This forum is fucking awesome!

[SamReomo]

Just like you OP, I'm also someone who registered on a forum for first time like 1.5 decade ago, and that forum doesn't exist now. While some of the forums from that time are still alive but there are almost no to very low quality posts and most of the posts are just spam and nothing else.

I've registered on this forum back in 2016 and to be honest since then I've never seen such a great forum like this one. I believe that the ones who're on this forum can use freedom of speech to share their personal opinion and there's no such restriction on anyone.

I would say that this forum is the best place for those who love Bitcoin and those who love Bitcoin will always keep this forum alive as long as they live. I'm going to be part of this forum as long as life allows me, and even if I reach old age, I will still be here on this forum and hope most of my friends will be here too with me.

[lovesmayfamilis]

Those who start talking about how good things used to be and how bad they are now remind me of my very elderly parents. As we get older, we, too, will start whining about how the water used to be more watery and the sky bluer.

However, the entire point of the OP is that there are places to which we are deeply attached. This isn't just a website we visit occasionally, but a place where there are people we know, even if not personally, we see their personalities, and, of course, we learn from them. It doesn't necessarily have to be something related to the forum's topic. As I've written before, I'm always grateful for the mistake that led me to this forum. I used to be a user of another forum, but for some unknown reason, something happened, and it was unavailable for two or three days. I was surfing the web and accidentally came across this forum, read what people are writing here, and to this day, I start every morning by reading this forum.
 
Needless to say, what could be better for people who have found a place that shares their interests? It's not social media or Telegram groups; there's always something to read here, not just a one-line sentence, so you don't end up like those with short-term memory, regularly scrolling through social media, constantly falling into a dopamine trap.

[Free Market Capitalist]

In this thread, I simply wanted to express my opinion, and it is not my goal to engage in debate with others if they have opposing views. You don't think it's great? That's fine.

Just something to mention. I took OgNasty off ignore to see what he had to say, and I understand that point of view. Those who were around in the early years, with predominantly technical discussions and few low-quality threads, will see the current state as a decline, and that's normal.

I am rather comparing this forum in its current state with what I have seen in other forums.

And today, I don't see any decline over the last 5 years. The threads are similar. The most notable differences are perhaps better English due to the widespread use of machine translators, and that spammers who used to produce their own garbage now tend to use AI.

But I don't see the catastrophe that some people are painting.

[FinneysTrueVision]

If you see problems with this forum, you'd better check out shitcointalks to compare, as it seems you're losing perspective.

A very important feature here is that there is no censorship, let alone by algorithms, which means there is a sense of freedom that you don't find on other sites.

The most important thing for me is that the level of engagement I have achieved in discussions here is something I have not achieved anywhere else. Nor has the feeling of belonging to a community. And it probably has a lot to do with the fact that here, if you meet certain requirements, you can get paid to write. They pay you to write, you spend more time here, you get more involved, you learn more, you contribute more, and when you realize it, you see that you've been here for years and that the forum has influenced your way of thinking and become part of your life.

The Dead Internet Theory doesn’t just apply to Bitcointalk. As the name implies, the entire internet is filled with spam. I have accounts on different social media sites, but I only read other people’s posts to keep up with current events. I don’t post anything myself because it is so difficult to get genuine engagement when you are just an anonymous account.

For all its faults, Bitcointalk is one of the few places where I am comfortable enough expressing my thoughts. I know there are enough like minded individuals here that at least a handful of people might care about what I had to say and will receive immediate feedback when it is necessary. If I post something on twitter, even if it’s about something important, it will just get something like 2 views and 1 like that came from a porn bot.

[apogio]

Merited by a local board merit source who facilitates the ranking up of many shitposters and account farmers. The irony is beautiful here.

Local board meriting is helpful and should be encouraged. We want local boards, we need local boards. And we don't need them for the forum, but for Bitcoin in its entirety. 
I can't argue in favour or against Mia Chloe, because I'm not active in their local board. But if you have an argument and proper evidence to prove it, I suggest that you create a thread in the relevant boards (Reputation, Scam Accusations etc).

