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.
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.
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.
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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.