The discussion begins with Johnny_McIvor proposing a hybrid forum feature that combines traditional posts with embedded, archived chatboxes to facilitate spontaneous exchanges. patrickemin asks for existing examples, but satonotdead notes that while ‘Trollboxes’ exist on other platforms, they may be redundant on Discourse. merefield highlights that such chat features could compromise SEO, as search engines typically index static topics rather than dynamic chats. nathank suggests using the existing Event Posts functionality as a workaround.
The conversation then shifts to a broader debate about the future of SEO and AI. satonotdead argues that SEO is becoming obsolete as AI replaces web search, citing Google’s integration of AI overviews and its $60 million deal with Reddit for training data. merefield counters that SEO remains vital because AI models require novel, real-time content from human sources and lag behind current events. He argues that communities like Discourse will remain essential for genuine human interaction and fresh data. satonotdead maintains that the industry is moving toward AI-driven answers, reducing the need for direct clicks to forums, and suggests continuing the debate via private message. Heliosurge encourages keeping the discussion public and neutral. Jagster adds that Twitter’s struggles are due to leadership changes rather than SEO trends. Finally, satonotdead shares an article suggesting Google is further obscuring direct links to search results, reinforcing concerns about data centralization and the erosion of traditional web traffic.
I understand it’s really off-topic to continue, but if you want we can discuss about it with very much pleasure via PM.
The basic idea is that people had their attention broken because social media and AI is going to the rescue for show data (dopamine) with the less effor as possible.
אני מבין שפחות אנשים יתעסקו עם Reddit, כי הממשק איום ונורא וחווית המשתמש גרועה. ממשקי צ’אטבוט הרבה יותר טובים מ-Reddit!
אבל AI לא יכול לשרוד ללא תוכן חדשני.
ספקי תוכן רבים, כולל פורומים עצמאיים ואתרי חדשות, יסתירו יותר תוכן מאחורי חומות תשלום ומסכי אמון, ויאלצו ביקורים מחוץ לצ’אטבוטים.
ל-AI לא יהיו כל התשובות או המידע העדכני ביותר.
יהיה יקר יותר ויותר לאמן מודלים חדשים ככל שהם הופכים גדולים יותר ויותר, ולכן כלי חיפוש ברשת יהיו הסדר של היום מכיוון שהם תמיד יפגרו בחצי שנה בחידוש המידע.
בכל מקרה אנשים רוצים לדבר עם אנשים לא עם בוטים כל הזמן אז הם עדיין יחפשו את כיכרות העיר.
I insist to continue via PM and it’s better to take a neutral approach without any personal takes.
I understand my point of view as real, not pessimistic, not possitive. Just as is on reality, without sentiments involved.
Because Discourse is not OpenAI, Gemini or SEO.
They already have all the data they need. Why to continue looking for human interactions when they got ~20 years and everyone is paying for instant replies?