# 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:** 19
**Page:** 5
### Author:  [@anon73664359](https://meta.discourse.org/u/anon73664359)
#### Post date: [October 9, 2021, 12:31am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133/81 "2021-10-09T00:31:38Z")
This #Customization > Plugin could come in handy! š
> [@family\_man\_man\_girl\_boy Groups Widget (Layouts Plugin)](https://meta.discourse.org/t/groups-widget-layouts-plugin/205586):
>
> In response to @Justin_Vegaās [feature request](https://discourse.pluginmanager.org/t/sidebar-widget-for-groups/4878), Iāve created the [Groups Widget](https://discourse.pluginmanager.org/t/groups-widget/4881) for the [Layouts Plugin](https://meta.discourse.org/t/custom-layouts-plugin/55208): eyeglasses Overview The Groups Widget allows each user to see what groups they are in on a sidebar using Pavilionās [Custom Layouts Plugin](https://meta.discourse.org/t/custom-layouts-plugin/55208). See the [installation guide](https://discourse.pluginmanager.org/t/installation-and-setup/3200) to learn how to install and administer this widget. link Quick Links [octopus Get the code](https://github.com/paviliondev/layouts-groups-widget)[page_facing_up Read the documentation](https://discourse.pluginmanager.org/t/groups-widget/288)[question Installation Guide](https://discourse.pluginmanager.org/t/installation-and-setup/276)[bug Submit a bug report](mailto:development@pavilion.tech) ā¦
Actually, @keegan seems like a guy who could really help us out with this project, donāt you think? š
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### Author:  [@anon73664359](https://meta.discourse.org/u/anon73664359)
#### Post date: [October 17, 2021, 11:37pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133/82 "2021-10-17T23:37:45Z")
The āIn-feed adsā option would work extremely well with what weāre doing!
[https://meta.discourse.org/t/official-advertising-ad-plugin-for-discourse/33734/268](https://meta.discourse.org/t/official-advertising-ad-plugin-for-discourse/33734/268)
Oh, and along with that, this would probably serve us better than the āTopā view ever could.
> [@What is the "hot" category topic sorting option?](https://meta.discourse.org/t/what-is-the-hot-category-topic-sorting-option/206279):
>
> Continuing the discussion from [Discourse Version 2.9](https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-version-2-9/203005): What will this feature be like? How will it work? What does it do? I couldnāt find a dedicated topic for it. [image] Also, Iām extremely curious as to why itās being added to Discourseā¦ thinking
Also, @Justin_Vega recently submitted a feature request to [Pavilion](https://thepavilion.io/) that would be a perfect fit. Make sure to go vouch for his suggestion! š
> **[Pavilion](https://pavilion.tech/)**
>
> Pavilion is the leading Discourse consultancy.
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### Author:  [@anon73664359](https://meta.discourse.org/u/anon73664359)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2021, 11:05am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133/83 "2021-10-18T11:05:36Z")
We should use the Discourse instance linked in this topic as a model. What do you think?
