Best forums for....

[suleika]

I've never seen anything quite as helpful and friendly as DC, but there are some great forums for other fields of interest.  Where do you like to spend your time?  Is it all about community?  Or is it pithy, ruthlessly filtered material?  Does it supply links, downloads, news, laughs, tips, bargains, or brain-fodder?  Or is it simply the ultimate resource for some specific need?

I've found forums useful time and time again for finding answers to technical and specialised questions.  Once I discover a forum, I sometimes use the google advanced search option (site:interestingsite.com) to get answers faster.

I've just spend some time on FlyerTalk - a Frequent Flyer Community -  a very useful resource. I've visited it many times but only just joined it. 

And I mentioned recently in a post of mine a good forum about website hosting - webhostingtalk. 

More obscurely, I've seen some interesting German-English-German postings on the Leo website forum.

Please post about your non-DC forum experiences here - especially the good ones!

[Renegade]

I hang out at the JoelOnSoftware forums a lot. I mostly lurk like everywhere else. It's very useful for developers, but there are always some people that get nasty or "smart". It's still a very good place though.

Other places I read/post/lurk are the OISV, ASP, AISIP.

[housetier]

I don't post on any other forum than here on DC. I just wanted to say that IMHO donationcoder.com is the best forum!

The attractivity of a forum is defined by its treatment of new members. That's what I really care about: how they deal with "noobs". I have extremely high standards WRT foums, and the donationcoders are the only ones that can live up to these standards.

[suleika]

Yes, some forums are for lurking - too dangerous to jump in!

I thought of another one -  Chowhound. I often check there when I travel, to find the good places to eat. It's friendly, although it still took me a long time to get up the courage to join and poste. 

[mouser]

For security software:
http://www.wilderssecurity.com/

[lanux128]

And I mentioned recently in a post of mine a good forum about website hosting - http://www.webhostingtalk.com.

btw, thanks for this forum. my friend found a totally free website to his liking, even though the space provided is only 500MB.

[tamasd]

If you are into outliners:
http://www.outlinersoftware.com/

[Renegade]

That's what I really care about: how they deal with "noobs".

I wouldn't stop there.

In a lot of places you'll still get flamed for posing a problem that isn't trivial to you, but is trivial to someone else. Even if you're a long time poster.

I can't count the number of posts that I read that I find completely trivial. But so what? We all have different lives and are coming from different places. There is never a need for me to flaunt some knowledge that I have and demean someone at the same time. That's just being cruel and petty. (Or insecure if you like.)

I've posted things that others find trivial. When I do it here, there are no flames for it. Try that somewhere else... Not so forgiving...

What makes DC different is that the people that post here know that and treat people like people.

You can't read DC and not see that. We've got a good lot of people here that know that they're talking to other PEOPLE!

I can name forums where flames happen regularly. In the forums that I run at ALTools, I've only seen flames 1x for someone that was completely out of line and totally offensive. (profanity, curses, racism, gets worse from there)

Doesn't happen here.

[sls_trader]

For Excel VBA help I've found the follwoing forums useful:

http://www.mrexcel.com/forum/index.php
http://vbaexpress.com/forum/
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-threads.cfm?f=63

[Mark0]

Best forum for info & discussions about search engines, websites marketing, advertising programs, etc.:

Digital Point - Webmaster Forum - Internet Marketing & Search Engine Forums

Typically there are about 2000 users online. Lots of noise, but also nice info.

[mitzevo]

There's thousands of good forums out there.. and of course you are asking opinions of others.. prepare to get any thing and every thing.. You can only be apart of so many and make use of it... with that said.. DC is the best (of course any body who says best is their own opinion..) for Software discussions (like the best of the best software .. and for other categories you are going to get a lot of different bests.. you know why? because the best is what you make of it!

