
Ask HN: Great online forums? - ffggvv
Reddit is filled with internal jokes.
HN is a big echo-chamber.
Lobste.rs is invite-only.
Imzy?? (too young maybe?)<p>Any good forum out there?
======
scrapcode
I think I can relate to you in that I'd like to find a community to be able to
interact more. I've been an active lurker on HN for 4 years now. I learn so
much from HN but feel like I'm just eavesdropping on "the smart kids." I love
programming & technology as a whole and have been involved since I was a young
preteen, but my career path just didn't happen to go that way and I have too
much going where I am to change career fields, bittersweet.

However, I've never been somewhere that stays "on topic" so well, so to speak,
but then again it's hard to socialize as I don't work in the field and don't
have much input that I don't think will make me look stupid.

------
larrydag
Here's is how I viewed this history of collaborative forum information online
in the last 20 years

Slashdot - aggregating opinions from "experts". allowed comments. Lacked
accountability so then came...

Digg - allowed crowd source voting. active interaction. complicated and over-
engineered upvote algorithm lead to...

Reddit - community inclusion. more open voting (and down voting). subgroups.

So that's kind of where I see it. What gets improved on? Is there technology
that can be improved? Is there a missing idea or improvement? Is there a next
generation that could improve status quo?

~~~
devopsproject
Many of the default subs on reddit are pretty terrible. It seems like as the
number of users increase, the quality goes down.

Reddit also has a problem with "super mods" who are pretty fast an loose with
their powers.

These seem to be normal problems with trying to appeal to large groups (lame
watered down meme low effort crap) and the effects of power on individuals
(bans, shadowbans, bias, agenda pushing, etc)

~~~
chickenking
I am from outside US. I grew up watching American TV shows and movies and had
a really positive impression about US and its people. I actually used to look
down on my culture and its ways most of the time. The 4 years I spend on
Reddit exposed me to so much racism and hatred that I have only negative
feelings left now. I am leaving US next month, a good part of my decision was
based on those feelings.

~~~
mahyarm
How about the people and community you live in vs. random internet assholes
who are a small minority of people and exist in your home country too and
curated entertainment?

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enraged_camel
I like Something Awful. Outside of its general-purpose forums, it's very good,
with plenty of reliable information and well-researched discussion about a
large variety of topics.

What I like the most about it is that it costs $10 to join, and if you get
banned, you have to pay another $10 to reinstate your account. This keeps the
lowest common denominator trolls out and discourages shitposting.

------
drewrv
Metafilter is still around and has a great community.
[http://www.metafilter.com/](http://www.metafilter.com/)

~~~
bdrool
I've been on Metafilter for a long time (since the early 2000s -- _edit_ :
longer than that, as I just recalled discussing the 2000 US presidential
election on there, so it's been quite a while it seems). It was and still is
miles ahead of many places on the internet in terms of civility, intelligence,
and general knowledge, however it has one very big downside these days: it has
gone more or less off the deep end into identity politics. As someone who
believes in equality, individuality, and enlightenment values, it's difficult
to stomach at times. I basically don't talk on there any more, as I know my
viewpoints would not be welcome. I just read, as I still find it informative
and valuable. However if you are looking for anything even approaching
balanced discussion on certain topics, it's not really a go-to place.

------
Splendor
I think there are still a few good forums out there but they're specific to a
hobby or interest.

~~~
peller
This is exactly right.

For electronics, check out
[http://www.eevblog.com/forum/](http://www.eevblog.com/forum/)

For computer hardware, check out
[https://forums.anandtech.com/](https://forums.anandtech.com/)