> [@Website Integration](https://meta.discourse.org/t/website-integration/206316):
>
> Hello everybody! I just installed Discourse on my new website and everything looks great except that I also need a website and not only community forum. I recently saw [this](https://devtalk.com/) website which perfectly describes my expectations and Iām curious - is that some kind of a simple plugin that makes an integration with the forum or what? Iāll be so grateful if someone helps and give me more information. Best Regards, Peter
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### Author:  [@anon73664359](https://meta.discourse.org/u/anon73664359)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2021, 2:28am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133/84 "2021-10-21T02:28:22Z")
Hereās another gem I found. Sharing here for future reference! š
> [@Discourse Tab Bar for Mobile](https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-tab-bar-for-mobile/75696):
>
> GitHub repository: [https://github.com/OsamaSayegh/discourse-tab-bar-theme](https://github.com/OsamaSayegh/discourse-tab-bar-theme)Screenshots Installation Follow the instructions in this #howto topic: Customization See the [readme](https://github.com/OsamaSayegh/discourse-tab-bar-theme/blob/master/README.md) file in the themeās GitHub repository. Ideas to improve this theme are very welcome slightly_smiling_faceUpdate 24/12/2018: You no longer need to overwrite any code in order to customize this theme. Itās now shipped with theme settings that allow customization for each of the 6 tabs with abiā¦
> [@Discourse Tab Bar for Mobile](https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-tab-bar-for-mobile/75696/116):
>
> I really like this idea heart_eyes So just played with this a little bit. I believe there is a much better way to make it but for now it works on my site pretty good. slight_smile I use the [Big Header - Little Header](https://meta.discourse.org/t/big-header-little-header/86811) component \ code for template to do this. Unfortunately on iPhone there is limitation because the footer-nav is completely hide the Discourse Tab Bar. So i hide that. I updated this code! Now i just share the code here (not sure this is merge able): Place this on moā¦
I simply couldnāt resist! š
> [@Discourse Tab Bar for Mobile](https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-tab-bar-for-mobile/75696/126):
>
> Do you know which forum that is? I absolutely adore the user interface! heart_eyes
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### Author:  [@anon73664359](https://meta.discourse.org/u/anon73664359)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2021, 11:05am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133/85 "2021-10-25T11:05:37Z")
Iāve found another #Customization > Theme component that would be perfect for us to use!
> [@Trendy Login](https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-trendy-login/206955):
>
> discourse2Summary Trendy Login changes the default design of static login page (/login) on login required sites and adds the ability to customize the page content via component settings.hammer_and_wrenchRepository Link [https://github.com/discourse/discourse-trendy-login](https://github.com/discourse/discourse-trendy-login)questionInstall Guide [How to install a theme or theme component](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-do-i-install-a-theme-or-theme-component/63682)open_bookNew to Discourse Themes? [Beginnerās guide to using Discourse Themes](https://meta.discourse.org/t/beginners-guide-to-using-discourse-themes/91966) Install this theme component Features Sā¦
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### Author:  [@asirota](https://meta.discourse.org/u/asirota)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2021, 12:18pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133/86 "2021-10-25T12:18:33Z")
I have a gut feel about a core difference between topic/forums and systems like Facebook/Twitter/Instagram:
On forums the discussion is almost always led by an OP. The person with the most vested interest to gather insight and move the conversation forward. Much like in a face to face group conversation. With more than 38% of posts, the OP on this post has ensured this topic continues to live.
The key on social networks like Facebook and Twitter is to incent a much wider participation from a larger more random community. The OP rarely is part of a viral discussion. So on those networks the algorithm is tuned to bump up topics that have a much flatter long tail of responses. They are short, pithy and meant to be controversial to gain momentum.
And the other type of topics/posts gather literally zero response. They are mean to signal and gather a passive viewership without any real discourse. The huge majority of posts are like this I think. Facebook is an archive of virtue signalling and bragging.
Have you ever seen a viral discussion on Twitter? Eventually the OP plugs a product or some SoundCloud link. Itās like a meme to do that.
If you want to build a competing social network youāll need to adopt this interaction mode somehow. It requires an algorithm to put a discussion in front of people who would rarely ever even bother looking at something. And making sure that many respond so that the OP can just eat popcorn and watch. This is social mediaās best (and of course worst) feature - getting people to talk who normally donāt say anything. I call this a āforced discourse.ā
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### Author:  [@merefield](https://meta.discourse.org/u/merefield)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2021, 1:06pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133/87 "2021-10-25T13:06:59Z")
> [@asirota](#):
>
> Facebook is an archive of virtue signalling and bragging.
And Instagram of course. Even LinkedIn! Itās insufferable and a huge turn-off from using those platforms.
I would agree that replicating this is not desirable.
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### Author:  [@anon73664359](https://meta.discourse.org/u/anon73664359)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2021, 8:56pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133/88 "2021-10-25T20:56:40Z")
I wonder if a ārelevancy algorithmā #Customization > Plugin could be created?
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### Author:  [@asirota](https://meta.discourse.org/u/asirota)
#### Post date: [October 26, 2021, 12:55am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133/89 "2021-10-26T00:55:24Z")
Of course it could. But letās start with identifying what would be the algorithm to identify relevancy to me on a particular forum.
