Pros
- Keeps members onsite
- Easy to search for information and previous discussions
- More advanced features such as text formatting, private messaging, statuses
- Full member profiles specific to the site
- Signatures at the bottom of posts for non invasive promotion
- Automated access – no having to manually approve or remove members
- Better categorisation of topics and posts
- Fully focused on your brand and product
- Members are there specifically to talk about your product and content
- Need to consciously login to the site to access the community
- Learning curve if new to forums
- More chance of a member having technical issues
- Can be harder to get engagement initially
- More members needed for a ‘buzzy’ atmosphere
- More complicated to set up and more tech implications to think about
Pros
- Most people have an existing account
- Many people will log in daily or at least weekly
- Can be easier for initial engagement
- ‘Known’ platform and most people know how to use it already
- Quicker responses to posts
- Apps for easy phone and tablet use
- Instant notifications of posts and responses
- Quick and easy to set up
- Difficult to keep track of topics
- Personal profile needed
- Poor search functionality
- Offsite and away from your content
- Quick post turnover – easy for things to be missed
- No automated access – members need to be approved or removed manually
- Playing by Facebook’s rules, which can be changed any time
- Competing with other Facebook ‘noise’
- Members not necessarily in the right mindset