The Forum - What is it for?
Last Update: April 07, 2012
I want to ask you all a very serious question (or two) today, one in which is going to help us make some very important decisions.
My first question is:
"What do you use the forum for?"
I know many of you use it because you have been using it for some time, but that is not an answer. Please be very specific with your answers and tell me about the exact function that you use it for. This way the feedback will be the most powerful and helpful.
What are my opinions on the forum?
Personally, I don't like the forum. Maybe I should rephrase that, I like the way forums allow people to communicate but I don't like the technology. It feels as though I have been removed from today's advanced technology world into technology of the 1990's.
I think forums are a very dated means of communicating. Sure they are effective way of saying stuff and responding to stuff, but there are many alternatives out there. Many.
I personally think that if we can resolve these two problems, there is not going to be a need for a forum here at Wealthy Affiliate any longer.
(1) Ability to private message
(2) Ability to ask questions and get answers
(3) Ability to quickly articulate how you are feeling about your situation
Chat does serve a purpose but it does not allow for articulation nor storage of particular questions and answers, although it is becoming one of the most effective ways to get help. Blog posts are a great way to get help and you can post questions here, but you need to engage someone in order to trigger a response. Typically people want to read interesting content within your blog and find out something new, so we definitely don't want to force people into blogging to get answers to their questions.
So this leads me to another question:
"If you were to remove the forum, what would you need to see to replace the forum?"
So I do agree with anyone that states that chat and blogs do not answer the be all end all need for help. But I do want to open a discussion on the removal of the forum. Don't just say, "it won't work"....that is your old ideology taking over. There are far better and more effective means available to use these days through technology, so there is absolutely no constraint saying that a forum is the only way to communicate nor in my opinion is it the best.
By the way, we have some awesome ideas as to how to accomplish this, but we want everyone's feedback here first before we make any decisions. This is now an OPEN community and your voice truly matters and weighs on our decision making.
Love to hear your thoughts!
Cheers,
Kyle
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stadium
Premium
I use the forum mainly for two things,
#1 To ask questions that will not only get answered but maybe start sort of a debate between two other people that have opposing opinions/advice.
#2 I use it to go back through the posts of some of the successful people who have been here in the past and present.
#1 To ask questions that will not only get answered but maybe start sort of a debate between two other people that have opposing opinions/advice.
#2 I use it to go back through the posts of some of the successful people who have been here in the past and present.
jatdebeaune
Premium
I'll just say what I like about the forum and how I use it. I've gotten an education in the forum. It's full of useful information such as technical advice, software references, tools, and concepts, services for outsourcing. I learn from everybody's questions, everybody's problems, and everybody's success, and feel great when I can jump in and help with my own experience or insight. I'm happy to have a place to articulate a problem I am having, and usually receive an intelligent response within minutes. So, I guess I'm saying I like the forum. However, if there is an even better way to achieve all of that, then I'm all for it. There is a wealth of material in the forum right now, that I draw on from time to time. Would hate to see that disappear. I see it as a veritable gold mine. The chat frustrates me because I never know when I can jump in. If there's a discussion going on, I don't want to interrupt. Also, I can't type as fast as I think. Love the blog. Not everyone reads them though. The blog is good for sharing ideas. Thank you for asking our opinions. I hope what I said gives you the feedback you need.
kyle
Premium Plus
There is a wealth of information within the forum. But the "forum" is not the only way to ask questions and get answers nor is it the most efficient....and I guess that is the underlying point that I am getting at.
Chat is the most efficient, but that is assuming that someone is going to be within chat with the answer, which is not always the case. Sometimes it is really awesome to see that people have worked through a problem within chat, and I have even found myself in this situation. I find that awesome.
But being able to have articulated answers to questions and being able to get them in a timely manner is a wonderful idea. The best part would be able to "draw" on past ideas and answers more efficiently and I think that this is where the forum lacks and what we need to tackle.
