Forums Promote Community, Connectedness and Conversation

By Lauren White, RCS Reporter.

They may be “old school,” but forums are still a popular form of social media.

For years, forums have served as platforms for people around the world to connect with others who share similar interests, whether it’s pets, race cars, technology, food, or roofing.  One of the original forms of social media, forums engage users and foster connectivity and interaction between people. RoofersCoffeeShop® wanted to give members a space to share ideas, ask questions, seek advice, and learn from one another.  And since 2002, professionals in the roofing industry have been doing just that. With more than 400 active users, the RCS Forum is the place where the industry meets. 

Jason Falls, author, speaker, and influencer in the social and digital marketing space, reports, “The social media channel with the vast majority of conversations about brands, products and services isn’t Facebook.  It’s not LinkedIn or Twitter, either. Forums and message boards— old school social media— are still one of, if not the most popular place to ask and answer questions about brands and products.” 

What is a forum?  Also known as a discussion board, a forum is a designated area where people can converse, post ideas, respond to others, and ask questions.  Forums are often used in educational settings, allowing students an opportunity to write a thoughtful response to the prompt, read what their peers have to say, and have meaningful discussions.  Nowadays, there’s a forum for nearly everything from fashion to video games, and roofing to tech support. Some forums are stand alone websites while others are combined with media or corporate sites such as Apple or Whirlpool support.

Forums have gone through a variety of iterations since the beginning of the Internet in the 1960s.  The first forum was the Bulletin Board System (BBS) in 1978, which was essentially an online bulletin board.  Users were able to login, upload or download data, send direct messages to one another, play interactive games, and post public messages to the board.  “It was the first time in Internet history where user-generated content became a fundamental aspect of a service,” according to Joel Lee, Editor in Chief of MakeUseOf.  Then came the Usenet in 1980, the IRC (Internet Relay Chat) in 1988, and finally forums in 1994.  Forums are, “...one of the reasons why the Internet is so large. They act as centralized locations for topical discussion, similar to BBS and Usenet but on a much larger scale and in more specialized ways,” Joel Lee explains.

Dr. Louise Pendry from Psychology at the University of Exeter, is the lead author on a study concerning the benefits of discussion forums.  She reports, “Although seemingly eclipsed in the past decade by social networking sites such as Facebook, forums are still regularly used by around 20% of online users in the US [United States], and about 10% of online users in the UK [United Kingdom], attesting to the value that users continue to derive from them.”

Active since 2002, the RCS Forum facilitates conversations between roofing professionals concerning a variety of useful tips and tricks, product questions, and advice.  With four different sections— Roofers Talk, RCS Question of the Month, Hurricane Relief, En Español— there’s something for everyone on the forum.  Topics range from apps that can help during natural disasters to hurricane season information, from how to keep crews busy in bad weather to the most eco-friendly roof system, from best work shoes and boots to seeking help with customer questions.  In the 18 years since it started, there are over 500,000 pages of comments!

The RCS Forum provides a community for roofing contractors to share advice, ask questions, and form strong relationships with their industry peers around the world.  Contractors are able to speak freely in a noncompetitive environment and learn from each other. “We’ve been told by some members that they never really started making money until they began sharing information and asking questions on the Forum,” Vickie Sharples, RoofersCoffeeShop partner, revealed.

Dr. Jessica Salvatore, assistant professor of psychology at Sweet Briar College, published the study with Dr. Louise Pendry.  She commented, “What we are seeing here is that forum users who get more involved develop strong links with other users.  They come to see themselves as more identified with other forum users...In a nutshell, the more users put into the forum, the more they get back and the pay-off for both users themselves and society at large can be significant.”  This is especially true in the roofing community.

The RCS Forum has been the driving force behind mutual friendships.  Vickie commented, “We’ve had members host summer barbecues, inviting other Forum members, who have traveled to attend and finally meet in person.  Another example is when one of our members in Virginia was having medical concerns, and posted a goodbye message, two other members from Ohio and Pennsylvania reached out and met with him in person before his surgery.”  This notion is confirmed by Dr. Louise Pendry. She discloses, “Often we browse forums just hoping to find answers to our questions.  In fact, as well as finding answers, our study showed users often discover that forums are a source of great support…”

To rekindle that brotherhood, RoofersCoffeeShop is hosting a reunion!  From January 20 through 26, old forum members are encouraged to stop by and catch up with one another.  Vickie will be hosting and moderating Old Home Week, in addition to providing special gifts to those who check in with her.  

Join the conversation and learn from your fellow roofers.  Whether you’re wondering what the most eco-friendly roof system is or searching for helpful tips when installing coatings, RCS members on the Forum have the answers.  Who knows, maybe your skillset will lend itself to a fellow member in need of help. There’s a lot people can learn from each other, and the RCS Forum is a valuable asset to any professional in the roofing industry.

Visit the RCS Forum from January 20-26 for Old Home Week, and contribute to the conversations your fellow roofers are having.