Reddit is filled with internal jokes.
HN is a big echo-chamber.
Lobste.rs is invite-only.
Imzy?? (too young maybe?)
Any good forum out there?
Ask HN: Great online forums?
1–10 of 70 posts
Re: Ask HN: Great online forums?
#2Voat.co seems like a promising Reddit alternative. Less censorship for certain, definitely not shill-proof however.
Solving the problem of shills/astroturfers is IMO the most difficult and important challenge in accommodating public online discussion moving forward.
Re: Ask HN: Great online forums?
#3I think there are still a few good forums out there but they're specific to a hobby or interest.
Re: Ask HN: Great online forums?
#4Voat.co seems like a promising Reddit alternative. Less censorship for certain, definitely not shill-proof however. Solving the problem of shills/astroturfers is IMO the most difficult and important challenge in accommodating public online discussion moving forward.
Can you define those terms for those of us who are unaware?
Re: Ask HN: Great online forums?
#5Here's is how I viewed this history of collaborative forum information online in the last 20 years
Slashdot - aggregating opinions from "experts". allowed comments. Lacked accountability so then came...
Digg - allowed crowd source voting. active interaction. complicated and over-engineered upvote algorithm lead to...
Reddit - community inclusion. more open voting (and down voting). subgroups.
So that's kind of where I see it. What gets improved on? Is there technology that can be improved? Is there a missing idea or improvement? Is there a next generation that could improve status quo?
Re: Ask HN: Great online forums?
#6Many, but mostly special interest, mostly around hobbies. Reddit, Lobste.rs and HN aren't really forums in my view. (reddit comes closest, but still has this focus on short-term threads and voting that is different from what I think of as a good forum. Classic phpbb has its strengths)
What fields are you interested in?
Re: Ask HN: Great online forums?
#7Not sure if you're open to the idea, but I've found that smaller image boards, particularly those with a specific subject matter, often are home to excellent, substantive discussion. The only issue is that once a critical mass is reached (see 8chan, 4chan, et al) productive discussion goes out the window due to the ridiculous pace of conversation and the level of trolling enabled by anonymity and lax rules of engagement.
I won't divulge any specific boards here publicly, but I'd be happy to PM you a nice one.
Re: Ask HN: Great online forums?
#8Re: Ask HN: Great online forums?
#9What exactly are you looking for? A "good forum" is one that fits your needs and tastes well. Are you specifically looking for a tech forum? A general interest forum? Something else? What do you want out of it?
Re: Ask HN: Great online forums?
#10The best online forums are the ones devoted to a topic and run by people who believe in what they're doing. HN, in fact, fits this description to a t. bluelight.org, which I used to moderate, is a great example of how a dedicated community can generate productive discussion even when most of the members are heavy drug users without college degrees. Quora, by contrast, has some of the smartest people from all over the world, but it's hardly a "community" and is susceptible to its own forms of groupthink and political squabbling.
If you're specifically looking for discussion on politics, philosophy, and religion, aka the three things that end up on every forum that isn't about them, I suggest reading books and peer-reviewed journals.