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A long while ago, Google used to have this Directory page where they would link to some popular sites, and one of those categories was internet forums. Of course, such a page is long gone now, and with Reddit slowly imploding, I've found a lot of people now asking about possible good internet forums to join. And you know what, I'm kinda wondering the same myself, so I decided to start up this list so we can all start coming together.
Keep in mind though, I will have some standards for this list. While I'm not going to expect any of these sites to meet official Sanctuary quality standards, there will still be some rules, and your forum could be taken off the list at any time if I find you are violating any of them. If you don't agree with these standards, you can bring up any grievances here, but you better have a good argument ready. Vague arguments like, "I don't like it," and, "That's not fair," will be laughed at.
Rules:
- Site cannot be too niche. The more broad its focus, the better.
- Sites must use the standard subforum-thread-post model.
- No Chan boards. They are not true forums for several reasons including forced anonymity, lack of thread permanence, and bad searchability.
- No payment can be required to get access to post on the forums. Individual monetized sub-forums are allowed but iffy and may affect your ranking.
- No staff hypocrisy. If your rules say something and you discipline users for something else not listed, your site will be pulled from the list.
- Vague rules such as ones regarding "trolling" and "hate speech" will be heavily looked down upon and may be grounds for removal if enforcement is egregious enough.
- No voting systems (save for actual product reviews and objective Q&A). Post reactions will be tolerated but looked down upon.
- No Twitter-wannabes. And linked directly to that, no absurd character limit. Focus should be on threads, not individuals.
This list is in beta because these rules may change (very doubtful though). If they change, you will be notified. Sites listed are ranked according to allowed user freedom and overall site quality. Sites will be grouped into categories based on our existing sub-forum categories. If you're the site owner and you disagree with a category we have put you in, you can request to have your site moved to another category. You can also request to have the site removed from this list altogether.
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Keep in mind though, I will have some standards for this list. While I'm not going to expect any of these sites to meet official Sanctuary quality standards, there will still be some rules, and your forum could be taken off the list at any time if I find you are violating any of them. If you don't agree with these standards, you can bring up any grievances here, but you better have a good argument ready. Vague arguments like, "I don't like it," and, "That's not fair," will be laughed at.
Rules:
- Site cannot be too niche. The more broad its focus, the better.
- Sites must use the standard subforum-thread-post model.
- No Chan boards. They are not true forums for several reasons including forced anonymity, lack of thread permanence, and bad searchability.
- No payment can be required to get access to post on the forums. Individual monetized sub-forums are allowed but iffy and may affect your ranking.
- No staff hypocrisy. If your rules say something and you discipline users for something else not listed, your site will be pulled from the list.
- Vague rules such as ones regarding "trolling" and "hate speech" will be heavily looked down upon and may be grounds for removal if enforcement is egregious enough.
- No voting systems (save for actual product reviews and objective Q&A). Post reactions will be tolerated but looked down upon.
- No Twitter-wannabes. And linked directly to that, no absurd character limit. Focus should be on threads, not individuals.
This list is in beta because these rules may change (very doubtful though). If they change, you will be notified. Sites listed are ranked according to allowed user freedom and overall site quality. Sites will be grouped into categories based on our existing sub-forum categories. If you're the site owner and you disagree with a category we have put you in, you can request to have your site moved to another category. You can also request to have the site removed from this list altogether.
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| Name: | URL: | Notes: |
| Spurious Generalities | ||
| The Bastard Factory | https://bastardfactory.net | Pretty damn edgy. Very close to how we run things though. Has an annoying Reactions system. XenForo-powered. |
| Shroomery | https://shroomery.org | Focus on drugs but allows many other kinds of threads. |
| DeviantArt | https://deviantart.com | Basic forum with pretty loose rules. Also works as a general forum. DA corporate could step in at any time. |
| The Giraffe Boards | https://giraffeboards.com | Like the Bastard Factory but much less lenient on the rules. For those who want a general purpose board but a lot more moderation behind it. |
| Technophiliacs & Technophiles | ||
| Games People Play | ||
| RPGHQ | https://rpghq.org/forums/index.php | Light rules. Uses phpBB. |
| Hive Workshop | https://hiveworkshop.com | Has an annoying Reactions system. Rules are better than some but still iffy. Xenforo-powered. |
| Moving Pictures | ||
| Home Theater Forum | https://hometheaterforum.com/community/ | Focus on home theater setups but also is a general movie forum. Rules are iffy. Requires your first name but you can easily lie. |
| MovieChat | https://moviechat.org/ | Reimplementation of the old IMDb forums. Almost non-existent moderation. Kinda basic. |
| Printed Matter | ||
| Chronicles | https://sffchronicles.com | Focus on science fiction and fantasy but allows all kinds of literary discussion. |
| Appealing Design | ||
| DeviantArt | https://deviantart.com | Basic forum with pretty loose rules. Also works as a general forum. DA corporate could step in at any time. |
| WetCanvas | https://wetcanvas.com | Basic forum with more strict rules and a focus on professionalism. Layout issues. |
| ... And Rock & Roll | ||
| Steve Hoffman Music Forums | https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/ | General music forum with seemingly no rules. XenForo powered. |
| The Acoustic Guitar Forum | https://acousticguitarforum.com/forums/index.php | Focus on guitars and music production but is also a general music forum. |
| Songstuff | https://forums.songstuff.com/ | Has an annoying reaction system. Rules are iffy. Has a more general music focus. |
| Go Team! | ||
| Reinvent Yourself | ||
| Head Shrinkers | ||
| Psych Forums | https://psychforums.com | Very restrictive rules but is one of the very few sites justified in having such. |
| Oral Indulgences | ||
| Calls of Nature | ||
| Motorheads | ||
| Engineering Sector | ||
| Mad Scientists | ||
| Science Madness | https://sciencemadness.org | Running very old forum software. Rather professional. Threads on explosives are available. |
| News of the World | ||
| Round Trip | ||
| Oh the Humanities! | ||
| Deific Discussions | ||
| Politics - Left, Right, and Center | ||
| I am the Law! | ||
| In My Opinion | ||
| Money, Money, Money... | ||
| Better Living Through Chemistry | ||
| Science Madness | https://sciencemadness.org | Running very old forum software. Rather professional. Threads on explosives are available. |
| Shroomery | https://shroomery.org | Focus on drugs but allows many other kinds of threads. |
| Bluelight Forums | https://www.bluelight.org/community/forums/ | Somewhat restrictive rules list. Doesn't allow talk about drug sourcing. XenForo forum. |
| Relationships and Affection | ||
| Body Art | ||
| Adult DVD Talk | https://forum.adultdvdtalk.com | Rules are light. Not very orderly. Focus on mainstream porn. |
| Military and Combat | ||
| The High Road | https://thehighroad.org | General firearms forum. Rules are alright. XenForo-powered. |
| Science Madness | https://sciencemadness.org | Running very old forum software. Rather professional. Threads on explosives are available. |
| Fringe Division | ||
| Wizard Forums | https://wizardforums.com/ | Rules are a bit iffy. Activity a little slow. XenForo-powered. |
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