# Using Discourse as a social media platform
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133
**Category:** Community Building
**Created:** [August 30, 2021, 4:16pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133 "2021-08-30T16:16:29Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@oshyan](https://meta.discourse.org/u/oshyan)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2021, 6:41pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133/41 "2021-09-27T18:41:58Z")
> [@Decorbuz](#):
>
> > [@oshyan](#):
> >
> > You do have _groups_ in Discourse, but of course you can’t use those as the sole organizational concept to which you can publish content.
>
> I wonder if groups could be modified so they work that way?
I wonder this too…
> [@Decorbuz](#):
>
> Is it possible to “disable” categories or “hide” them per se? Maybe make them work differently (just like I mentioned with groups)?
Not that I’m aware of. You can just make everything Uncategorized, and then e.g. hide the Category view and just leave the Latest, Top, etc. views. Then use CSS to hide the category indicators I guess… Workable, albeit imperfect.
> [@Decorbuz](#):
>
> What about turning the activity field on user profiles to be interactive (for a lack of a better term, like Twitter)? You know… how you can like, reshare, and see the entirety of a post without clicking on it?
Interesting idea, yes. But to me this actually gets away from some of what seems more interesting about “social media”, the intermixing of content from multiple sources. You can already subscribe to someone’s activity feed from Discourse via RSS, so if you’re really interested in just what one or a few people say, that’d probably be the way to do it. There is also the Follow plugin:
> [@Discourse Follow](https://meta.discourse.org/t/follow-plugin/110579):
>
> IMPORTANT WARNING: This plugin may affect whether laws that regulate social media apply to your forum. Consult legal for advice. discourse2Summary Discourse Follow allows users to follow other users, list the latest topics involving them, and receive notifications when they post.hammer_and_wrenchRepository Link [https://github.com/discourse/discourse-follow](https://github.com/discourse/discourse-follow)open_bookInstall Guide [How to install plugins in Discourse](https://meta.discourse.org/t/install-plugins-in-discourse/19157)Screenshots Followed users posts feed:
> [@JammyDodger](#):
>
> I like that the different discourse forums are almost little worlds of their own. They share a similar set of underlying ‘physics’ that make them easier to visit and absorb (once you’ve familiarised yourself with one), but they have distinctive branding, rules, tone of conversation, etc, etc. They seem like solid entities in their own right. I think anything that dilutes those bounderies would be a move in the wrong direction.
It’s good to know you don’t want those boundaries eroded. But can you explain specifically why? Hopefully not just in terms of simple preference, “I like the way it is”, but specifically why, or at least how the existing setup makes you feel in interacting with it vs. the alternative.
> [@JammyDodger](#):
>
> In my ‘[DiscourseDiscovery](https://meta.discourse.org/t/federated-reputation/203679/9)’ land I can imagine a feed made up of latest activity grouped by forum (but summarised/abridged), with the ones you’re a full member of being ‘pinned’, and the order of the rest measured on the level of interaction (topics followed, likes given, bookmarks, etc, etc).
Yes, that makes some sense…
> [@JammyDodger](#):
>
> There’s a possibility that what I want is a BIGdiscourse, that has all the functions and features of a regular discourse, but with forums instead of topics. 🙂
Mmm, yes, interesting! Meta-Meta Discourse. 😉
---
### Author:  [@anon73664359](https://meta.discourse.org/u/anon73664359)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2021, 9:25pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133/42 "2021-09-27T21:25:32Z")
> [@oshyan](#):
>
> I wonder this too…
I really want a #Customization > Plugin like that if it’s possible! What a great suggestion from @Decorbuz! 👏
> [@oshyan](#):
>
> Not that I’m aware of. You can just make everything Uncategorized, and then e.g. hide the Category view and just leave the Latest, Top, etc. views. Then use CSS to hide the category indicators I guess… Workable, albeit imperfect.