~~~
MatthiasP
The anandtech forum is terrible. So much half knowledge and toxicity that even
your average tech subreddit is a better choice.

~~~
peller
That's a shame. Didn't use to be like that. But that site has gone downhill in
general since Anand sold it to some big media outlet. (With the exception of a
few authors who were around in old times.)

------
Mz
What exactly are you looking for? A "good forum" is one that fits your needs
and tastes well. Are you specifically looking for a tech forum? A general
interest forum? Something else? What do you want out of it?

------
torgoguys
As others have said, there are great ones about various niches. People tend to
really know each other over time (in a more personal way than your Reddits of
the world) and thus find themselves more accountable to each other--but it is
still as anonymous as you want.

You get too big of groups or absent or poor mods and things tend to fall
apart. Tens of thousands of users is no problem because most users are mostly
lurkers anyways.

Quick plug--low odds here, but if you by some chance happen to know the board
game Heroscape, have a look at www.heroscapers.com/community for a well
functioning, respectful, fun (not modern looking) niche online community. The
game has been cancelled for years, but there's still a good chunk of us
active. Lots of site activity takes place in various private sections of the
site devoted to various projects so you don't see everything happening but the
public stuff is representative of how people treat each other there in
private.

------
guiseroom
Imzy is young enough to play a pivotal role in the community. Never
underestimate that.

~~~
iuguy
I tried Imzy, and I wanted to like it, I really did.

However, I found it slow, bloated, very unnecessarily political (in a deeply
polarising way, which is bad for something that isn't going to be an echo
chamber), and the signal to noise was absolutely atrocious.

I get what they were trying to achieve (and I hope things have improved since
I left), but I think there's as much a risk of overestimating what Imzy can
achieve as there is underestimating.

~~~
guiseroom
You should take another look.

~~~
iuguy
With respect, why? Also, why Imzy over somewhere else?

------
scythe
The best online forums are the ones devoted to a topic and run by people who
believe in what they're doing. HN, in fact, fits this description to a t.
bluelight.org, which I used to moderate, is a great example of how a dedicated
community can generate productive discussion even when most of the members are
heavy drug users without college degrees. Quora, by contrast, has some of the
smartest people from all over the world, but it's hardly a "community" and is
susceptible to its own forms of groupthink and political squabbling.

If you're specifically looking for discussion on politics, philosophy, and
religion, aka the three things that end up on every forum that isn't about
them, I suggest reading books and peer-reviewed journals.

------
eberkund
What are your interests?

These are the top forums I visit

Fitness: [http://forum.bodybuilding.com/](http://forum.bodybuilding.com/)

Computer hardware: [http://www.overclock.net/](http://www.overclock.net/)

Camping and outdoorsy stuff:
[https://campingbabble.com/](https://campingbabble.com/)

Canadian deals site:
[http://forums.redflagdeals.com/](http://forums.redflagdeals.com/)

Mostly about internet but has some good sub-forums:
[http://www.dslreports.com/](http://www.dslreports.com/)

------
jaykru
Not sure if you're open to the idea, but I've found that smaller image boards,
particularly those with a specific subject matter, often are home to
excellent, substantive discussion. The only issue is that once a critical mass
is reached (see 8chan, 4chan, et al) productive discussion goes out the window
due to the ridiculous pace of conversation and the level of trolling enabled
by anonymity and lax rules of engagement.

I won't divulge any specific boards here publicly, but I'd be happy to PM you
a nice one.

~~~
ZenoArrow
>"I won't divulge any specific boards here publicly, but I'd be happy to PM
you a nice one."

HN doesn't have PMs.

~~~
jaykru
Whoops. Well, I guess there's no harm in posting it on HN: lainchan.org

~~~
gressquel
To be frank, I dont take any website with "chan" in it seriously.

Think the absolute disgust coming out of 4chan is the reason

~~~
sboselli
That's a shame, and also a quite lazy form of prejudice.

Yes, 4chan and it's analogues are full of worthless shit and the quality has
gone to the drain, but they are also full of different & unique people, some
of whom share similar ideas that those of the HN community (privacy, anti-
mainstream, anti-corpo, etc; but you can also find the polar opposites in
either).

