Why

When I first wrote this page the question "why?" meant: why a list of forums linked to a forum within a forum site, and the answer was that Which Online seemed not to be entirely enthusiastic about the forum concept. But there is, I think, a point in asking whether forums have any general value. It is obvious that they can provide an exchange of information and ideas, but I fear that, increasingly I see the substance of virtually every forum not subject to strict moderation overtaken by the exchange of fatuities and insults. The exceptions are often those forums where the topic is extremely specific, even narrow.

I'm beginning to wonder if the very concept of the forum is flawed. It should provide a way of open communication not previously available except in small groups. Everyone can speak; everyone can be heard. But there are many problems with forums, problems of scale and tone especially. I have considered starting a forum on Which Online on this topic; in fact there was just such a forum at the outset of Which Online. The reservations that some of us made then were firmly rebutted. It was also claimed that expressing doubts would endanger the existence of the forums, ironically this claim was made by people who long ago ceased to participate in Which Online.

In another irony, the existence of the Which Online forums is now endangered by the attitudes of the management of Which Online - attitudes which, although obvious, those managers are not prepared to make explicit, let alone defend. I sometimes think that I could make a better case against the forums than many who are resolutely opposed to them.

I suppose that my own reservations are slanted by the fact that I have not found any virtual community in which I can comfortably dwell. This difficulty is clearly not shared by most other people, and so, perhaps, my criticisms (and recommendations, in any) should be disregarded.

But in any case forums do seem to proliferate.

This is a list of URLs, with minimal explanations, of online forum sites. There are few recommendations, no priorities, no guarantees.

Comments to the Which Online forum: Alien Corn

where I remarked:

Alien? I am sure that you all feel like exiles when you venture beyond the cosiness that is, or was, Which Online (show me the way to Armadillo? Sorry).

Corn? Have you seen some of the stuff that is out there?

It is now clearly the case that, whatever they claim, Which Online is no longer committed in any serious sense to the provision of forums; the evidence is now overwhelming. There are masses of forums on the net, those listed below are a minute fraction of what is available, and most of these forums work. The Which Online forums have at times failed consistently and frequently. There has recently been yet another revamping of the Which Online site, which has involved what appear to be superficial changes to the forums.

I digress. I've found that I do look at other forums quite a bit. Which Online cannot, and would not wish to, do everything (some would say that Which Online does not wish to do even that which it could).

Anyway, although my adventures are just chance and I can't be bothered to look at most of them more than once, there may be some use in an exchange of information. We'll see.

My list is not limited to forums I've joined (very few of those, less and less), or indeed ever looked at except to verify that they are in some sense forums. Some may have already vanished. They do verge on the weird. I look to others to supply more worthy candidates, if such exist.

List of Forums

Some more links, of which I know little, but seem to be forums, usual care should be taken:

There are, as well, more generally groups of forums:

And so on, and on.

John Bennett, 29-8-2006

Links to my other Which Online related pages:

here (history), here (design) and here (writing)