Being part of a community serves so many different purposes depending on context, and we hope the idea of what constitutes a community will expand as creators like you get creating.
I grew up spending a lot of time in independent online communities hosted on vBulletin, phpBB, and other forum software. I went to some communities for entertainment, others to learn entrepreneurial and technical skills, and some just for a sense of belonging. I could find my place in these dynamic and culturally rich online spaces.
These communities have largely faded away over the last decade or so, as larger platforms offered a more modern consumer experience (that they're eager to offer in exchange for user data).
Many of the new communities being started these days are forced to build directly on the backs of these giants. They exist as a Group or a sub-space, but they lack the same character and sense of community of their earlier-internet ancestors.
I hope that Forem is able to level the playing field. That now community leaders of all have backgrounds and perspectives are able to build a space that is modern, safe, and independent. That community members can enjoy an engaging and delightful experience, while also knowing that their privacy and safety is being protected.
It's a very big task and it will be a long journey, but I can think of few challenges more worthwhile than working to build software for empowering community.
These communities have largely faded away over the last decade or so, as larger platforms offered a more modern consumer experience (that they're eager to offer in exchange for user data).
Exactly! It seems exciting that we get to work on us returning to the way that online communities used to be without the profitizing of people's data.
I've seen a number of small communities crop up lately outside of the major social media bubble. Many are Mastodon instances, but a few are old-style forums.
It's hard to run a community. Really hard. You have to have a mix of technical knowledge, social clout, and pure energy. It's that that is the blocker for creating ecosystems outside of major social media, not the software.
This is very true. Community building is a very special skill, but there's a lot of help an ecosystem can provide. The success of popular Facebook groups, subreddits, etc. is not entirely dependent on the generating buzz and banking on social clout, there's a discovery mechanism and network affect of the platform. Same applies to Slack and Discord.
Just like the web itself is buoyed by browsers and search engines and the native ecosystem runs through app stores etc. there's a lot the ecosystem can do to empower builders. Our hope is that we can provide ecosystem mechanics without necessitating that the ecosystem entirely runs through us.
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We're a place where coders share, stay up-to-date and grow their careers.
I grew up spending a lot of time in independent online communities hosted on vBulletin, phpBB, and other forum software. I went to some communities for entertainment, others to learn entrepreneurial and technical skills, and some just for a sense of belonging. I could find my place in these dynamic and culturally rich online spaces.
These communities have largely faded away over the last decade or so, as larger platforms offered a more modern consumer experience (that they're eager to offer in exchange for user data).
Many of the new communities being started these days are forced to build directly on the backs of these giants. They exist as a Group or a sub-space, but they lack the same character and sense of community of their earlier-internet ancestors.
I hope that Forem is able to level the playing field. That now community leaders of all have backgrounds and perspectives are able to build a space that is modern, safe, and independent. That community members can enjoy an engaging and delightful experience, while also knowing that their privacy and safety is being protected.
It's a very big task and it will be a long journey, but I can think of few challenges more worthwhile than working to build software for empowering community.
Exactly! It seems exciting that we get to work on us returning to the way that online communities used to be without the profitizing of people's data.
I've seen a number of small communities crop up lately outside of the major social media bubble. Many are Mastodon instances, but a few are old-style forums.
It's hard to run a community. Really hard. You have to have a mix of technical knowledge, social clout, and pure energy. It's that that is the blocker for creating ecosystems outside of major social media, not the software.
This is very true. Community building is a very special skill, but there's a lot of help an ecosystem can provide. The success of popular Facebook groups, subreddits, etc. is not entirely dependent on the generating buzz and banking on social clout, there's a discovery mechanism and network affect of the platform. Same applies to Slack and Discord.
Just like the web itself is buoyed by browsers and search engines and the native ecosystem runs through app stores etc. there's a lot the ecosystem can do to empower builders. Our hope is that we can provide ecosystem mechanics without necessitating that the ecosystem entirely runs through us.