In the past months, I have noticed how this forum has been used by less and less members to discuss. Probably a side-effect of the greater integration and use of Discord into the shows. To be honest, I was wondering how much effort in maintaining and supervising this board “costs” and whether it was still worthwhile to keep up for the dozen or so people who post here, occasionally - given the challenges we heard “on air”.
But then I thought: let’s turn that thought around and be grateful - thank you for keeping up the forum for us few people who don’t prefer Discord! I’d fully understand if the forum did not really earn its keep anymore and would need to move to the farm upstate, but I really like listening to you guys and adding two cents here. Discord is just to “live” for that.
Whenever I look at Discord, I just shrug and go away again. There is never anything going on over there, I see a couple of posts from about 8 hours ago and trying to find a thread to a conversation is difficult. It is probably mainly due to not being on West Coast time, plus having a life outside of tech, so I can dip in for an hour here or there, and trying to follow a conversation on Discord is too much like hard work, I’ve seen notifications alleging that people have replied to comments I’ve made, but I’ve never managed to find the replies.
These forums are much more interesting to me, even if they are less frequented.
I do miss the early days of this forum, but understand the financial pressures. There was loads going on, tech questions, debates about shows, photography stuff.
I’d assumed that was all now happening on Discord.
I only use TWiT’s Discord instance for live chatting, which is really what that platform is for. I know Discord’s developers have tried to implement functionality to encourage async communication but in my experience it’s been a failure. Between weird UI choices and an abysmal notification system it’s just too difficult to use in that way.
Can’t beat the traditional the traditional discussion forum design for asynchronous communication. So agreed - thanks for keeping it alive! I probably don’t check in as often as I should but there’s nearly always something worth reading when I do.
I agree with @big_D - I always get the answers I’m looking for (usually from @big_D) or the scolding I need (again, mostly from @big_D), and love the community, even though I haven’t posted in awhile. We may be small, but I actually like it better that way.
Just kidding @big_D - I have been agreeing with you a lot more lately. Most of your comments and advice are spot on.
Danke für die Blumen, as we say here in Germany (thank you for the flowers).
Even when I disagree with someone, I try and keep it polite and point out what I feel are the weaknesses or inaccuracies in the other person’s argument, not attack them directly, which I believe is a rarity these days, on the Internet. I am glad you took my arguments in that vein and weren’t offended. A polite and lively discussion of people who disagree is what makes forums like these such a great place - and why I tend to avoid much of social media…
I hope we can keep exchanging ideas and points of view on these forums in years to come.
Absolutely, we will! And I agree that the majority of today’s forums are overloaded with keyboard warriors who offer vitriol over polite or even spirited discussion–especially on social media. Most of the time I find it’s due to ignorance or not thinking before they type.
I look forward to the future of Club Twit and this forum.
I suppose that financial pressures mean that the Dischord rules. As I have stated previously the impending loss of the IRC room has for viewers/listeners like me - who for our financial reasons cannot afford he Club. I only watch three shows at best in a given week. loose out.
This forum is neglected because it’s never mentioned during shows. The forum is still very useful, long may it continue.
I like the slower pace and cleaner organization of this forum. It costs a few hundred dollars a month and very little effort to maintain (thanks to the help of PHolder).
I think I can continue to afford keeping it going along with our Mastodon instance https://twit.social - which cost a bit more. At least I’ll try to as long as people continue to use it (and the Club keeps generating revenue).
I really enjoy the forum. I’m pretty young(29!), so I only had a handful of years on a forum before social media and then Reddit/Discord took over the landscape of what starting a community looks like. This taps into a weirdly nostalgic itch for me.
TWiT scratches an old school itch for me, and I think having a forum helps with that. Although maybe someone can say that as a negative, TWiT feels stuck in the past. But that’s not how I feel about it.
I like the forum also because as a YouTube listener(I guess viewer is the better word) I can’t leave comment there, and this forum actually feels like a genuine way to interact when I eventually have constructive things to say. YT comments are typically ignored once a creator gets large enough (because they’re toxic) but a forum like this feels like a good alternative.
I am glad you took my arguments in that vein and weren’t offended. A polite and lively discussion of people who disagree is what makes forums like these such a great place - and why I tend to avoid much of social media…