How does Boards differ from sociial networking sites?

Richard Dower

Isin't it in principle just the same, or is it very different?
My own personal take is, it's less personal...for me, it's more info driven with a bit of harmless banter. But how do you view the differences, if any?

davyjose

Its Richard Dowerisms are through the roof...

efb

People on Social Networking Sites have friends...

Richard Dower

davyjose wrote: »

Its Richard Dowerisms are through the roof...

Dowerisms...hmmm, will there be a Wiki page of these?

davyjose

Richard Dower wrote: »

Dowerisms...hmmm, will there be a Wiki page of these?

I Dowert it...

/getting coat

Richard Dower

Don't you know who i am?

Pdfile

Richard Dower wrote: »

Don't you know who i am?

is that you, wallie ??

:pac:

Nevyn

Boards.ie is a discussion site not a socail networking site.

Leprachaun

Discussion forum =/= Social Networking Site.

These kind of sites are mostly anonymous and are for talking to other anonymous people about different things. On social networking sites, you talking to mostly people you know and you don't really discuss things, just post pictures , post little messages etc...

Alessandra

I don't have friends on boards. I have RL friends on facebook. I didn't join boards to make friends. For some people I guess boards is similar and perhaps even more social than facebook/bebo/whatever.

Bonavox

Boards: Full of mature people who can have harmless fun and serious discussion as well as gaining valuable information.

Social Networking sites: Full of randy/over excited teenagers.






Simple.

AnonoBoy

I dunno, I don't use them, but I hear that there's less sanctimonious pr*cks on social networking sites.

DrumSteve

Bono Vox wrote: »

Social Networking sites: Full of randy/over excited teenagers.

you've just described AH.

ve

I personally much prefer discussion forums over traditional social networking sites such as facebook / Bebo / etc. On site like boards.ie people can get to meet eachother through common interests as opposed to feeling obliged to connect with somone they hardly know through an established friend. The fundamental application is completely different.

Discussion sites (and Wiki's alike) benefit significantly from Metcalf's Law which is as the number of subscribers tends towards infinity the potential for each individual member improves significantly. The original classic example was the telephone network.
When a member makes a contribution (a post) the population benefits (well usually). Nothing I can do on bebo will benefit the entire population of subscribers, only perhaps a limited subset.

I thinks traditional SN sites are there to empower THE MAN as opposed to the members. Marketing could easily mine valuable stats from all the commonly provided fields of data available from people in different corners of the world, while at the same time giving individual members a limited number of free applications and hosting. Also not to mention the scope for identity theft and stalking if mismanaged.

Yes people on boards can post everything about themselves if the choose, but they make the decision about what to post as opposed to filling in suggested fields and not acknowledging the potential for misuse.

The power of community IMO is the driving force of the most successful applications on the Internet. I have always preferred the discussion forum model over many others and boards.ie is a great example for affiliates of Ireland.

R0ot

The difference is simple: Boards was here before them and it'll be here after they die.

brummytom

I much prefer boards to Facebook/Bebo et al.
I can actually have conversations on here with people who are either impartial or knowlegable about whatever I want to talk about; the debates can open my eyes, and more than anything AH can, the majority of the time, cheer me up when I'm feeling low/ill.

Facebook can't. I don't care what my mates are doing on Farmville, I don't want to see pictures of nights out I wasn't invited to. But boards actually offers something - a sense of community, and a sense of humour.

3hn2givr7mx1sc

Bono Vox wrote: »

Boards: Full of mature people who can have harmless fun and serious discussion as well as gaining valuable information.

Social Networking sites: Full of randy/over excited teenagers.






Simple.

One word: brummytom.:cool:

gizmo

+1 to Boards being a discussion forum and not a social networking site.

That being said, on social networking sites I can pick and chose who I associate myself with and as a result, who I am forced to listen to. On Boards I don't have this option and am often subjected to whatever vile, ill-informed, illogical and fucking pointless shite some knuckle-dragging moron wishes to spew. Thankfully this is balanced by those pleasant, informative and genuinely interesting people one can occasionally come across.

Biggins

People also go from Boards.ie links to facebook, etc more so...
I suspect that very few go from facebook page links to Boards.ie pages.

One site is "One amid many on any page" while the others is "Just me" mainly on any page.

FlutterinBantam

Richard Dower wrote: »

Isin't it in principle just the same, or is it very different?
My own personal take is, it's less personal...for me, it's more info driven with a bit of harmless banter. But how do you view the differences, if any?

Get's a bit annoyed when dudes com in asking all kinds of stupid questions and expecting people who couldn't give a fook to answer.

brummytom

FlutterinBantam wrote: »

Get's a bit annoyed when dudes com in asking all kinds of stupid questions and expecting people who couldn't give a fook to answer.

Yet, although you couldn't give a fuck, you felt the need to comment?

FlutterinBantam

Did I say I didn't give a fook.

Stick to Facebook buddy and leave the adults alone.

brummytom

FlutterinBantam wrote: »

Did I say I didn't give a fook.