As an addition to that suggestion, what if you wanted users to be able to create their own categories (to essentially function as either “Circles” or “Collections” or “Communities” if that makes any sense)?
> [@oshyan](#):
>
> Interesting idea, yes. But to me this actually gets away from some of what seems more interesting about “social media”, the intermixing of content from multiple sources. You can already subscribe to someone’s activity feed from Discourse via RSS, so if you’re really interested in just what one or a few people say, that’d probably be the way to do it. There is also the Follow plugin:
Some people don’t like Twitter recommending random posts or other garbage you might not care about in the slightest. The intermixing of a somewhat specific (large) interest from multiple sources seems more ideal to me (and that’s another thing that Google+ did well in my opinion).
* * *
As a side note, I want to see this…
…be turned into (something) like this! 😉
---
### Author:  [@Decorbuz](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Decorbuz)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2021, 9:40pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133/43 "2021-09-27T21:40:16Z")
I agree, but that’s an outdated screenshot.
Have you considered how something like this could possibly be implemented into Discourse?
---
### Author:  [@oshyan](https://meta.discourse.org/u/oshyan)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2021, 9:45pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133/44 "2021-09-27T21:45:22Z")
You’re showing a different view than they are though. This is more of a “Category” view, and there is category thumbnails that would work to create something similar. They’re showing a _person_ activity view, for which a solution to spruce it up doesn’t yet exist as far as I know. But I too would like to see one, even just for Discourse in its forum context…
---
### Author:  [@anon73664359](https://meta.discourse.org/u/anon73664359)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2021, 9:45pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133/45 "2021-09-27T21:45:30Z")
Actually, that’s sort of similar to what I was looking for (not exactly though).
Also, here’s an up-to-date video of the Google+ profile page.
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzL0jcQJCoo)
One thing I liked about the old version of Google+ was that it allowed you to display a lot of information about yourself on your profile (education, work, occupation, skills, etc). Is there a #Customization > Plugin out there that allows you to display that kind of information?
---
### Author:  [@Decorbuz](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Decorbuz)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2021, 9:46pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133/46 "2021-09-27T21:46:53Z")
> [@oshyan](#):
>
> But I too would like to see one, even just for Discourse in its forum context…
Through a plug-in like @anon73664359 seems to be suggesting?
---
### Author:  [@oshyan](https://meta.discourse.org/u/oshyan)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2021, 9:47pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133/47 "2021-09-27T21:47:43Z")
> [@anon73664359](#):
>
> One thing I liked about the old version of Google+ was that it allowed you to display a lot of information about yourself on your profile (education, work, occupation, skills, etc).
I think you could do similar with [custom profile fields](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-create-and-configure-custom-user-fields/113192) though, right?
---
### Author:  [@anon73664359](https://meta.discourse.org/u/anon73664359)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2021, 9:48pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133/48 "2021-09-27T21:48:38Z")
Actually, you’re right. I had no clue about that. Thanks for sharing!
Does it support icons?
---
### Author:  [@Decorbuz](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Decorbuz)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2021, 9:50pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133/49 "2021-09-27T21:50:23Z")
I found a better example of what you were looking for. Could it be organized into blocks like Google+ did?
---
### Author:  [@anon73664359](https://meta.discourse.org/u/anon73664359)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2021, 9:50pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133/50 "2021-09-27T21:50:58Z")
Using CSS? Possibly, but I’m not sure.
Discourse already has profile view counts and post titles, so that’s a start! 😄
---
### Author:  [@Decorbuz](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Decorbuz)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2021, 9:53pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133/51 "2021-09-27T21:53:13Z")
> [@anon73664359](#):
>
> Using CSS? Possibly, but I’m not sure.
Wouldn’t a basic theme or theme component suffice?
---
### Author:  [@anon73664359](https://meta.discourse.org/u/anon73664359)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2021, 9:55pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133/52 "2021-09-27T21:55:10Z")
It could be requested in the #Marketplace category, yes. A basic #Customization > Theme that attempts to replicate Google+ would certainly be better than nothing!