1. the semantic and meta data of content I liked, posted
2. who I am connected to in the social graph
3. items that have a large set of likes and responses
4. more
Then what do you prioritize? Is it the same for everyone or shift based on other factors.
And the most important thing: is it any different than just me visiting and using my own head to select what to read and respond to based on my notification settings and basic browsing?
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### Author:  [@anon73664359](https://meta.discourse.org/u/anon73664359)
#### Post date: [October 26, 2021, 12:41pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133/90 "2021-10-26T12:41:19Z")
Iām not interested in tracking my users outside of my website.
As for the whole ādo it yourselfā idea, why wouldnāt you want the process to essentially be automated?
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### Author:  [@aschrijver](https://meta.discourse.org/u/aschrijver)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2021, 12:20pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133/91 "2021-12-21T12:20:27Z")
I heard from @hellekin that NLnet NGI0 grant to add Fediverse federation support sadly did not come through. Does that mean that you will shelf your plans until the next open call, or is federation something you have in your roadmap for Discourse plugins anyway?
> **[Discourse will be joining the Fediverse](https://socialhub.activitypub.rocks/t/discourse-will-be-joining-the-fediverse/2071/10)**
>
> The grant proposal was rejected. Next try next year.
PS. I just [posted on fediverse](https://mastodon.social/@humanetech/107484855683579812) to NGI0 to ask if this indicates a change of direction, as a related grant to federate [Gitea](https://gitea.io) (who started federation impl via [forgefriends](https://forgefriends.org)) was also not honored.
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### Author:  [@merefield](https://meta.discourse.org/u/merefield)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2021, 12:26pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133/92 "2021-12-21T12:26:26Z")
Yea sadly that application didnāt work out. We are still pursuing funding for this, however. Obviously this will introduce a delay.
@angus
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### Author:  [@Decorbuz](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Decorbuz)
#### Post date: [January 14, 2022, 3:29am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133/93 "2022-01-14T03:29:33Z")
I think [Hashnode](https://hashnode.com/) might be a great example of what weāre looking for here. Itās a blogging network, but its user interface is superb and might be of some interest to those whoāve been following this topic for a while now.
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### Author:  [@Decorbuz](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Decorbuz)
#### Post date: [February 12, 2022, 4:03am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133/94 "2022-02-12T04:03:43Z")
Discourse published a really good blog post that could definitely help us out in identifying the differences between social media and Discourse. If we want to progress any further, then we need to more or less ābridge the gapā and find a reasonable balance.
> [@How Social Networks Differ from Communities | Blog](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-social-networks-differ-from-communities-blog/217937):
>
> On the surface, a social network and an online community can appear very similar. They both bring people together to share and discuss in a digital context. But when you dig in, there are stark differences between these two. This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at [https://blog.discourse.org/2022/02/social-network-community](https://blog.discourse.org/2022/02/social-network-community)
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### Author:  [@Decorbuz](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Decorbuz)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2022, 6:41pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133/95 "2022-02-17T18:41:43Z")
Hereās a brilliant follow-up! š
> [@Audience vs. Community: Whatās the Difference? | Blog](https://meta.discourse.org/t/audience-vs-community-what-s-the-difference-blog/218577):
>
> Audience and community are similar enough they basically seem to be the same thing. In reality, this is quite far from the truth. This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at [https://blog.discourse.org/2022/02/audience-vs-community](https://blog.discourse.org/2022/02/audience-vs-community)
Oh, and on a different note, somebody found a great example of how a feed view customizable by the user could work. Itās explained in a very clear manner.
> [@Any plans to make web stories for discourse?](https://meta.discourse.org/t/any-plans-to-make-web-stories-for-discourse/213859/3):
>
> I think personal Activity Streams would be of great value. So that each user can customize Activity Streams for themselves and receive role-based content (Customize your browsing experience thatās unique to you. Sort by unread, author, time period, tags, follows and more). Hereās an example: [https://invisioncommunity.com/4guides/how-to-use-ips-community-suite/content-discovery/activity-streams-r69/](https://invisioncommunity.com/4guides/how-to-use-ips-community-suite/content-discovery/activity-streams-r69/)
This topic offers some brilliant advice that could help guide us in the right direction when it comes to our approach on mobile platforms.