[tomos]

This one seems to be a fairly good Freehand (sub)forum
http://www.hostingforum.ca/macromedia-freehand.html
just discovered it lately
-
[edit] that Freehand one seems to be "abandoned", the only active Freehand forum I've found is in german -
http://www.hilfdirselbst.ch/foren/Adobe_Freehand_Forum_41.html
It's possible the Adobe Freehand forum is still active, but I gave up going there cause it was painfully slow to use...[/edit]


the main forum is
Web Hosting Forum - Industry Discussion, Webmaster Forum, Web Host Reviews and Deals forums
http://www.hostingforum.ca/
but they seem to have busy sub-forums for all Adobe/Macromedia softwares under the "Languages" forums

[cyberdiva]

Hmmm....There are several forums I'd like to recommend.
1) For questions about computers (hardware and software), the Internet, and related matters, I love the Neat Net Tricks forum at http://www.topfreeforum.com/forum/?mforum=neatnettricks.  The expertise of the participants ranges from newbie to awesome, and I've found the atmosphere very friendly and helpful.  (I also like their multi-reviewer software reviews: http://www.neatnettricks.com/?http://www.neatnettricks.com/SoftwareReviews/splash.htm)

2) Last summer, I bought a PalmTX, and I've been very impressed with the Brighthand forum dealing with the TX (there are other Brighthand forums for other PDA-related products).  Again, people tend to be friendly and helpful.  The URL is http://forum.brighthand.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1099.

3) One other forum that I use less often but that I have found very helpful is the support forums for ClipMate (the world's best clipboard extender).  The software developer plays a very active role.  I've always had my questions answered quickly and accurately.  The URL is http://www.thornsoft.com/phpBB2/.

[Harrie]

I have a real liking for a forum that is great if you're moving - there's a forum for each state, and for the UK, Canada, Mexico and "World," and I've found it can be really helpful if you have questions about a certain area of the country.  You'll find rubbish type posts occasionally; you'll find that absolutely everywhere.  But generally, they are very good.  And what I like even more is the general forums...you can find a place to discuss almost anything you want there, there are so many different headings, and I enjoy reading there very much.  Books, politics, relationships, movies, finance, mortgages, etc., etc.  http://www.city-data.com/forum/ ; The key to its success seems to be the fact that there is a lot of participation.

[najja]

for discussion of music, I think "I love music" is the best and (most chaotic) one I have seen
http://www.ilxor.com/ILX/NewAnswersControllerServlet?boardid=41

yeah, minimalist interface but the search function on the right is useful.

[ljbirns]

I have found that >  http://forums.techguy.org ; is a great forum.  I am sure I have asked some
" dumb " questions but have never been made to feel like a dope and I have always gotten
answers that helped me a lot. Lot's of times just a search will find a thread that answers a question or solves my problem.

Lew

[SleepingWolf]

In case anyone still gives a hoot on this ol' (but good) post; I love DC (of course) which has stolen most of my attention from lurking on http://portablefreeware.com/forums/ and in particular the program entries and the comments on portability.

[suleika]

I came across this small but perfectly formed Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum while trying to identify some plants around my neighbourhood and in friends' gardens.  It has a great "identify this" section but my favourite bit is a wonderful monthly thread of photos of whatever is looking good at that time, not only from Scotland but from wherever in the world the forum members have visited.

[dangerman 666]

Donation Coder is the nicest forum I use.

I don't think I have ever seen any nasty behavior. At least nothing of significance. Not from mods or the ordinary posters.

If I have the time I have others I enjoy but at the moment I have to prioritise my time, so DC tends to be one of my few internet indulgences.

This is possibly a bit niche for some but if you are interested in Flashlights then candlepowerforums.com is the place to be.

[mouser]

we should have a contest to find the *most* niche forum in existence.. i.e. the forum that is the most specific and narrow and would be useful for the fewest number of people on the planet.

[Edvard]

we should have a contest to find the *most* niche forum in existence.. i.e. the forum that is the most specific and narrow and would be useful for the fewest number of people on the planet.

The Ovation Breadwinner fanpage message board.
A message board dedicated to the Breadwinner model solid-body electric guitars made by Ovation 
http://www.doremi.co.uk/breadwinnerboard/breadwinnerboard_config.cgi



(hint: click "set preferences" and under "List messages" select "Posted within the last 10 years.")

I think the boards at OvationFanClub.com have superseded this one, which is why nobobdy has posted lately.

Do I win?