It has in the past also acted as one of the few places with freedom of speech
(is there anywhere left in the world now? I doubt it. People with that
specific "absolute disgust" frame of mind have made them all disappear: "Let's
stereotype a whole community based on a vocal negative minority").

It's also a place not only full of internet history, but also responsible for
a big part of it.

In fact, there is no doubt you have enjoyed content, trends, breaking news,
memes, etc. that were originally created/generated at 4chan. All other
forums/communities have and will continue to pick up content from 4chan &
others. Not only lazy, but also kinda hypocrite.

I guess that's the whole point of having these different communities. People
quick to judge better stay at the mainstream, where everything is Safe. What
you get is something like Reddit, which is now (just like 4chan) completely
distorted from its original form and fully bought out, and you have admins
(the CEO itself...) changing user's post on a personal grudge. Bravo.

~~~
mark_edward
If you want free speech go yell about UFOs and gays on the public square where
it's protected. Free speech doesn't mean people have to give you a platform.
Your version of free speech would actually coerce other people into using
their resources to propagate your speech, which doesn't sound free to me.

Arguing 4chan is a positive valuable place because they are good at making
memes and organizing raids and harassment campaigns is also pretty funny.

~~~
dang
Several of your recent comments to HN have been uncivil. Please post civilly
and substantively, or not at all.

[https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html](https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html)

[https://news.ycombinator.com/newswelcome.html](https://news.ycombinator.com/newswelcome.html)

------
lainon
[https://lainchan.org/](https://lainchan.org/)

------
brightsize
I enjoy the City Data[0] forums. It's interesting to read about other cities
and locations across the country and across the world, and to read about the
thoughts and concerns of the locals. Very often there will be people posting
who are thinking about moving to your city and who are asking for help and
advice as they contemplate and implement their move. It's rewarding to field
these kinds of questions and be able to help out.

[0] [http://www.city-data.com/forum/](http://www.city-data.com/forum/)

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marczellm
For programming and IT-related reckless fun and hilarious rants I recommend
[https://what.thedailywtf.com](https://what.thedailywtf.com).

If you happen to play keyboards:
[http://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/forums/18/1/The...](http://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/forums/18/1/The_Keyboard_Corner)

------
sideproject
Would love to have you trying HelloBox [disclaimer - I run it]. HelloBox was
originally designed as "Create your own HN" and has now become an online tool
for creating and managing communities. If you can't find a community that you
like, often the best approach is to create one! Would love to help you out
along the way.

[https://www.hellobox.co](https://www.hellobox.co)

------
Huhty
Try our community/voting platform at Snapzu
([http://www.snapzu.com](http://www.snapzu.com)). Would love any feedback or
to answer any questions. Cheers!

------
thehoff
[http://arstechnica.com/civis/](http://arstechnica.com/civis/) which I've
lurked on since its inception and have always liked it.

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mahyarm
I don't use it and it's slashdot era, but maybe metafilter?

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detaro
Many, but mostly special interest, mostly around hobbies. Reddit, Lobste.rs
and HN aren't really forums in my view. (reddit comes closest, but still has
this focus on short-term threads and voting that is different from what I
think of as a good forum. Classic phpbb has its strengths)

What fields are you interested in?

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lowglow
We're building forum software and experience over at Baqqer. If you're into
building, sharing, and collaborating with other makers, it might be your cup
of tea.

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rvern
Usenet. Great newsgroups on every subject.

You can get an account on www.eternal-september.org or news.solani.org.

------
mrschwabe
Voat.co seems like a promising Reddit alternative. Less censorship for
certain, definitely not shill-proof however.

Solving the problem of shills/astroturfers is IMO the most difficult and
important challenge in accommodating public online discussion moving forward.

~~~
jtsylve
Can you define those terms for those of us who are unaware?

