i started using the internet in the late 2000’s and still remember when you search for something most of the times it would return with a forum post … now its just random websites … if you ever need real and concise answer you have to add site:reddit.com at every search and since discord or twitter are not crawlable by these search crawlers they are not mentioned . Where did all those forums went…are there still active forums ?
Discord is pretty much the worst thing that happened to readily available information on the internet (when it comes to games and tech in general at least). No, I don’t wanna join your very specific niche server and use a search function worse than any forum back in the days had in hope to find the information I want.
Also Google got way worse, but that‘s no secret.
Two months ago I started using Kagi as a Google alternative. It’s amazing how much of a difference it makes not having to wade through a list of sponsored links first and actually getting the results I want.
I am on kagi’s free trial right now actually. Honestly i thought i searched more than i have so far. I have been on the 100 search trial for like 3-4 days now and have only used like 11 or 12 searches. I never paid attention to how much i searched before. The great thing is that they accept crypto now.
$10 a month seems a lot for a search engine, but maybe it’s just because I’ve gotten used to all of them being free.
I love Discord for gaming with friends. I don’t mind some programs using it for releasing things. Like I play Session(skateboarding sim) a decent amount. It’s usually used for people throwing up custom maps and mods.
But anytime people talk about going to a discord to really discuss things and keep up with them, I’m just gonna move on.
I agree. I don’t use Discord at all. Chat rooms always suck for questions/support.
That‘s not even all. The process now is something like:
Search on Google: no answer -> search on Google with Reddit.com appended: no answer -> search on Google with Reddit and Discord Server appended: click through 3 expired invitation links -> finally find a working one: scroll through pages and pages of memes and rule34 content to find the answer you wanted
I want my searchable forums and bulletin boards back ffs.
you can search specific channels on discord. if you’re seeing memes and r34 while searching for something in a hub server for a game or something then you’re not searching correctly. or the thing you’re trying to find info on is so niche and poorly organized they have 1 channel.
Search Google-> 5 YouTube videos pinned to the top
Search Google with Reddit appended -> deleted comments in a thread 5 years old not even about my specific problem
Search duck duck go -> numerous highly detailed websites that may or may not be related to my specific problem