The Social Media Librarian

Graham Lee

Following on from last week’s post on Twitter, here follows insight into the current use of forum communities in the UK. This information is drawn from our recent Social Media Insight 2009 report.

All of the information below is compiled solely using data from Social Media Library. If you have any thoughts or views, please do get in touch.

Consumer Topics

Consumer discussion groups make up nearly two thirds (64%) of all UK & Ireland-based forums, and while some are not as big as their counterparts in finance and technology in terms of members, the average 2.5 million posts eclipses any other type of forum on the web. These are in-depth, high volume, sustained discussions about topics du jour, from thoughts on current affairs to problems with pets.

Forums are essentially a non-threatening environment where people can swap ideas on a subject as and when they please, without either feeling under pressure to churn out a blog, or say something succinct that will live long in the memory. They are the natural home for online chit-chat.

For that reason, sporting discussions make up a good percentage of the consumer forum topics. It’s more like the friendly banter that you would hear down at the pub. Sports fans have evidently taken to forums more than they have warmed to blogging.

Other, lighter subjects such as lifestyle, home interests, and food and drink also make it onto the list. Interestingly, music is not so well represented as it is on social networks or blogs; perhaps there is less facility for file sharing, or maybe the forum is now seen as a bit outmoded by those at the cutting edge of music culture.

Technology

The second biggest forum grouping is technology with 17% of the overall total. These are populated by people who spend a lot of time in the virtual space anyway and prefer to use it to keep in touch with friends and colleagues, sharing complex issues and advice. They are early adopters who feel comfortable conversing online.

Healthcare & finance

The number of healthcare forums is not as significant as this subject area in the blogosphere, with only 7% of the total topics. Yet even though finance equates to only half of the health total, members of finance forums outstrip those on health sites by almost three to one, and average posts are almost double. There are a small number of financial forums, but they are intensely active: witness the success of Moneysavingexpert.com for one. Once these sites have gained traction they become huge, and in the current economic climate where people are seeking help from all quarters, they are likely to grow further.