Stick to Facebook buddy and leave the adults alone.

If I ever see any adults here, or anyone posessing any mature opinions, I will

Herbal Deity

Thaedydal wrote: »

Boards.ie is a discussion site not a socail networking site.

Originally, and in theory, yes. In reality? From what I can see there's a huge social networking element to boards, perhaps even much more than other sites in certain ways. I mean, Facebook doesn't really encourage randomers to make friends and meet up IRL.

ve wrote: »

Discussion sites (and Wiki's alike) benefit significantly from Metcalf's Law which is as the number of subscribers tends towards infinity the potential for each individual member improves significantly. The original classic example was the telephone network.
When a member makes a contribution (a post) the population benefits (well usually). Nothing I can do on bebo will benefit the entire population of subscribers, only perhaps a limited subset.

I'm not sure I understand or agree with that. How does someone posting on the Music forum benefit someone who only reads the Film forum, for example?

ve wrote: »

I thinks traditional SN sites are there to empower THE MAN as opposed to the members. Marketing could easily mine valuable stats from all the commonly provided fields of data available from people in different corners of the world, while at the same time giving individual members a limited number of free applications and hosting. Also not to mention the scope for identity theft and stalking if mismanaged.

lol "THE MAN".

Boards is becoming very commercial lately...


Forums have their place on the internet and social networking sites have their place also. They both fulfill very different purposes. Boards is a cross between a discussion forum and a social networking site IMO.

The biggest difference is the "Thanks" button is called "Like" on Facebook..

ColmDawson

AnonoBoy wrote: »

I dunno, I don't use them, but I hear that there's less sanctimonious pr*cks on social networking sites.

*fewer sanctimonious pricks

AnonoBoy

AnonoBoy wrote: »

I dunno, I don't use them, but I hear that there's less sanctimonious pr*cks on social networking sites.

Really depends on your friends list.

Fighting Irish

Richard Dower wrote: »

Isin't it in principle just the same, or is it very different?
My own personal take is, it's less personal...for me, it's more info driven with a bit of harmless banter. But how do you view the differences, if any?

the difference is, you can talk away to someone on FB without having to worry about a mod stopping your chat because he thinks it's going nowhere or because some other people had the same chat last week

Overheal

Trying to compare Boards to Myspace is a joke.

Fighting Irish

Overheal wrote: »

Trying to compare Boards to Myspace is a joke.

Not really

stripysocks85

Originally, I agree Boards.ie was set up with the intention of being a discussion website, but comparing it to websites such as askaboutmoney.ie etc you can see that there is a HUGE social element to this site. Many of the posters are friends, arrange regular meet ups etc etc so in a sense, it is a social networking site.

I quite like Facebook, and I can have a good nosy around other peoples profiles and see what they're up to. On boards you can have a proper discussion about many topics, and I prefer the anonymity sometimes. Of course many others do here, otherwise they wouldn't be able to insult/make degrading comments/be such dickh€ads if it wasn't somewhat anonymous!!

Nevyn

stripysocks85 wrote: »

Originally, I agree Boards.ie was set up with the intention of being a discussion website, but comparing it to websites such as askaboutmoney.ie etc you can see that there is a HUGE social element to this site. Many of the posters are friends, arrange regular meet ups etc etc so in a sense, it is a social networking site.

That has always been part of the site as it was set up originally serving the gaming community and part of that was lans, competitions and beers.
It has been what makes boards.ie different from a lot of sites but there are discussion sites which have a community element of them which do those things as well. Boards is just the only irish one it seems.

Originally, and in theory, yes. In reality? From what I can see there's a huge social networking element to boards, perhaps even much more than other sites in certain ways. I mean, Facebook doesn't really encourage randomers to make friends and meet up IRL.

That maybe a part of it but it is not the focus or the goal of the site.

Forums have their place on the internet and social networking sites have their place also. They both fulfill very different purposes. Boards is a cross between a discussion forum and a social networking site IMO.

I don't like the newer functions to the site which make it seem like a socail networking site such as the profile pates and visitors messages, the site functioned well enough with out them for years.

Herbal Deity

Thaedydal wrote: »

That maybe a part of it but it is not the focus or the goal of the site.

Does Boards have a goal or a focus?

partyatmygaff

They're hardly comparable. Facebook and the other social networking sites are usually just for randomly chatting to your friends. You can think of it as some kind of invite only house party. Boards is kind of like a party where you hardly know any of the other people and your just talking to eachother about random things.

Its kind of like that.

partyatmygaff

partyatmygaff wrote: »

Boards is kind of like a party where you hardly know any of the other people and your just talking to eachother about random things.

It's like a party in your friend's mother's house.. She doesn't like bad language or fighting.

partyatmygaff

Deleted User wrote: »

It's like a party in your friend's mother's house.. She doesn't like bad language or fighting.

Its a permaban if you try and go against her authority.

:pac:

Nice name, I'm goin nowhere near your gaff.. :P