In dictionary terminology, a forum is a place where like-minded people can meet to exchange views and opinions. In today's world of seemingly endless online information, these bulletin boards have also become popular as lifelines to folk who've run into a problem or have a query and can't get a sensible remedy or solution.
Not surprisingly, some of these websites have now become the first ports of call when someone has an urgent request or simply wants to shout about things good, bad or indifferent relating to business practices. There are so-called official forums, and many others which have sprung up either attached to a publication or association or independently. Yet all need to be run and moderated efficiently for them to work properly.
The growing use of forums has been endemic in the way we all use the internet to source information. Have a question or face a technological disaster, and the first place many go is to Google to try and find a rescue remedy. For anything with a technological bent, it's often possible to read about someone who's had a similar problem begging for help and receiving responses so that cures can be emulated, and this certainly adds value to sites where people of a like mind can mix.
In sign-making and wide-format terms there's a variety of boards from which to choose. There's a significant difference, however, between those websites which have been constructed and moderated by a manufacturer or a supplier and others which have been set up by an individual who has no affiliation with a particular brand. Many rely on open source bulletin board software to drive them, such as phpBB, with most having the ability to be monitored by admins with the help of stickies to keep important messages and announcements in place at the top of the forum list.
As in so many online areas there are good forums and there are some which generally degenerate into little less than a shambles of complaints and slanging matches. Unmoderated areas carry no control over content, and repeated whining and complaining make it tedious for visitors to wade their way through different topic areas to find what they want.
So forums need to be slick and well run, and if an area is sensibly organised, then information should be succinct and easy to find. A typical example of this shines through on Delcam's boards where each product is easy to identify and leads through to the relevant posts. Likewise, Roland DG's forum was set up earlier in the year and has been busy since covering all sorts of topics in a neat arrangement.
Across all sectors of the industry there is a motley selection of sites offering forum capabilities, some being effective and well populated while others have started life in a burst of enthusiasm, only to fizzle out as time passes. There are some which have been established for several years and retain a loyal following, such as UKSignboards.com. This one works as a forum should, letting non-members see what's going on yet encouraging them to join up, and its areas are impartial and pretty informative from a practical point of view.
Other options include Signpig.com, which boasts a bright yellow interface so not the easiest to read, and TheSignSite.co.uk which, fortunately, is based on a traditional and legible white background. But, in terms of general information, the sign-making sector at first glance fares better than the wide-format arena. A good amount of related discussion takes place on these sites but, in terms of tracking down specific digital forums, there are more specialised ones concentrating on photographic output and a few outside the UK which cover a range of ink-jet topics.
Why join a forum? For many, these areas have proved to be a first stop when running into trouble with a production-related issue. Whereas a manufacturer's area will of course be biased, independent sites carry the advantage that opinions can be many and varied. Having browsed through some of these forums, some of the solutions to queries might be valuable but many are little short of nonsense and should be taken with the requisite pinch of salt.
As part of the overall online remit, forums can be useful and friendly areas. The ones that succeed are well structured and good to look at, but all need regular input to make them work – and that's up to the people who use them.