Any news about Xenforo 3.0, can we expect modern forum?

[qnkov]

Hello. For half a year, I have been looking for a modern forum system to start an anime/manga site with various features. For example, a video system for watching movies/episodes, a way to add manga/anime as pages with information about them, topics with posters, etc. I saw that all of this is possible with Invision Community.

I waited to see version 5, but it turned out that the self-hosted platform is extremely expensive and has functionality limits. They also changed the way we acquire add-ons, significantly restricting options, and almost no themes exist for their latest version.

On the other hand, XenForo seems like a better alternative in terms of user base and price, but the forum and themes, in general, look like they’re from the early 2000s. I understand that some may find this nostalgic, but it looks incredibly outdated and is not visually appealing.

That’s why I’m wondering what exactly to expect with version 3.0. Can we anticipate a modern interface similar to Invision Community? I really don't want to go to invision as they may drop self-hosted in next version, as they aim for big comapanies, not common users now.

 

[AjayJunkies]

Never, in our experience. Don't paint every forum with the broad "the Internet overwhelmingly collectively leaving forums" brush, as it's simply not true.

Most of our members complain that users on social media are, basically, either the less enlightened who have nothing useful to say, or prone to start arguments just to get others worked up. Just comparing the niches on the forums I'm an admin for, social media groups are dumbed-down versions of the topics our forums discuss, and are also full of argumentative individuals. Reddit only takes those same attitudes and amplifies them; Reddit is also overrun with AI-generated posts (generally rage bait) in some of its most popular subs.

Even on the few forums I participate in, where I'm not on the staff, the same holds true. Memberships are growing, and members often mention they're happy to be there as opposed to the stupidity they see on the greater Internet.

We gain and retain users from social media because of this intelligence, moderation, and common decency we offer in forums. IMHO the greater Internet (especially social media and Reddit) is a mess of anonymous opinions with algorithms pushing content at visitors that will gain them the most advertising dollars. A select number of those who will want something beyond everyday stupidity and rage bait (and being targeted by algorithms and Big Tech) once they've gotten fed up with circular arguments and being subjected to flame wars. We want no part of that crowd, but we'll gladly take those in who want serious discussion without the side dish of rage bait and bull.

I've been in this for decades. The oldest forum I admin (and own) dates back to 1996. The busiest I manage started in 2002, and is growing faster than staff can keep up with it, with tens of millions posts. I've been moderating forums since before the general public even heard of the Internet, and were using dial-up for services like CompuServe, GEnie, etc., long before AOL came along, or even the private "bulletin boards" accessible via dialup, back when 1200 baud was the blazing fast new technology. Even Usenet functioned as a forum of sorts, but its "open" platform allowed anyone to post, including spambots, and it quickly lost its usefulness once that happened.

If forums were as dead as some here are suggesting, XenForo wouldn't even bother existing. They've been around in one form or another since before a few on this board were even born. One might even joke that the forum discussion format is the cockroach of the Internet--nothing seems to kill it, and the number keeps on multiplying.

I'm bowing out of this conversation, as I'm tired of repeating myself.

Carry on.

You are confounding individual exceptions with aggregate experience.

Yes, individual forums can and do thrive. In no way did I intend to impose the same stroke of failure on every forum. But in aggregate? We cannot pretend that every forum is doing better than they were ten years ago. The overwhelming online experience and vast majority of conversations have moved to social engagement platforms. That needs to be recognized.

There's always that one forum owner who waves his hand and says "but me! I'm doing peachy and fine and therefore no one shouldn't ever evolve or do anything different."Well, okay. Don't do anything different. We aren't worried about you. Some of us are looking at the aggregate, and there are some of us who recognize that the online experience is constantly changing.

 

[smallwheels]

The overwhelming online experience and vast majority of conversations have moved to social engagement platforms. That needs to be recognized.

If you want to be social media and like social media and all you are interested in is user numbers and posts per day you will probably always be unhappy als facebook, reddit and alike use techniques you don't have and never will have and have more money to spend on a single feature than you earn with your day job per year.
If you focus on what forums can do better like quality content, real trustful communities and other things like that you will always win. No doubt XF is somewhat oldfashioned and clearly they are in many aspects years behind any modern standards - but if you expect that to change you will realistically always be unhappy as this is not going to happen.

