Hi everyone One of my favorite online forums to spend time in has just announced it is closing down. It's no big surprise the number of posts has been going down and the amount of spam has been going up for a long while now, but still it makes me a bit sad. I remember back when online forums were a real big thing and had real community in them, but many of them seem to have moved to facebook groups over the last few years. I'm not a fan of facebook or they way that they process and share information so I don't take part in those. I would like to play a part in making sure that this little community does not go down the same path and disappear because I like it here and I think it is a unique place, being specific in some ways to the Baltic region but also inclusive and talking about environmental stories from the bigger world as well. I'm happy to be here and I hope that it will be around for a long time to come, I look forward to build the same kind of relationships here that I have on other forums in the past, with people who I now consider friends, both online and offline. Later in the year we will be making the huge jump from the US to a new life in Lithuania and the answers that I already received here to questions and thoughts about it all have helped me to feel happier about this decision. If, like me, you enjoy this little place online then I encourage you to be an active part of it. To start discussions, take part in the ones that others start, to make suggestions about how we can make the forum better in any way. But also to share it, to tell your friends who have similar interests and bring them to be a part of it, to help build a bright and vibrant community. I truly look forward to getting to know all of you more and to many more exciting future discussions. 😄

Julie Brooks-Girskiene I truly look forward to getting to know all of you more and to many more exciting future discussions. You too Julie 💚 Julie Brooks-Girskiene make suggestions about how we can make the forum better in any way. I think they will get upset with me if I make too many requests!

Julie Brooks-Girskiene Thanks for this post, and I agree with everything in it. It seems like building online community is hard these days if you are anywhere outside of a FB group, which is kind of sad to me. I know that we don't have earth shattering numbers of visits, members of comments here on EKO Diena, but I believe that will all increase over time and I think that already there are some good conversations taking place. Let's hope for many more to come! Oh, and Skylar I think they will get upset with me if I make too many requests! It's fine, go for it!

👏 👏 @Julie Brooks-Girskiene I'm with you. I don't like Facebook groups and miss active busy chatrooms and forums about different things. This week I have not been online so much as normal and have not been posting here but I will be more this week. It is important to comment and react to other people comments to build conversation. And to start the new conversations of course @Julie Brooks-Girskiene and @Piri are great at that. There is the chance for more people to come they just need to know that a community is here and what it is about, we need to get that out there.

Building an online community

Piri

We knew that to run a forum is a challenge nowadays, especially kind of competing with social media like for example FB 🙂

It would be nice to see the community growing, more people, more opinions, more things to learn and share 🌱🌍

In all cases EKOdiena is not disappearing 😁 🎐 ( it's supposed to be a jellyfish 😁😁😁 like you know they are survivors)

Skylar

Piri In all cases EKOdiena is not disappearing 😁

Good to know! It's one of my favorite online hangouts and set to get bigger and better.

I am Ashlynn

Some of us are here and around, but just watch more than post.

Piri

I am Ashlynn but just watch

Sound a bit scary 😂

Skylar

John It's fine, go for it!

Ok then! 😉

I am Ashlynn

Piri I did not mean it in a bad way.

Clementine

Julie Brooks-Girskiene

I was also with some online communities that are now dead and empty of new talk or just got closed down.

In the last years it all became about the Facebook groups but now maybe it is changing again and people are some people are moving away from Facebook.

John

Clementine it is changing again and people are some people are moving away from Facebook.

I think that's true, a lot of people are falling out of love with Facebook a bit, and some of them are looking for other social media networks to use instead, but then they realise that most of the alternatives just aren't very good, and that nobody they want to connect with is there, and many end up back at FB again.

Julie Brooks-Girskiene

John and some of them are looking for other social media networks to use instead

I tried to try some of them out, like Mastodon and it was just a lot of hard work, I think I ended up with an account but have never been back there again.

Aiga

The important thing is to have enough active people that any time you come back to visit there is some discussion happening to catch up with and take part in. FOMO is what makes you to check in more often.

Aiga

Right after I wrote that we need active people I stopped being active person for weeks. Doh!

John

Aiga Yep, but you made it back, so all is forgiven.

Skylar

Another forum site that I used to look at sometimes has just closed down, internet is hard these days.

Maybe we need some kind of promotion plan to get the news out and get people to come and take part here. 🤔

Piri

Skylar

I am sad about another forum, but it means we will see you more often here 🤭 this was an evelish thought!

It is very nice than people come organically, but spreading the word I believe works as well. 🌿

It would be interesting to know how you all guys found this forum.

Julie Brooks-Girskiene

Skylar internet is hard these days.

It is, there is much less community and more more bitchiness online than there ever used to be. We can only hope that it's a phase in the internet growing up, and that it is all going to work itself out at some point.

Skylar

Piri I am sad about another forum, but it means we will see you more often here 🤭 this was an evelish thought!

I never posted there, just went to read sometimes. So, it is my fault and people like me that it went away probably 😅

Skylar

Julie Brooks-Girskiene It is, there is much less community and more more bitchiness online than there ever used to be. We can only hope that it's a phase in the internet growing up, and that it is all going to work itself out at some point.

It is not just online but the whole world I think, but there are some bright people and ideas and communities breaking through the darkness.

Vilte

In other forums, sites, groups, that I have been part of I noticed that scheduled things attract people to take part.

It's like a post with a poll every Tuesday, or a new recipe published on Fridays, a news roundup of the last weeks news on a Sunday or a Monday morning or a weekly something on some other day. A kind of online Taco Tuesday or Wednesday night social club.

Treebeard

Vilte In other forums, sites, groups, that I have been part of I noticed that scheduled things attract people to take part.

Scheduled features like quiz, review, news roundup do make people check back once in a week.

Arvīds

Vilte Yes, I think this is a good idea.

Julie Brooks-Girskiene

Vilte Nice idea 🙂

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