> [@What's the best advice for native app requests?](https://meta.discourse.org/t/whats-the-best-advice-for-native-app-requests/219370):
>
> This comes up repeatedly and Iād love to hear some opinions about best advice. My understanding right now: Thereās the official Discourse app for mobile. Itās actually a hub, it letās you sign in to various Discourse instances and enables push notifications for those on your mobile device. Youāll browse the actual sites using the mobile web version: Then thereās an independent iOS app with the same site manager approach, but the forum interfaces are coded natively. It seems to be out of actiā¦
Very insightful and thought-provoking! š¤
> [@Why isn't Discourse more frequently recommended as a "community platform"?](https://meta.discourse.org/t/why-dont-people-mention-discourse-in-conversations/221040):
>
> I just ran across this lengthy Twitter thread: There are more than 100 replies, but the summary is basically a ton of votes for Circle.so, a good number for Mighty Networks, some reference to āwhy change from Discord?ā, and then literally 3 or 4 mentions of Discourse, most of them without anywhere near as much conviction or endorsement as those espousing Circle and others, or heck, even those saying they use Telegram for community. That concerns me. I almost jumped-in and added a recommendatioā¦
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### Author:  [@Decorbuz](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Decorbuz)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2022, 3:59pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133/96 "2022-03-22T15:59:23Z")
This #Customization > Theme component in combination with [trending tags](https://thepavilion.io/t/sidebar-widget-for-trending-tags/4882) would be an absolute game changer for a multi-feed view!
> [@Categories Tag Column](https://meta.discourse.org/t/add-a-tag-column-to-your-categories-page/212102):
>
> discourse2Summary Categories Tag Column adds a column displaying tags to your categories page.hammer_and_wrenchRepository Link [https://github.com/discourse/discourse-categories-tag-column](https://github.com/discourse/discourse-categories-tag-column)open_bookNew to Discourse Themes? [Beginnerās guide to using Discourse Themes](https://meta.discourse.org/t/beginners-guide-to-using-discourse-themes/91966) Install this theme component information_source This component only works if the desktop category page style site setting is set to either categories and latest topics or categories and top topics. ā¦
Speaking of tags, itād be awesome if there was a #Customization > Plugin that suggested various tags (relevant ones) that a user could put into their post while typing it. Not only does it generally fit well in a social media platform, it would also simply just encourage users to use tags more often. This is definitely worth looking into! š
> [@Suggested Tags Feature](https://meta.discourse.org/t/suggested-tags-feature/158076):
>
> First off, thanks Discourse team for making an AMAZING product. Weāve been on Discourse now for over a year and really, really love the platform youāve built. Thank you!! Forgive me if this is a feature Iāve missed but would love to see the option to have suggested tags when someone posts a discussion. Our members often donāt know all of the tags we have. And, even if they do, they often wonāt take the time to tag their discussion appropriately. Itād be pretty great if somewhere in the posā¦
Changing ātopicsā to āpostsā and āpostsā to ārepliesā might be much more difficult than originally thoughtā¦ š¤
> [@How to replace the discourse \`Topic\` with \`Question\` instead?](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-replace-the-discourse-topic-with-question-instead/221614):
>
> Hi, We are trying to replace the default Topic term with Question. In the admin settings, I see we can customize any of the text on the forum, but there are too many item contains the term topic. Is there a way to batch find and replace?
We should also look into how many tags a Discourse instance can handle without bringing it to its knees.
> [@(practical) max number of tags](https://meta.discourse.org/t/practical-max-number-of-tags/221875):
>
> Earlier discussion suggest limit number of categories to a reasonable number, e.g., \<100. I wonder is there a practical upper limit for total number of tags before we expect performance or other issues ? Would a ~20k tags be a reasonable number ?
I totally forgot about widgets! We should definitely take advantage of them if possible.
