Use forums rather than Slack/Discord to support developer community (mooreds.com)

Article summary

The article argues that forums are a better choice than Slack or Discord for supporting developer communities due to their ability to preserve knowledge and provide a searchable archive of discussions. The author highlights several problems with using chat platforms, including the 'memory hole' where valuable information is lost, and the difficulty of searching and accessing historical conversations. The article suggests that forums are more suitable for building a knowledge base and providing long-term support. The author's experience with building a developer community using a forum is cited as an example of the effectiveness of this approach.

Main themes

• Forums vs Chat Platforms
• Knowledge Preservation
• Community Building
• Synchronous vs Asynchronous Communication
• Data Ownership and Export
• Platform Choice and Tradeoffs

What commenters say

• Some commenters agree that forums are more suitable for preserving knowledge and providing long-term support, while others argue that chat platforms have their own strengths and can be effective for certain types of discussions.
• There is a perceived need for a platform that combines the benefits of synchronous and asynchronous communication.
• The use of chat platforms like Slack and Discord may be driven by the desire for instant answers and convenience, rather than a careful consideration of the long-term needs of the community.
• Some commenters suggest that the industry's shift towards chat platforms may be driven by the preferences of junior developers who value instant feedback over more thoughtful and deliberate discussions.
• The importance of data export and ownership is highlighted as a concern with proprietary chat platforms.
• The potential for a platform to archive and make searchable chat conversations is discussed, but also noted as potentially difficult to implement and contrary to the financial interests of some chat platform providers.