The forums of old times still exist in some corners of the internet. They used to be big and there was one for pretty much every topic.
But most died over the years or got replaced by services like Facebook groups, Reddit or Discord.
Are you still using proper forums, which ones and why haven’t you made the switch to other forms of communication?
I was active on an “Old Web Revival” forum for a while last year. I was expecting it to be populated by nostalgic gen x and millennials, but it turned out to mostly be zoomers romanticizing the '90s and thinking they could save the internet with Neocities.
After realizing I was the oldest person there I felt like a bumbling grandpa telling meandering stories of the way it used to was, so I eventually left. I haven’t been able to find another retro nostalgia forum since then.
Melonland?
That’s the one. I felt bad leaving without a word but it was spur of the moment. I just got the sudden realization like I was a teenager still hanging out in the McDonalds Play Place and quietly noped out the door.
Not that I have anything against gen z. I just couldn’t relate to most of what they were saying. So I guess a better analogy is that I was like an old man wandering around the mall surrounded by teenagers. Except malls are dead now so gen z still won’t relate. Hence: bumbling grandpa.
I also joined the RetroDaze forum before that but there were only two or three other active users and I got the impression at least one of them was an “I voted for Trump” type of guy.
I do get that. I like the place for the discussion as answers seem to be lengthy and generally well thought out, but I do get the impression there’s a lot of zoomers there. I just like the idea of a personal site and have found a lot of useful info and ideas there, but yeah totally understand where you’re coming from.