You know that's a parody site right? The article is fake and really doesn't try very hard to hide the fact.

According to video:I rather believe that news

It's fake. The site is a parody site. The video just quotes the article.

Read the article and you'll see how obvious it is fakery.

I loved the article. :) It just did not make any business sense to me.

2014 Q2 Facebook
http://investor.fb.com/results.cfm

yeah looks like it was a hoax

http://www.hoax-slayer.com/hoax-face...november.shtml

Reading the artiicle was a clue. It was written in classical pyramid style, the more ridiculous stuff towards the bottom where most people don't read.

Like this:

And this::p

I personally believe that social networks such as Facebook are seriously laying the hurt to forums such as vBulletin. I've been a member of message board forums of various types from Proboards to phpBB to vBulletin--and unless you got a head start in the early-to-mid 2000's, you're going to have trouble finding a user base.

Though I've run a collectors & fan website for many years off and on, I was never a "heavy hitter" when it came to traffic. Now that I've finally got something going that is becoming somewhat popular within my hobby circles, I've got a Facebook group with 350+ members and growing, while my forum has been around just as long and barely has 50 members. I just recently added some limited Facebook connectivity to my forum (the ability to link your vB account with Facebook as well as Profile Pic showing at the top of the forum), hoping it'll draw more people in knowing that they'll be able to use their FB login for ease of use. I've read some people's reactions in similar FB groups to mine that they much prefer Facebook over forums because "It's easier".

While a couple of the larger fan website forums I go to still seem to be going strong, many of the smaller ones I used to frequent are fading into the past, with only longtime users that are still stirring about. I'm sure eventually they'll leave for greener pastures as well.

If Forum software such as vBulletin is to survive, it may be time to license out to social networks such as Facebook and just create a vBulletin like atmosphere within Facebook itself--maybe make an app that has properties of Facebook groups, yet behaves like a vBulletin, all managed from Facebook rather than a standalone system like vBulletin. Just "connecting" to Facebook isn't going to be enough moving forward, full-on integration will most likely be the only way to go if you want any continued traffic.

Your statement above I hear regularly. Most young users find the forum venue difficult to operate or do not have the patience to learn. Their statement always includes the comparison to Facebook -- of course you would expect Facebook to have a better user interface with the army of programmers at their disposal. Established forums are not in danger, but the younger users are still going to complain about the UI. Facebook is creating the "new norm", so companies like vBulletin can only play catch-up or decide not to compete in that sector.

Your observance about the fan site sector is spot-on. The majority of users on fan-sites will be mobile in the future, if this is not already the case. At my work, mobile devices for interaction surpass desktops 4-1. last year it was 3-1.

Web standards will mature, devices will be faster and running 5g speeds. This might allow companies like vBulletin to compete on better ground with a more involved UI in the future.

Yep, you're right. The mobile junkies want it now. Everything now. They also don't want to get into deep discussions. The mobile web as it is with twitter, FB and the like feeds their ADD, instant gratification junkiness. Forums never will feed that. It's the nature of two different beasts.

LOL, You are so right. :)

I help with a site that is vB 3.8.2, has been going 13 years, has nearly 200,000 members, 14.5 million posts and gets heavy posting traffic daily, still. Site is busy 24/7/365 with no lulls in traffic. And I mean frikkin busy like you've never seen. Forums aren't "dead."

I am the principle of two public forums, 2 private forums and two commercial forums (oversee IT department which runs them). They all have unique mobile capabilities and all of them have their own smart Apps.

The mobile interfacing and Apps are time intensive, but the public forums have really taken off and I now employ a son and a daughter to run them, both are in graduate school away from home. They have run their own forums since around 2009. Anyway, my point being that forums are not dead, but to gain market share today you must cater to the trends of the internet and the next generation.

Very much what I was saying earlier. Embrace mobile, or die. MOST especially if you're just starting out today.