Deleting all of the awesome content in the forum is not an option, but we have access to all of the content. This is more a "medium" delivery than the actual principles in which the forum represents. Help, and articulated help. This can be accomplished in a better way.
Chat is the most efficient, but that is assuming that someone is going to be within chat with the answer, which is not always the case. Sometimes it is really awesome to see that people have worked through a problem within chat, and I have even found myself in this situation. I find that awesome.
But being able to have articulated answers to questions and being able to get them in a timely manner is a wonderful idea. The best part would be able to "draw" on past ideas and answers more efficiently and I think that this is where the forum lacks and what we need to tackle.
Deleting all of the awesome content in the forum is not an option, but we have access to all of the content. This is more a "medium" delivery than the actual principles in which the forum represents. Help, and articulated help. This can be accomplished in a better way.
PotPieGirl
Premium
Wow...quite a topic here that I am sure will bring mixed feelings. But, ok, I'll jump in with my initial thoughts.
I happen to like forums for the most part. I like that fact that when I have time, I can pop in and help where I can. I also can take some time to really think about someones issue and really look into it to give a good answer. With Live Chat, well, I gotta be totally focused and in the moment - and there's not a lot of time to really THINK about an answer since it's a real-time conversation.
I also feel that forums are a great way to encourage 'peer-to-peer' support, feedback, and community. Without that additional 'peer-to-peer' support avenue, it could become much more pressing on you and Carson.
Peer-to-peer is a very strong aspect of the Wealthy Affiliate community. I've seen a lot of really awesome things in that forum over the past 4 years or so that I've been here.
Now, public forums I'm not a fan of...but our private "gated" forum here in WA has been like a safe haven for me. It's a place I can go and just say things and not worry about the uhhhh....'backlash' I come across when saying them in public forums or on my own blog.
I also LIKE interacting with fellow members in there.
On the other hand, forums can be a big time suck if one isn't really careful with their time management. The forum here in WA has a WEALTH of amazing information that one could get lost in quite easily. That's both a good thing and a bad thing.
At this moment the thought of NOT having our forum doesn't feel right, but I've just started really thinking about it from as many angles as my little pea brain will allow.
As for what I would want INSTEAD of the forum..... I'll have to really think about that.
Very interested to hear what others have to say.
And hey, THANK YOU for asking our thoughts!!!
Jennifer
~PotPieGirl
I happen to like forums for the most part. I like that fact that when I have time, I can pop in and help where I can. I also can take some time to really think about someones issue and really look into it to give a good answer. With Live Chat, well, I gotta be totally focused and in the moment - and there's not a lot of time to really THINK about an answer since it's a real-time conversation.
I also feel that forums are a great way to encourage 'peer-to-peer' support, feedback, and community. Without that additional 'peer-to-peer' support avenue, it could become much more pressing on you and Carson.
Peer-to-peer is a very strong aspect of the Wealthy Affiliate community. I've seen a lot of really awesome things in that forum over the past 4 years or so that I've been here.
Now, public forums I'm not a fan of...but our private "gated" forum here in WA has been like a safe haven for me. It's a place I can go and just say things and not worry about the uhhhh....'backlash' I come across when saying them in public forums or on my own blog.
I also LIKE interacting with fellow members in there.
On the other hand, forums can be a big time suck if one isn't really careful with their time management. The forum here in WA has a WEALTH of amazing information that one could get lost in quite easily. That's both a good thing and a bad thing.
At this moment the thought of NOT having our forum doesn't feel right, but I've just started really thinking about it from as many angles as my little pea brain will allow.
As for what I would want INSTEAD of the forum..... I'll have to really think about that.
Very interested to hear what others have to say.
And hey, THANK YOU for asking our thoughts!!!
Jennifer
~PotPieGirl
kyle
Premium Plus
I agree with you Jennifer, forums are great for peer to peer feedback. But so is this very blog post that I am in, it has been effective almost immediately in getting responses and getting elaborated insight in the same way that a forum would have (but people perhaps would not have articulated themselves as they have here).
