The off-topic section is hardly a forum, lets be honest. Whether you like it or not this is socializing with strangers.
My point is that I was being told the Bioware Social Network was not a social network. It's a social network it's just not one like FaceBook, saying it's a forum just to make you feel better about it is not being honest. Socializing is socializing whether I know the person on a personal level or they are a complete stranger, once I hit enter another person somewhere can view those thoughts whether intended for them or not, that is communication between one person to another and can be construed as socializing.
I'm popping into this conversation at an odd angle, here, but Lunch Box has Farscape and Battlestar links in their signature, so I'm just going to have to side with them.
Anyway, in the sense the OP meant it, although I agree some of the selective nature of the definition going on in the thread here is... silly, I would say no. Not because I don't believe it would do good for the world. I think it absolutely would. But because I wouldn't pull the trigger on something like that. I'd let life try to find a way to circumnavigate its own inanities.
Well I don't use facebook, or twitter, and I don't have a smart phone. I only occasionally mess around here so chances are I wouldn't miss any of the social networks if they went and disappeared tomorrow.
My point is that I was being told the Bioware Social Network was not a social network. It's a social network it's just not one like FaceBook, saying it's a forum just to make you feel better about it is not being honest. Socializing is socializing whether I know the person on a personal level or they are a complete stranger, once I hit enter another person somewhere can view those thoughts whether intended for them or not, that is communication between one person to another and can be construed as socializing.
Your definitions are your own and you're wrong, let me explain why: The technical definition is completely different and I already explained the terms via Webopedia.
forum,
An online discussion group. Online services and bulletin board services (BBS's) provide a variety of forums, in which participants with common interests can exchange open messages. Forums are sometimes called newsgroups (in the Internet world) or conferences.
Webopedia does not classify a forum as a social networking site.
http://www.webopedia...rking_sites.asp
To bring Wikipedia into this, it says "Online community services are sometimes considered as a social network service, though in a broader sense, social network service usually means an individual-centered service whereas online community services are group-centered. Social networking sites allow users to share ideas, pictures, posts, activities, events, interests with people in their network." which only agrees with my point back on page 3 that it's only recently that people have been considering forums as social networking sites but in reality, the functions are completely different.
In the simplest sense, a forum is defined as "An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages" which is totally different from a social networking site which is personal and used to share personal photos with others, status updates on personal life and use people's real names and faces. Facebook is not used as a forum.
-We use a forum to discuss topics and create threads like these. We remain anonymous.
-We use a social networking site to chat about our lives to our friends. We use our real identities.
You can continue with your personal idea of what constitutes as a social network but you'd be going against what the actual IT experts classify these things as, myself included. In one of my modules at college studying the use of online services and networks, we certainly didn't classify a forum as a social networking site because it's not.
I don't even know why you started this debate on the technical definitions as we've both agreed that a forum and a social networking site (even if you're going to categorize them as the same thing) function completely different from one another in how people use them. Your position would imply that I'm against people being able to socialize online when I'm simply against some of the features of Facebook and Twitter and the crazes they've spawned (selfies, hashtags etc).
Edit:
In fact if you Google "a forum is a social networking site" there is no academic source agreeing with this. You'd actually find several different results telling you the difference between the two. I think you may be confusing the term social media with social networking which is another completely different topic. http://www.huffingto..._b_4017305.html Forums would come under social media but not social networking. http://www.entrepren.../article/223493
Now I hope you haven't taken my post the wrong way. I enjoy a good discussion (another thing you won't get on Twitter or Facebook! 
)
Edit 2:
I think Dominus made a good point though. Forums are incorporating social networking aspects into them like how these forums now give the user the option to like messages as well as to make status updates on a profile. Forums are doing things like this because of how many people use Facebook and Twitter so what better way to get more people involved in forums than to incorporate social networking features into them that people are familiar with?
In which case, I think I'd agree with Dominus in that "It's not a Social Network, but it has adapted certain structures that make it more of a hybrid between a normal message board and the former." So you're not entirely far off with your thoughts I suppose.
Well I don't use facebook, or twitter, and I don't have a smart phone. I only occasionally mess around here so chances are I wouldn't miss any of the social networks if they went and disappeared tomorrow.
I often use my (Sony) smartphone to use a better music player and take (somehow artistic) photos. Sometimes I use it to call people too!
I wonder where have the new members from the Flood Forums gone?!
I wonder where have the new members from the Flood Forums gone?!
I told them that this forum was only big enough for one troll. They challenged this, so I called them cheeky cunts and said that I would 1800 noscope them all IRL. They promptly left never to be heard of from again. Rumors say that they got lost in the deepest darkest part of the internet in search of a new home and saw things that no one should ever see, committing suicide shortly afterwards.
Your definitions are your own and you're wrong, let me explain why: The technical definition is completely different and I already explained the terms via Webopedia.
forum......
In which case, I think I'd agree with Dominus in that "It's not a Social Network, but it has adapted certain structures that make it more of a hybrid between a normal message board and the former." So you're not entirely far off with your thoughts I suppose.
Can we kiss and make up now?
Can we kiss and make up now?
Nah because I still think you're 80% wrong. 
Dominus is right.
But if social networking is gone, how will I ever donate money to charities if not as part of some social media trend?
But if social networking is gone, how will I ever donate money to charities if not as part of some social media trend?
Anything is over-dramatized and exaggerated on the Internet 10x, and people are motivated by this exaggeration. From weird stuff, nudity, fanaticism to whining and criticism.
What's wrong with social media? Here's an example:
Purify it with holy fire.
A friend sent this to be me some months ago. My hatred of social media increased due to it.
Most annoying song ever. Hot Problems is better.
I sympathize with this song completely. I'm a very hot guy and every girl thinks they can just hit on me and treat me like a piece of meat. "Hot guys we've got problems too, we're just like you, except we're hot! Now I know I've got a big willy but that doesn't make me a gigolo."
Ahem. That aside and I still would totally press the button "destroy social networking." I don't care if it's not my choice to make. Humanity would be better for it considering that awful song! 
Yes, I've grown to realize that I don't mix well with people, but some people have gotten too attached :S
What's wrong with social media? Here's an example:
Nothing is wrong with that.
Would hit. Even David Hasselhoff.
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