South East Central is another casualty of the general migration of online conversation into social networks, as Nick Barron (the creator of @BrockleyCentral and co-creator of South East Central) described, back in 2016.
It’s sad. Independently-run forums are a key part of the World Wide Web - part of an open ecosystem, as the web was originally intended.
Conversely, most social networks are closed entities, impenetrable to search engines and closed to the mutual linking-together of websites that made ye olde Internet such a fascinating and organic beast as sites grew together as equals. Websites should be peers on the Internet, not an Internet in their own right.
Social networks are mostly feed-orientated. They don’t allow content to be organised, categorised, tagged, or fully searched. They are geared up for most users to unthinkingly consume content.
Social networks are run by large multinational companies - they will never be an authentic local voice. And they will always be subject to the stultifying effects of corporate policy and vocal minorities on free speech.
Forums are designed for everyone to be an equal participant, and to create content that lasts, and is useful. Forums are small, numerous and occasionally subversive. They allow people to organise together and make their voices heard to the open web.
Conversation on the web relies on forums - my determination to make the “dot.life” sites work is all the more renewed given the sad departure of other local forums.