Interaction. This is interaction. Chat is interaction. Speaking to others through training resources is interaction. Chatting on someones profile is interaction. The forum is just another, perhaps redundant form of interaction.
But what it is great at doing as you have stated, is allowing people to think before they write. Allowing people to help, but do so at their own pace in their own fashion. To do so within a medium they feel comfortable with. On the same token, it allows people to ask questions and be much more "exact" with what they are in need of.
But again, that poses a question...could this not be much more integrated than having an "external" feeling forum. I believe so, and I believe there are ways to do it to create much more interaction than the forum gets.
One other problem with the forum is the same questions get asked over and over again...and they get answered differently every time. This can pose a problem, depending on who asks, how they ask, and who answers. There is no easy way to see historic questions, so it is easier just to ask what you are feeling without navigating the landscape, again where an internal and more technology driven system can be more powerful in my opinion.
Interaction. This is interaction. Chat is interaction. Speaking to others through training resources is interaction. Chatting on someones profile is interaction. The forum is just another, perhaps redundant form of interaction.
But what it is great at doing as you have stated, is allowing people to think before they write. Allowing people to help, but do so at their own pace in their own fashion. To do so within a medium they feel comfortable with. On the same token, it allows people to ask questions and be much more "exact" with what they are in need of.
But again, that poses a question...could this not be much more integrated than having an "external" feeling forum. I believe so, and I believe there are ways to do it to create much more interaction than the forum gets.
One other problem with the forum is the same questions get asked over and over again...and they get answered differently every time. This can pose a problem, depending on who asks, how they ask, and who answers. There is no easy way to see historic questions, so it is easier just to ask what you are feeling without navigating the landscape, again where an internal and more technology driven system can be more powerful in my opinion.
DkWinter
Premium
@Kyle I think that you are correct on the amount of interaction a blog post can give. You use this post as an example. Remember though that your posts are a little biased, meaning that everyone will read a post from you or Carson and everyone is following you and Carson so any post you make will show up in their notifications.
A new member or someone who doesn't have very many followers will not get the same sort of feedback that you are getting here.
Chat is great, but sometimes there is nobody on. Especially if you are from a country other than U.S. & Canada, the different times makes it hard to find people online, and then those few people have to be willing to spend the time in the chat. And has been mentioned sometimes the chat is just that, chat. Sometimes the chat moves so fast it is hard to scroll down to find what you are looking for or the beginning of a conversation.
I can see how blog posts would be a good form of interaction, but there would be a need for them to be accessible and visible by everyone, anytime.
In another post PotPieGirl mentioned about adding the old "recent forum posts" feed to the dashboard.
What if instead of that people could tag their posts as a question and then there could be a dashboard feed for those posts. I don't know. :P I don't think people want to fill up there blog with questions they have, Maybe a blog system but one separate from the personal blog system.
I think the forum is still a good place for people to go get their questions answered. Now maybe if there were something different people would just use that instead of the forum.
I think you should just come out and say what it is you are wanting to implement and see what others think. :P It seems to me that you are pretty resolute in your idea and just want to know if enough people have the same train of thought.
A new member or someone who doesn't have very many followers will not get the same sort of feedback that you are getting here.
Chat is great, but sometimes there is nobody on. Especially if you are from a country other than U.S. & Canada, the different times makes it hard to find people online, and then those few people have to be willing to spend the time in the chat. And has been mentioned sometimes the chat is just that, chat. Sometimes the chat moves so fast it is hard to scroll down to find what you are looking for or the beginning of a conversation.
I can see how blog posts would be a good form of interaction, but there would be a need for them to be accessible and visible by everyone, anytime.
In another post PotPieGirl mentioned about adding the old "recent forum posts" feed to the dashboard.
What if instead of that people could tag their posts as a question and then there could be a dashboard feed for those posts. I don't know. :P I don't think people want to fill up there blog with questions they have, Maybe a blog system but one separate from the personal blog system.
