This article is on Medium, which has a paywall. I’m a member, but not logged in. I was able to read it so it may depend on how many times you’ve read Medium articles.

One point he made that I found interesting was:

So, in light of all of this, should Reddit even exist? Is there really a point to a web forum in 2023? Aren’t we past all that?

He thinks we are. I never thought about it before. Maybe in the case of some Reddit subreddits and other forums, but I don’t think so in general. I’ve got a lot great information from forums.

  • ffmike@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    It’s not just about the information though, is it? Web forums can offer a sense of community that his preferred alternative (long-form Medium articles with comments) just can’t match, in my experience.

    • 0110010001100010@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      I’m of the “old fart” variety that recalls the days of IRC and totally agree. Back even before forums those communities run off servers in peoples basements were a treasure trove of knowledge and community. I have very fond memory of making real connections with people there. As you pointed out, that simply doesn’t exist on an article with comments.

      • NotBadAndYou@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        I am hopeful that the lack of “karma” feedback to posters in Lemmy/Kbin will dampen the farming that goes on over at Reddit, and that posts are about contributing ideas or whatever content is expected in order to be a part of the community, rather than trying to get “upvotes.” Granted, that’s a huge driver of activity on Reddit and helped them grow to the size it is, but it’s also why there’s so much low-effort content there these days.