BookTalk.org

As the Internet becomes more complicated, I'm finding myself longing for vintage sites with a 1990s feel. Message boards appeal to me.

I'm noticing message boards (bulletin boards) don't seem to have the issues mainstream social media platforms have. In fact, as of late, I've seen very heated debates on message boards simply burn out and smolder to cold ash. One comes to mind as I'm typing this, and I imagine if it were on a mainstream platform, someone would want a person banned from the site. Yet, in the case I'm thinking of, I checked back today, and they're all talking again as if nothing were said.

It's got me thinking that the slow pace of message boards allows for more civil discussion. In fact, it has me thinking about Henry David Thoreau's argument that yelling across a pond makes one choose words wisely so as not to make their voice go hoarse.

I might be totally wrong in this, yet I've seen it time and time again. Someone on a message board post a topic for discussion, a debate cycles, and soon it ends until the next one cycles. It's as if there's an implied agreement among board users to allow each to have their own unique opinion.

The format of Booktalk is far better than Facebook. Having all posts in a thread appear in chronological order without some dumb algorithm hiding posts makes the discussion far more coherent and easier to follow. The only advantages of Facebook that I can think of are its reminder system and how it enables wider engagement with different people. But forget the prospect of a sustained conversation.

Yes, that is correct. However most bulletin boards are dying as people migrate to Facebook, TicTok, Instagram, etc. I think they want quick hits, likes and followers, not a sustained discussion.

I'm tired of FB and the social sites. They are a morass of ignorance and anger. I am going with that and just being a total dick. I've been banned from FB 6 times since November. No one reported me, their algorithm just catches me when I make abusive comments. I just got off a 30 day suspension and in 3 days, I am now suspended again.

When in Rome.

I love Booktalk, even though I have been absent for years. Trying to spend more time here. I enjoy the structure and the fact that it's like a group of acquaintances and friends much more that social sites. But... You do get a chance to meet more people on those social sites. I have met some cool ones, however I have met great ones here.

I too think back to the message board and newsgroup days and agree that it was a much more productive and less prone to nuclear level convos.

I just realized I don't even know what a message board is. How's that for naivete?

I got tired of Facebook when I started seeing content creators get deplatformed from it. The one that really hit was a photographer I enjoyed following. They got kicked off Facebook but are allowed to remain on Instagram. That makes no sense because Facebook owns Instagram. I ended up emailing the photographer and confirmed my suspicion. Facebook removed them without any clear reason.

Well I am glad some folks have been de-platformed...

I've not yet to see any replatformed after deplatforming, but my guess is some are trying.