Why do some website owners look down on forum only sites?

Because I've seen quite a few sites (especially video game fan sites) say that forums aren't websites or are some kind of lazy alternative for people who can't be bothered to make websites with static content or god knows what else, and I've seen some of the same come from bloggers too.

For example:

http://www.dragonflycave.com/content.aspx

http://www.dragonflycave.com/affiliate.aspx

and (I know, this site has long since closed):

http://web.archive.org/web/20060210162229/http://www.raurusreturn.net/content/view/36/80/

It seems like there's a bit of anti forum elitism among Zelda and Pokemon sites for whatever reason, and I'm pretty sure I've seen it among some bloggers and similar people online too. Why does it seem like so few people seem to actually realise that forums are not some cop out option that's easier than making a site and that they're arguably even more difficult to make succeed than static websites or blogs or wikis?

 

It's a lot harder though to build a site using static pages, HTML coded by hand. Far harder and I've done it, and even though you can create a basic set template you use for new ones published with a good text editor. Still a lot of work involved compared to just starting a thread on a forum using a editor like TinyMCE or whatever.

Took me something like 3 months to build a 470 page HTML website (plus content added). And I know the easy way to do it, create a standard template all others are based from, and using search and replace to quickly change things with 400 templates all open at same time. Still hard though, even knowing short-cuts.

 

It is hard to build and keep up with a website, but I would never belittle anyone that hasn't done it. Everyone does what's best for their forum/website.

 

I've never known people to put down community sites but then I'm not big in the gaming world at all. I think it's a completely silly way of thinking, to be honest. A good forum takes just as much work as any other website. More, in some ways, actually, because you have to constantly monitor a forum for spammers and troublemakers.

 

Well, no offense, but if you still build sites in HTML in 2012, than you're surely NOT valuing your time. I have stopped bothering with this the moment I got my hands on a decent CMS. Let's say that for me Wordpress does it all and I am capable enough to style it so that it doesn't look 'like a blog'. The issue with most forum admins is that they just install something and that's it. Few forums run on a custom design so I presume the 'disrespect' some feel towards community forums is that most of them are a simple script installation.

 

I am not familiar with sites putting down strictly community sites either. To each his/her own, I suppose. If someone says that, though, then I'm unlikely want to associate with them either. They sound high and mighty that their site is better because it's static for whatever reason. No thanks.

 

I'm not sure if that comment was aimed my way or not, but only I mentioned building HTML sites, so I'll presume it was.

Well, I don't anymore, have not done so since 2010. That's the last time I built a large HTML website. But I think you're missing the point a little here though, HTML websites have their own benefit compared to a forum or blog. For starters, they don't get spammed to death (no comments allowed and are usually read only), if coded well and you know all about Meta Tags, Seo Techniques, keeping to W3C Standards and making best use of HTML code to better site SEO. An HTML website can out-rank any Blog or Forum "if content is good and useful getting listed". They don't require MySQL or PHP to function, so you can always guarantee it will work, no matter what your server does changing things. That's just a few plus factors running a proper HTML website. Sure, it's a lot of hard work and may seem pointless to you, I can only gather then you don't really know that much then about creating a static HTML website.

 

Meh, what you should keep in mind here is (if anyone thinks I underestimate how much work it requires), I used to build all my sites in pure HTML in Notepad at one time, and yes it is difficult...

But I'd say promoting a forum is arguably even harder. Why? Because for a static website or just a traditional one in general, you don't need to update so regularly. You don't need to keep promoting so much. You've got static content which can keep your site relevant for years.

However, a forum is a lot harder to promote and get going because it all comes down to the community, and basically activity leads to activity. You need to post day in day out at the start and post content like crazy, since people don't join inactive looking forums. You have a harder time promoting because you have to promote something semi abstract like a community rather than a certain piece of content. And a dead forum is very, very blatantly dead. But an inactive site? Looks no different from an active one, especially if it doesn't use a blog like format.

Not to mention you have to battle past the stigma of forum only sites being the cheap way out like mentioned in the first post. This makes affiliation and link exchanges a nightmare.

 

They're all different, like you said a website is more for presenting information you intend to stay up their for many years unchanged. For example, me creating a website listing all aquarium marine fish species, or birds of the world people visiting can get information from. Very different from a forum and I'm not arguing in the long-run a forum is harder work, it is because once a website is built and finished, job done really apart from updating things or maybe adding some new stuff now and then. But that's not often and you wouldn't use an HTML website if intending on changing lots of stuff each day ongoing. Too time consuming to use for a site that's constantly changing each day.

From my own point of view, what I like about using an HTML website. I don't have to worry about upgrading the forum or blog software to stay working with server host changes made. You don't run the risk of losing all, you'll always have back-up templates on your PC uploaded and there's no reason why the site should ever break or stop working when all it uses is HTML to function. Also uses very little resources, your not using PHP or MySQL.

Also, unless your like some "whiz coder" and can change anything with the Blog or Forum software you use (which 99% of us can't do). Your pretty much at the mercy of how it's coded, how you want things, or would like things to be. Building a website, you have full control over everything and only your knowledge dictates how good or bad it will be, but there's nothing you can't change with it to suit you to perfection over time. You might use forum software, but still have some gripes about thing with it, are there bugs in TinyMCE you hate for example you can do little about. Does it fail validation, again little you can do because of the way it's coded. You don't have the same kind of full control unless your some whiz coder who can take it apart and put back together again - your stuck with what it is.

 

I have too much information on my html site to transfer over to whatever else is out there. I've thought about it, but it's easier for me just to add to what I already have. The website and forum have been functioning with no problems for the last 10 years. To each his own.......and what works for you.

 

Forums are likely seen as sites with lesser quality content. Lots of chat and a bit of discussion, but nothing really interesting or amazing.

 

It might be harder to build a website but I think it's harder to manage a forum. You constantly monitor your forum and update it more frequently than a website. I don't think anyone should look down on forum owners because they probably do more work than site owners.

 

Not really though. I think that's just a myth. Because I've seen plenty of forums that have a lot of better content than regular websites. To each its own though.

 

I just wouldn't worry about those types of webmasters, they sound anti-social to me anyways and I try to avoid them.

 

I've seen many forums with amazing content, but that doesn't mean there are a ton more forums that give forums a bad impression. That is why I said seen as.

 

And there are tons of bad static sites and information sites with bad content. Heck, probably just as many of those as bad forums.

Yet some of these site owners are quite willing to promote the former yet not the latter.

 

As an admin of a forum with a blog, I feel the need to be snoody to everyone that is just forum now.

 

I never seen or heard of anyone looking down on a site because it was a forum, maybe because it was a "junk forum" with the default template, and no customizations. You won't gain the respect of other website owners if you don't put in the work to make your forum unique.