---
### Author:  [@oshyan](https://meta.discourse.org/u/oshyan)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2021, 9:56pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133/53 "2021-09-27T21:56:26Z")
> [@anon73664359](#):
>
> Does it support icons?
Unfortunately no, not as far as I can tell:
But perhaps a plugin could extend it to do so. I think that would be a nice addition! Custom image fields…
---
### Author:  [@anon73664359](https://meta.discourse.org/u/anon73664359)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2021, 9:56pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133/54 "2021-09-27T21:56:55Z")
> [@oshyan](#):
>
> But perhaps a plugin could extend it to do so. I think that would be a nice addition! Custom image fields…
A #Customization > Plugin for a #Customization > Plugin? 😆
---
### Author:  [@Decorbuz](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Decorbuz)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2021, 9:58pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133/55 "2021-09-27T21:58:41Z")
I wish I had the money to request such a thing (or the programming skills required for such a matter)!
---
### Author:  [@oshyan](https://meta.discourse.org/u/oshyan)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2021, 10:00pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133/56 "2021-09-27T22:00:41Z")
> [@anon73664359](#):
>
> A #Customization > Plugin for a #Customization > Plugin? 😆
Hah, yes, exactly.
There’s a previous request here, but no traction:
> [@Add images to custom user fields?](https://meta.discourse.org/t/add-images-to-custom-user-fields/26942):
>
> I think it would be cool if it could be to add a picture instead of text /admin/customize/user\_fields how you like the idea?
Of course we do already have Profile Header and User Card Background images… I’m curious what specific other images you had in mind for this feature.
---
### Author:  [@Decorbuz](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Decorbuz)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2021, 10:02pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133/57 "2021-09-27T22:02:00Z")
What would it take to change the heart icon into a +1 icon? As far as I’m concerned, there’s no +1 icon in the latest release of Font Awesome.
_Here is a simple edit using inspect element._
---
### Author:  [@anon73664359](https://meta.discourse.org/u/anon73664359)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2021, 10:29pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133/58 "2021-09-27T22:29:42Z")
Font Awesome’s has a request for it by… well… me! 😄
[https://github.com/FortAwesome/Font-Awesome/issues/18208](https://github.com/FortAwesome/Font-Awesome/issues/18208)
Upvote it if you want to see it happen! I provided an admittedly overdramatic explanation as to why I think the meaning of +1 is better than “like” or even “heart” for that matter (sorry, Jeff! 😉).
> If a user were to interact with this icon, it could be used to convey a generally positive emotion instead of a single emotion that a thumbs up (like) button and a heart (love) button are ultimately limited to. “+1” can mean many different things, which is why I think it has an advantage over the traditional like/love buttons and should be implemented as an icon into Font Awesome. It is so simple, yet so powerful at the same time.
[Actually, could it be done through a theme component? 🤔](https://meta.discourse.org/t/change-the-like-icon-to/87748)
---
### Author:  [@Decorbuz](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Decorbuz)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2021, 11:06pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133/59 "2021-09-27T23:06:43Z")
I believe you can use SVG icons too, right? I don’t believe its restricted to Font Awesome.
One thing that has seemingly gone unmentioned (no pun intended) is how Google+ used the + symbol instead of the @ symbol for mentions. I think it was more of a branding thing (at first, Google+ used the more traditional @ symbol instead of the + symbol for mentions), so I guess the \> symbol would be more suitable for a technology-oriented crowd.
---
### Author:  [@anon73664359](https://meta.discourse.org/u/anon73664359)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2021, 11:11pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133/60 "2021-09-27T23:11:36Z")
Oh, here’s another benefit to anything that isn’t Facebook! 😆
[Previous page](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133.md?page=2)
[Next page](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133.md?page=4)