While I agree with the article that they are not the same, people using one thing may not be interested in the other, or at least not be aware of it.
I've used IRC for the last 25 years or so, and BBS:es before that, and forums alongside it.
Forums are great for nesting information and discussion for future reference, but less equipped for fast discussion on issues more ephemeral (or fun).
A lot of people used only forums, even for things where I would go to IRC.
These people could be well served by Discord (ignoring any discussion on proprietary software/data integrity/ownership etc).
As a product, I really love Discord. I don't want everything to end up there, for various reasons, but the most important of which is discoverability and persistence.
Please stop closing forums that are an information resource for both members and non-members. But some forums are just slow chat, in which case those users abandoning the forum are likely better served elsewhere.
I've used IRC for the last 25 years or so, and BBS:es before that, and forums alongside it.
Forums are great for nesting information and discussion for future reference, but less equipped for fast discussion on issues more ephemeral (or fun).
A lot of people used only forums, even for things where I would go to IRC.
These people could be well served by Discord (ignoring any discussion on proprietary software/data integrity/ownership etc).
As a product, I really love Discord. I don't want everything to end up there, for various reasons, but the most important of which is discoverability and persistence.
Please stop closing forums that are an information resource for both members and non-members. But some forums are just slow chat, in which case those users abandoning the forum are likely better served elsewhere.