Is A Forum Software Really Capable of Keeping the Pieces of Information Togather?

Replies

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  Kaustubh Katdare

  Your post is bit confusing. You're comparing Forum with CDN (Content Distribution Network). Isn't it like comparing Apples with Candles?
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  Rupam Das

  The_Big_K

  Your post is bit confusing. You're comparing Forum with CDN (Content Distribution Network). Isn't it like comparing Apples with Candles?

  I know It sounds confusing but its actually not. The matter of fact is recently there is a bias towards using Forum software as CDN. Due to attachment support Many forums are allowing users to upload useful contents like word documents, PPT, Projects and so on. So Forums are turned into sort of CDN services(Not all, but yes, many of them).
  
  So Its a transition. 20 years back nobody possibly thought that someday we might watch LiveTV in mobile phone. But mobile phones Gradually became Entertainment devices and today's smart phones are example of it. So what I am trying to understand is, is the "forum" also seeing some transition where it is no more seen as digital Bulletin rather "A Highly interactive Content Distribution Network". I hope I am able to clarify the doubts corresponding to the subject matter and expecting some serious thoughts from CEans.
  "If people start engraving apples to fill it with Phosphorous and replace the candles" the comparison is bound to be initiated.
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  Kaustubh Katdare

  It still is confusing. A content distribution network the network that duplicates the content on all of its servers across various geo-locations so that the user requesting the content is served the relevant files from the server physically nearer to him/her. A forum, on the other hand is just like another website but allows users to interact with each other in a structured manner. So forum and CDN are two entirely different things. You can, at the best talk about Social Networks which have data centers across various locations and serve the content in a similar way to that of a CDN.
  
  Any special reason you're talking about 'forums' instead of any general website?
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  Rupam Das

  The_Big_K

  It still is confusing. A content distribution network the network that duplicates the content on all of its servers across various geo-locations so that the user requesting the content is served the relevant files from the server physically nearer to him/her. A forum, on the other hand is just like another website but allows users to interact with each other in a structured manner. So forum and CDN are two entirely different things. You can, at the best talk about Social Networks which have data centers across various locations and serve the content in a similar way to that of a CDN.
  
  Any special reason you're talking about 'forums' instead of any general website?

  Ok probably I could Not present the Problem the way it should have been Presented. Lets say that a startup decides that its going to build a website where student can share their source code and documents[Like the one we have build in our Grasshopper Network]. SO there are two ways to really go about it. First of all Make a Forum, tweak it forexample seminarxx[dot]com, to suite uploading projects and documents and connect them via appropriate threads. Else use a Website which Supports CDN like Joomla or Drupal. What I mean by CDN is not "Content Delivery Network"( the backend geographic distribution that you have pointed with technical correctness). What I say by a CDN system is a website which is build on the Concept of CDN and capable of CDNing the contents, more precisely a website where content management is the base.( Should I have used CMS rather than CDN?😲 I think I should have and If the word CDN has created the confusion, I correct it with CMS) So the choice is Forum tweaked as CMS or CMS incorporating a Forum. My observation says that many startups are ( More recent CMS) especially in the Education Niche are preferring Forums.
  So My Question here is simple "If one has to say build a website for distributing say student projects, would it be a CMS tweked Forum or pure CMS. I apologize if CDN is misinterpreted here and am agreed with a Topic edit where you can replace CDN with CMS really.....Would like to hear if the confusion is clarified really.
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  Kaustubh Katdare

  Okay, that makes sense. CMS is the most proper word for this discussion, I think. I think what you should use needs to be decided by what you're offering to the visitors. A forum does a great job of offering interactivity and hosting discussions for a long period of time. If you are offering project downloads - you can simply do fine with the help of comments. The forums will let your users ask questions and have others reply to them.
  
  Looking at your idea - it seems that a CMS would be the way to go. It could be a simple blog that talks about a project topic and offers the download of relevant content.
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  Rupam Das

  its been great to be replied so enthusiastically and so fast. I really appreciate your response. By the mean time, to take the discussion ahead I support your statement that forums are great suited for Interactive communications and Probably a site with Project download facility may well have a blog blended with comments. But As the recent sites are more prone towards forums, can there really be a great bridge which can turn a Forum to a CMS. Many have done a great job to twek CMS into forums and 11200 forums are running on drupal Which is a CMS. So whats the possibility of kind of software, which may even by a SAS to integrate several hundreds of meaningful threads into CMS contents?? For the case study that I have mentioned, "Code project" is just the answer supporting your statement and I find even CrazyEngineers can be turned into a Crazy Code sharing and CMS system( I would rather not mention those forums which are doing that, cause that would seem like a tactful backlink!!!)
  In summery I am looking for some more technical, tactical, commercial and feasible arguments in this direction.