I think the forum is still a good place for people to go get their questions answered. Now maybe if there were something different people would just use that instead of the forum.
I think you should just come out and say what it is you are wanting to implement and see what others think. :P It seems to me that you are pretty resolute in your idea and just want to know if enough people have the same train of thought.
BIS
Premium
Hi Kyle
I have used the forum, mainly to answer other people's questions. I think the forums have become a big and unweildy beast and even though they are grouped it can be difficult for people to track whether a specific question has been asked before.
The live chat is great but I know from my own experience, it can sometimes be difficult to track the different conversations that are going on and although it can be really great - it can give the impression of being a private members club and you wonder whether you should join in or interrupt So I worry that there are people who aren't being served as well as they could in the support they need.
That's a long way of saying I would be happy to see the forums go.
I have used the forum, mainly to answer other people's questions. I think the forums have become a big and unweildy beast and even though they are grouped it can be difficult for people to track whether a specific question has been asked before.
The live chat is great but I know from my own experience, it can sometimes be difficult to track the different conversations that are going on and although it can be really great - it can give the impression of being a private members club and you wonder whether you should join in or interrupt So I worry that there are people who aren't being served as well as they could in the support they need.
That's a long way of saying I would be happy to see the forums go.
kyle
Premium Plus
Great point, people do refrain from joining in on live chats because of their comfort level. They are perhaps afraid of what they might say, or what they might not say when a question may be posed to them. Or what people will think of their content...
If you use the forum for answering questions, could this not be delivered in another way. A way that was far more integrated and "available" within the OEP framework? I think that it could be and this is what I am getting at.
If you use the forum for answering questions, could this not be delivered in another way. A way that was far more integrated and "available" within the OEP framework? I think that it could be and this is what I am getting at.
jroth728
Premium
I've gotta agree with Beverly about only using it to answer people's questions and being a "big and unweildy beast" part... it's easy to get lost in there and a lot of the information is definitely dated - much of which can be found from a a good ole' refined Google search.
I actually might be somewhat sad to see the forum go, but if so I think that some sort of a FAQ section could be really beneficial to members in order to take it's place.
I actually might be somewhat sad to see the forum go, but if so I think that some sort of a FAQ section could be really beneficial to members in order to take it's place.
kyle
Premium Plus
Yeah, I agree Jason. Lots of outdated stuff there and A LOT of spam and promotional junk, which I do think detracts from the forum and steers people in the wrong direction.
It is not streamlined in the "behavior" of the system, which is not equivalent to that of the OEP. This disparity can lead to confusion.
Thanks for your feedback.
It is not streamlined in the "behavior" of the system, which is not equivalent to that of the OEP. This disparity can lead to confusion.
Thanks for your feedback.
Labman_1
Premium
I typically use the forum to get help on a particular problem. Those members that are knowledgeable about various topics provide a valuable service when a problem is articulated clearly in the forum.
There are awesome motivational tools (re. Ghost and PPG's Forum Posts) that provide insight and motivation to many of the new members, I would hate to see theses summarily dismissed.
So, if the Forums are deleted or radically changed please provide a way that these IM journeys can be preserved.
There are awesome motivational tools (re. Ghost and PPG's Forum Posts) that provide insight and motivation to many of the new members, I would hate to see theses summarily dismissed.
So, if the Forums are deleted or radically changed please provide a way that these IM journeys can be preserved.
kyle
Premium Plus
I agree, there are some real gem posts in the forum. Some of them have remained timeless over the years, while others have become quite outdated and may be "misinformation" at this point. That is another thing that can be a negative within a forum, people rarely (I mean, never) update their forum posts, however, some of these awesome posts could be turned into training, which would be updated more regularly.
People that want to articulate an awesome idea or what that pertains to critical thinking can do so through a blog post.
People that want to articulate an awesome idea or what that pertains to critical thinking can do so through a blog post.
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