 

[Feline Forums]

So older users don't mean crap to the Internet anymore?

Nice. Really nice. Good way to spew more hatred in these divisive times.

I believe @rdn gave a valid critique by pointing out the clash between the older and younger generation. That's not spewing hatred. On the other hand, your emotional response demonstrates the very hatred you complain about. I don't think anyone is immune to such basic criticism.

I've been working in web forums since 1997. Was with Compuserve several years prior, some of that time as a sysop. Don't tell me what works and what doesn't.

Just because you were successful in prehistoric times doesn't mean you will be successful now. This is especially true on the internet, which is ever changing and adapting. The internet of 1997 is a completely different world than that of 2025. Heck, that was almost a decade before I was born (2006). I'm sure the Greatest Generstion could say the same thing to you about paper letters - they worked, so why upgrade to email?

It's the clueless dolts from social media who can't use a forum. And no forum wants that level of stupidity visiting their community...the ones who can only write in acronyms and end every sentence with "lol" instead of punctuation they learned in effing grade school, and ask questions without doing the most rudimentary of searches.

You shouldn't gatekeep forums from social media users or be hostile to them. In fact, welcoming them into your community would probably offset the decline of forums. As long as social users follow the rules you have set in place, you might be surprised to see how well they contribute. Also, we use acronyms to save time in casual conversation, not because we're stupid.

--

To most people of my age, xenforo simply isn't modern. I don't want to go into depth about this specifically because it's getting close to bedtime. But if we find a middle ground by modernizing aspects of forums while keeping the aesthetic, I think everyone will be happy. And if not, you could choose to not upgrade to XF 3.0. Granted, I don't have much skin in the game. My forum was just a novelty project I made at age 14. But I thought I'd share my nuanced perspective, even if I get down voted to oblivion.

 

[Mr Lucky]

But if we find a middle ground by modernizing aspects of forums while keeping the aesthetic,

I must have asked this before but what would make a forum modern? And what about those people who do want or like those modernisations?

 

[beerForo]

I must have asked this before but what would make a forum modern? And what about those people who do want or like those modernisations?

For me they are little things that improve the UX. Like when I click to "View more..." threads, the whole page reloads and you have to read from the top again, instead of it dropping down and adding more threads. It would be nice to not have to refresh the DMs page to see a reply if you are involved in a back and forth convo. It would be nice to not have to use the Back button in search, and a bunch of other dated functions (not features) that could be modernized. I am not going to even mention infinite scroll as that is too controversial. But seriously. It's about functions, and the way things operate, and not features, for me.

 

[Alpha1]

Like when I click to "View more..." threads, the whole page reloads and you have to read from the top again, instead of it dropping down and adding more threads.

I cannot get used to this. Its counterintuitive. From a users perspective it seems like the page reloads. While in reality it switches pages and functionality.

 

[beerForo]

It's horrible.

 

[beerForo]

From a users perspective it seems like the page reloads. While in reality it switches pages and functionality.

Yes! It redirects to pagination. And if you have say 40 threads in What's New and you click "View more..." you actually view LESS!

This certainly could be "modernized" and those that do not want modernization would appreciate it I'm sure.

 

[smallwheels]

I must have asked this before but what would make a forum modern?

I would assume this has been discussed somewhere over the last 16 pages of this thread (and apart from that in countless threads on this forum countless times). Did you check?

And what about those people who do want or like those modernisations?

First: What are "those modernisations"? W/o knowing that, how would you be able to discuss this question?

In general they have three possibilities:

• Expect the unrealistic (that XF will in no time chance to a modern social media platform and keep pace with their development). As this is unrealistic as a consequence those will be unhappy and continue to moan.
• Stay realistic and live with what XenForo offers (including various extensions via add ons)
• Stay realistic and switch horses if what XF offers, will offer and is able to offer does not meet your wishes and expectations.

That was easy.