Sorry, I did not mean to diminish your post. I was just validating what you were saying: from my own experience. :)

Yeah we're swapping mutual agreement, I was just acknowledging it haha.

Get a room. :) :p :D

If you can't fight someone, do an alliance with him:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chris...48578705238558

It's still in Alpha version but works fine so far and all addons that I tried are working fine.

EDIT: Sorry the application was invisible to public. Now it works.

Ha. That's pretty cool. You embedded your live vBulletin page onto the facebook page. I did this some years back, vB with Joomla.

Nice going!

Actually I dislike (not say "hate") Facebook. But I must admit that most users love it and they want everything to be done from there. It's easy for them to click a bookmark on their FB profile to see your page and then with one more click to return to their "base".

There was a joke here last days before the elections. "We would like to remind FB users that during vote we place "+" besides the name for whom we vote and NOT "LIKE" :)

I hate facebook. LOL I'll say it, I absolutely cannot stand it but its an important part of my business.

Last June, about ten of us had an exodus from the forum we used to like. We did a facebook private group for 3 months. I finally couldn't take it anymore, and started my forum so we would have somewhere to go. So, I guess I have facebook to thank for having my forum. I haven't looked back.

The biggest problem is the newer internet generations not using the internet as older internet generations do. Instead, they sit on their cell phones using social network apps to feed them gossip, news (real & fake), photos, videos, games, etc. They have their entertainment and don't feel a need to venture into what I call the Real Internet...the web as we know it...an interesting journey.

FB & Twit are not easier or harder than forums. People had to learn their way around it just as people did with forums. It's just that all their friends and family are on it so they learned how to use it. Now they are use to it and believe it is easier than anything else.

What really helped the social networks was the media and big business telling people to follow them on social network sites all the time. They are constantly promoting social networks on tv, radio, and even on their own websites. If I want to read the news online, I expect to read it on the news website. If I want to know about a business, sales, coupons, etc. I expect to get that from that business website. And if I want to comment on news or articles I expect to do so without having to have a fb account to comment with!

Let's not forget all the webmasters who go around promoting social networks either. They happily promote them on their own websites, in signatures, forum profiles, etc. If I want to get updates on your website I expect to get them from your website.

The last thing I want to do is follow all these businesses and people around the social networks for their updates and stuff! Sure it might be easier for some people. Especially lazy people. But I highly doubt that many people actually see your updates in their feed when they have so many other things filling up that space. How many people do you actually attract to your website through social networks? How many of them turn into sales or community members?

Way too many businesses and people promoting social networks rather than their own websites. They put more effort into social networking than they do their own websites. Some even forcing you to have a social network account if you want to get updates, comment on their website, etc. All the while social networks gather your browsing history and use it for profit.

Is FB killing forums? No, other people are helping FB kill off forums by making social networks more important than any other websites.

Have you shared how to achieve this on this forum? is it a mod?

It will be a mod. Haven't finished yet as I've some others more important projects on hands.

I think facebook is boring for older people.

I find it rather annoying than boring IMO.

Hey napi

Well if you are a teen than I am sure you would consider me a geezer at 47 and I don't find FB boring. I use it but I find it sort of annoying. People posting the most minute details of there site. "feeling bored", Feeling sad" Feeling hungry.. omg who cares? And the pictures... people just consumed with taking pictures of their own faces every 5 minutes.. drives me crazy.

I do use it but rarely do I post pictures if myself and only on rare occasions do I post how I am feeling.. not every hour. lol

Nick... this isn't working when I view it.

It's a long time ago that installed it there for testing purposes. That installation does not has anymore SSL certificate so I removed it.

Question... that project of yours. Is it a fix of the former facebook app that vbulletin used to support? I couldn't get mine to work after facebook changed their API and VB dropped support of it.

I'd do anything to get it working now. Is that possibly...possible?

I think facebook is not hearting forums. Because they are more moderated places than facebook. The facebook posts may contain false information etc. On the other hand forums are not like this.