Creating a discussion forum: what is the motive?

[coberst]

Creating a discussion forum: what is the motive?

 

I have always wondered what motivates the individuals who create these Internet discussion forums. Their motives have always eluded me. There seems to be little financial reward for the creator and I can see no other reason for those who pay the cost for creating these forums.

 

Can anyone enlighten me?

[freeztar]

Creating a discussion forum: what is the motive?

 

Passion.

[Jet2]

It's a kind of contribution.

And yet not everything done is for financial reward.

[Zythryn]

Some people value enrichment of the mind far more than enrichment of the pocketbook:)

(This is only a guess, I don't mean to speak for Tormod or the other admins/moderators)

[Racoon]

- Also for simple comraderie.

- Being able to say you have a website.

- Leaving an imprint or signature on the world wide web.

- As a Hobby

- For practical computer skills. I'm sure hosting a site educates you quite a bit about computers, servers, codes, and programs

 

Communication is a reason for human success, so it makes sense to communicate over vast distances easily and electronically. Our survival may not be at stake here, but communicating is indeed a primal force involved.

[Tormod]

I can attest that a forum mostly costs more than it makes... :wink:

 

Passion, interest, too much time...there are many reasons.

 

Hypography is probably the longest living project I've ever worked on. It simply refuses to die on me.

[REASON]

Hypography is probably the longest living project I've ever worked on. It simply refuses to die on me.

 

And I'm sure I can speak for all of us in saying that we're sure glad it hasn't.

 

What a tool of enlightenment you've created and maintained with this site. It's a truly noble effort on the part of yourself and your staff. :wink:

 

 

As for coberst's question, I would imagine whatever it is that motivates you to contribute to this website is similar to the motivation that created it.

[Buffy]

As for coberst's question, I would imagine whatever it is that motivates you to contribute to this website is similar to the motivation that created it.

Well, I'm quite certain that its love of Critical Thinking! :)

 

Thanks again, T! :hihi:

 

Thinking passionately, :)

Buffy

[coberst]

I have over the last four years posted on more than 50 different boards. The very big boards seem to have a very young membership and the young members seem to use these forums as a verbal video game. I can understand why someone would finance a video arcade because it would be a money maker. But why would one finance a verbal video game if there is no money in it?

 

I remember a Frontline documentary called “Merchants of Cool”. This documentary was about the $150 billion dollars that the teens have to spend on there desires each year. The documentary indicated that the five big corporations, who control marketing decisions in this market, carefully track the youth culture in order to know what and how to market to these youngsters. It entered my mind that perhaps these large Internet discussion forums are part of that intelligence gathering that is necessary for marketing to the teens. Perhaps that is where the financing of these large forums comes from.

 

You can read about “Merchants of Cool” at frontline: the merchants of cool | PBS

[freeztar]

I have over the last four years posted on more than 50 different boards. The very big boards seem to have a very young membership and the young members seem to use these forums as a verbal video game. I can understand why someone would finance a video arcade because it would be a money maker. But why would one finance a verbal video game if there is no money in it?

 

I remember a Frontline documentary called “Merchants of Cool”. This documentary was about the $150 billion dollars that the teens have to spend on there desires each year. The documentary indicated that the five big corporations, who control marketing decisions in this market, carefully track the youth culture in order to know what and how to market to these youngsters. It entered my mind that perhaps these large Internet discussion forums are part of that intelligence gathering that is necessary for marketing to the teens. Perhaps that is where the financing of these large forums comes from.

 

You can read about “Merchants of Cool” at frontline: the merchants of cool | PBS

 

That seems to me to be a vast generalization.

I'm not sure if you are including Hypography in your "very big boards" categorization, but if so I find no validity in the marketing to teens claim. ;)

[coberst]

That seems to me to be a vast generalization.

I'm not sure if you are including Hypography in your "very big boards" categorization, but if so I find no validity in the marketing to teens claim. :shrug:

 

I am speaking of forums in which several hundred views in the first 24 hours are common.

[Tormod]

But why would one finance a verbal video game if there is no money in it?

 

No good answer to that one. Most authors who write books never make muc money from it, either.

 

Labor of love, simply put.

[coberst]

My experience with Internet discussion forums leads me to conclude that there are two types of boards: the very large boards and all the rest.

 

The large boards appear to have very large memberships and the average age of the membership is much younger than the smaller boards.

 

The large boards treat my threads in the same way and that way is different from the way that the smaller boards treat my posts.

 

The large boards display a common pattern of harassment when I start posting on their forum. There seems to be squadron of members that attack my posts much like bees when their nest is disturbed. Several of the same group attacks most of my threads by constantly responding with insults and silly bluster. Seldom is there a response from some member who has read the OP with any comprehension. It all appears to be an orchestrated activity. The moderator is generally part of this group. I always retire from the forum after a few threads when it becomes apparent that I will be banned if I should try to hang around.

 

In the smaller boards, even though my posts tend to be different from most other threads, I find little effort by the membership or by the management to drive me away.

 

Occasionally, on a smaller board, when I get into disputes with a particular moderator I generally receive support from the membership and do not have to leave the forum until that moderator moves on. On rare occasion I will be summarily banned from these boards but it does not happen often. A few small boards will ban me when they discover that I post the same thread on another board; this was somewhat common a few years ago but it seldom is a problem now.

 

It’s puzzlement; there has to be a reason for someone to finance these large boards and the only reason that makes sense to me is if these larger boards are supported by deep pockets, which I assume to be a business that will profit from having them.

 

I see little activity on these big boards that would cause someone to finance such a venture for altruistic reasons.