to build a shock. Discuz Open source, but the builders still have to face a series of problems such as space, domain name, so this is still a programmer's dish. Baidu Bar and its own web search integration is to win the user's advantage, you do not have to worry about all technical issues, as long as you are willing, Baidu Bar will be able to give you a forum to come out.

Over the past two years, more and more network supervision, we really feel the fall of many forums.

　　Forum Xiao Qiang

Although the forum experienced ups and downs, but still have a cockroach-like spirit. Of course, there is no spirit in the forum itself, and some forums still exist mainly because people have such needs. At least the older generation of internet users have the habit of on the forum, for some topic content people will take the initiative to focus on, and want to continue to dig content. In the SNS real name Big line of today, people still need anonymity space, after all, people always have emotions, repressed life, we also need to mop the world to some bad taste.

Forum is representative of a group of voices, some work only a number of collaboration can be completed, such as the subtitle group, I love everyone, the tattered Bear subtitle group, they still take the forum as the main body.

The Forum develops to today more and more toward the specialization direction development, runs to those old forum, the new forum always needs one to be able to cause the user to continue to excavate the content, continues to share the content the topic. And this theme is the basis for the continuation of these forums of self-improvement.

　　Do we still need a forum?

Sorry, until this part of the return to the author's theme, to understand the Forum's past and the background of the status quo is the basis for this problem.

Now, there are only two kinds of forums that need to be first, some people do not have the benefit of the ordinary netizens, but they love a certain topic content, and have a strong sense of collective, so they need a forum, Baidu bar, watercress or among them a programmer, their own to build a forum, are their choice. As long as their themes resonate with many different people, the Forum will continue and provide content for the Internet.

Another category should be some enterprises, and here is actually divided into two types, one is the hope to use other people's forum to promote their own, that is, the so-called forum promotion. The other is to build their own forums, hope to use the forum to continuously obtain customer support, and extended customer relationship management.

For the first case, I advise those people to try to drop it. As mentioned above, the Forum gradually to small and professional direction of development, like many all-inclusive and no topic content of the forum, must be eliminated. If you go to the theme Forum area to do propaganda, will inevitably be disgusted by the forum, if the forum itself has advertising area, that forum members how many will go to see it! Now a variety of promotional methods have been mature, there are keyword ads, there are SNS Weibo, if the deep pockets to choose TV ads audience will be wider. Select a number of forum posting devices, which in addition to the Forum members and the owner disgusted with no effect, but also to the members of the Forum very disgusted.

For companies that are considering building a forum, there are more to consider. "Out of the software workshop," the author Arjuna teacher, in his microblog said a word, particularly good: E-commerce, from Taobao Mall began; customer community, starting with the scarf. Forum is a form of people communication, build not to build a forum does not depend on the forum good, and depending on your business, and your product promotion need not need a forum. If you are a toothpaste manufacturer, make a brand of your own toothpaste forum how can anyone go to visit?

To do a forum is to need a certain cost, technical maturity does not represent the ease of operation, if you do not have a strong theme of attracting users, or on the internet has been a lot of homogeneous web sites, forums, it really does not need to be in such a big trouble.

Now the internet is so mature, we have so many channels can do promotion, why is limited to the forum so narrow scope. Now it's Weibo, and a lot of companies have proven the success of Weibo marketing through practice, Weibo is also easier to narrow the distance between enterprises and customers, then why to consider the forum, repeat again, this era again, in addition to brain stupid thinking set, is not bothered to think about marketing this thing.

　　Continue to do the forum

In fact, said above, do not do the forum depends on the needs and not the forum itself, for some strong content needs of people or enterprises, they still need a forum. For the enterprise also, as long as your content is enough to attract users, and in the context of communication can produce a lot of valuable content, the forum is a very good way.

Forum can be anonymous, every member of the forum is equal, even if the moderator sent a reply and other people, the forum of opinion leaders can cause more topics. Forum is also relatively easy to find problems, do not underestimate some very stupid questions, these can reflect the product in use, or find some problems that are not easy to find.

I remember the former management of a version of the area, that version is only for members to answer questions, but because our subject is fixed, the effect to get better than Baidu know a lot of time a long also for others to accumulate a lot of problems to solve.

Forum is also a very good place to produce content. The site can not allow you to start without content, the forum can let you start from 0.

It is because of the Forum's equality and openness, the operation of a forum, but also to pay special attention to your forum moderators, they took office because there is a common hobby, as the owner of you and the moderator before no legally binding treaty, moderators are using their own break time to work for you, You must not treat moderators the way bosses do to employees. Occasional concessions are certainly essential.

Source: Reader Tour card submission, author email: pcedb0189#gmail.com (#换成 @), the original address.