~~~
mrschwabe
Yes an astroturfer aka shill I would personally define as someone portraying
themselves to be a neutral observer/participant when in reality they are
paid/sponsored/incentivized by a state, company, or organization pushing a
specific agenda. They are intentionally planted to deceive, distort and sway
those unsuspecting of such activity. There is an excellent TED talk [0] on the
subject.

The problem is rampant and while not new, the recent election cycle has
highlighted it greatly.

Propaganda does not spread just from 'fake news' or a heavily biased corporate
media. It is co-ordinated & perpetuated online. The links and comments on
Reddit and HN are prime mediums to infiltrate and carry this out.

[0][https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bYAQ-
ZZtEU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bYAQ-ZZtEU)

~~~
dang
> _The links and comments on Reddit and HN are prime mediums to infiltrate and
> carry this out._

I don't know about Reddit but we see comparatively little on HN that appears
suspicious once we look at the data (e.g. which users have voted on a post).
Anyone who suspects astroturfing on HN is welcome to email us so we can look
into the matter—which we always do—but not to accuse other users directly,
because both the odds and the cost of an unfair accusation are much higher
than people realize when they do that.

I listened to that talk you linked to. At the end the speaker mentions four
"hallmarks of astroturfing": (1) use of inflammatory language; (2) use of
charged language to "debunk myths"; (3) attacking an issue by
controversializing the people around it rather than addressing the facts; (4)
reserving all public skepticism for those exposing wrongdoing rather than
wrongdoers. It seems to me HN is in pretty good shape here: the first three
violate the site guidelines, and the fourth seems rather rare and is not
received well by the community.

Maybe there are astroturfers getting away with it on HN. If they exist,
though, they're being clever about it, so we'd be interested in anything the
community can figure out. Just please don't accuse each other directly without
real evidence.

------
spoiledtechie
Swintonreport.com for political discourse.

------
qwertyuiop924
I tried Imzy, but I can't like it. It's not forum-ey enough, draws too
strongly from social networks: if your forum looks like a social media site,
you won't have good discussion: that interface isn't optimized for it.

a.f.p on the usenet (that's alt.fan.pratchett for the uninitiated) used to be
good, but it seems to be nearly dead now. :-(.

Bits of reddit are good. I love /r/adventofcode this time of year (although
that's seasonal and event-specific).

If you're looking for proper, real, actual _forums_ , I can reccomend a few.
The xkcd forums are still excellent, give or take. If you like dwarf fortress,
the bay12forums are good.

And onto the chans: much maligned as they are.

4chan's /tg/ is shockingly good if you like tabletop games (WH40K in
particular): it's a blue board, so it's not totally flooded with porn
constantly, and it's also got a decent community and isn't horrifically
acidic, unlike, say, /g/.

Also, even if you don't like the chan, the wiki, 1d4chan, has a tvtropes-like
stickiness about it, essentially being a best-of reel of the entire community.
You should at least read The Tale of Old Man Hnderson, as it is one of the
most famous in all of RPing.

7chan ([http://7chan.org](http://7chan.org)) was created as a reaction to
4chan, and it shows. Posting quality is enforced, and the mods are quite
punishing. But as a result, quality is reasonable, AFAICT (although I am not a
regular)

Sushichan ([https://sushigirl.us](https://sushigirl.us)) is a "relaxed" chan.

And than there's Lainchan.

Lainchan is a cyberpunk chan (sort of). It also has a strong programming and
anime focus (with a name like lainchan, would you expect anything else?) It
bears a semblance to HN in some ways, but it's a chan, make no mistake, and
quite different in others. Just go look if you're interested.

Of additional interest is lainzine
([https://lainzine.neocities.org](https://lainzine.neocities.org)), lainchan's
official unofficial magazine. The typical immidiate reaction to lainzine,
AFAICT, is "what the hell did I just read?" and I speak no hyperbole in saying
that it is like nothing else on the internet.

------
chillaxtian
2009 era luelinks

------
ASipos
Spacebattles

------
ggregoire
neogGAF for video games