> [@Facebook-like Feed?](https://meta.discourse.org/t/facebook-like-feed/117204):
>
> What settings or plugins could enable something like the Latest view except where the widget showed the actual post instead of just the topic headline ā kind of like a Facebook feed? Users would scroll down to see latest posts (albeit without context) and clicking would open up the entire Topic in context. This seemed related but maybe not exactly what Iām asking for: thanks
There was a ton of discussion in this topic surrounding a feed view in Discourse. We should learn to avoid certain caveats.
> [@A more social Discourse layout](https://meta.discourse.org/t/a-more-social-discourse-layout/89759):
>
> Hi, continuing on [this Twitter exchange](https://twitter.com/discourse/status/1006668002446594048), Iād like to propose an idea ā an optional social homepage layout for Discourse. So, right now when you open Discourse (on mobile, as most people do) you see something like: You have to bravely click-through on one of the topics to actually see the content of discussions in there, which can sometimes be much more interesting than the thread title would indicate: Most of us, however, have been spoiled by the more content-centred layouts of ā¦
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### Author:  [@aschrijver](https://meta.discourse.org/u/aschrijver)
#### Post date: [June 25, 2022, 3:16pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133/97 "2022-06-25T15:16:23Z")
Hi @merefield wanted to give a heads-up that there is a new Open Call at NGI zero, was [announced on fediverse](https://mastodon.xyz/@NGIZero/108401709937738641) and with press release here:
> **[NLnet; NGI0 Entrust launches first open call](https://nlnet.nl/press/20220601-launchNGIZeroEntrust.html)**
Would be super to give this another try. Note that Gitea I mentioned got funding too in the meantime, and a bunch of FOSS forge federation projects are well underway to open and democratize code forges, bring them to the Fediverse (and who knows, break the dominance of Github).
* * *
See also earlier application:
> **[NLnet; Discourse ActivityPub](https://nlnet.nl/project/DiscourseActivityPub/)**
> This project is archived. Due to circumstances, the project as planned did not take place. This page is left as a placeholder, for transparency reasons and to perhaps inspire others to take up this work.
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### Author:  [@Decorbuz](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Decorbuz)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2022, 1:13am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133/98 "2022-10-15T01:13:52Z")
Somebody recently created a topic that I felt would be worth sharing here due to its relevancy towards this whole āsocial mediaā discussion.
> [@Visual newsfeed as community home](https://meta.discourse.org/t/visual-newsfeed-as-community-home/241759):
>
> Is anyone using, or has seen a Discourse install that has a visual newsfeed as the community home rather than the āforum styleā home? By visual newsfeed I mean something similar to what you see on Facebook, where topics & posts would be previewed with image or video content, for example, and members could interact directly with content within the newsfeed (again, similar to Facebook, able to react to and comment on content).
Also, despite what I originally thought, there actually is a way to allow for users to interact with topics directly from the main feed. Despite being a _major_ breakthrough, this companion #Customization > Plugin somehow went under my radar! With some minor modifications, it could fit my needs perfectly.
> **[GitHub - merefield/discourse-topic-previews-sidecar: A Discourse plugin that complements the Topic...](https://github.com/merefield/discourse-topic-previews-sidecar)**
>
> A Discourse plugin that complements the Topic Previews Theme Component to add features
So far, this has to be my most favorite example!
> **[StarZen](https://www.starzen.space/)**
>
> New Star Citizen, space & sci-fi game content every day
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### Author:  [@Decorbuz](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Decorbuz)
#### Post date: [December 30, 2022, 12:24am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133/99 "2022-12-30T00:24:23Z")
Yet another topic surrounding the discussion of using Discourse as a social media platform! š
> [@Use Discourse as a prototype to build social network with an online library](https://meta.discourse.org/t/use-discourse-as-a-prototype-to-build-social-network-with-an-online-library/250158):
>
> Hi everyone. I am a CEO of a startup. I would like to build a social network and a online library connected each other. But for now I donāt have enough support and money to build it. So I was thinkingā¦ maybe I can use Discourse to grow a community and improve it as a prototype creating some plugin that can give a close feeling of what I want to build. To promote it and call my community to fund this project. So my questions: I need like a forum (Discourse) to organise posts by subjects. But ā¦
[Previous page](https://meta.discourse.org/t/using-discourse-as-a-social-media-platform/202133.md?page=4)