[babo]

Since I see many people with a pessimistic view of this forum, I'm going to give mine.
~~~~~

I've been using forums since 1997, basically, not this one (this one since much later). I like forums compared to chats; they're "slower," even if they're not as good for storing data and content as a wiki. A wiki is better, but let's just say slower.

That said, bitcointalk is a somewhat unique forum, many strong personalities have been here, and if you dig hard you can find some amazing gems and learn a lot.
so the forum, therefore slower than chats but faster than wikis, is perfect for discussing spare topics

It would be like reddit if you like, but in an old format (reddit is another kind of format)
Unfortunately, today it is not used by young people who want everything quickly, but it is a bad thing, because some concepts need to be digested.

[Mia Chloe]

Local board meriting is helpful and should be encouraged. We want local boards, we need local boards. And we don't need them for the forum, but for Bitcoin in its entirety. 
I can't argue in favour or against Mia Chloe, because I'm not active in their local board. But if you have an argument and proper evidence to prove it, I suggest that you create a thread in the relevant boards (Reputation, Scam Accusations etc).

I want to believe the actions of everyone on the forum is public enough. There's no need to troll me if you have evidence I'm farming an account. The reputation board is totally open and we have a lot of active and willing users ready to help you further investigations if you so wish to push it.

You don't need to be part of my lb to probably tell feel free to go through my merit history or check how I distribute merits.

[apogio]

I want to believe the actions of everyone on the forum is public enough. There's no need to troll me if you have evidence I'm farming an account. The reputation board is totally open and we have a lot of active and willing users ready to help you further investigations if you so wish to push it.

You don't need to be part of my lb to probably tell feel free to go through my merit history or check how I distribute merits.

My friendly advice to you, is to not fall into the trap of responding to anyone who you think is trolling you. The best way to feed a troll, is to take a troll seriously.

[*Ace*]

I only recently discovered this forum. I was looking for information on Bitcoin and initially read it as a guest, then decided to sign up, but being very young, I grew up in the era of social media and had no idea how to use a forum. But I must say that I immediately liked it a lot and found people who were really knowledgeable and very interested in Bitcoin.
Here, there is only to learn and not to discriminate against the type of web service.

[Cryptohygenic]

Speaking for myself, when I came to this forum, it was on the appeal to learn about bitcoin and then I was also ignited to attached learning about alt coins in general "Crypto" after exploring on my knowledge in the forum understanding that it is not only bitcoin that exists in the digital currency crypto or digital currency ecosystem and on the process I could figure most people who called bitcoin a scam were actually due to investing in shitcoins and in same time losses their funds to dump or scam.
This forum is set-up on the genuineness that crisis users who tends to convince others to use their advising brands here unlike some other platforms that prioritizes on extorting users in one way or the other maybe by subscription requests.
This forum is much reputable that criticizes members with fraudulent intentions with users accounts at stake to be penalized according to their offence.
Indeed the forum is regulated on a high unbiased sanction voltage for fairness.

[AVE5]

you learn more, you contribute more, and when you realize it, you see that you've been here for years and that the forum has influenced your way of thinking and become part of your life.

Verily, this forum had influenced my life in the sense that it has added more educative impacts in me which reshaped my approach in making financial decisions. With how much time I spends in the forum in communicating with other users in learning from and contributing to others inputs had so much optimized my manners of reasoning very much advanced from my learn in school.

So as it stance, some of my school mates whom I met once a while also wonders to ask if did I further my education or not because as they gives remarks to my current personalities being more than what I'm used to be back then and I tell them I belong to a forum where's educative institution of it own and due to strictness and disciplines involved in the forum, it gives a very high esteem courage to be concious and build your mind up in contributing very quality to the forum and as well grabs from others with meaningful attributes.

[dan_dony]

you learn more, you contribute more, and when you realize it, you see that you've been here for years and that the forum has influenced your way of thinking and become part of your life.

Verily, this forum had influenced my life in the sense that it has added more educative impacts in me which reshaped my approach in making financial decisions. With how much time I spends in the forum in communicating with other users in learning from and contributing to others inputs had so much optimized my manners of reasoning very much advanced from my learn in school.

So as it stance, some of my school mates whom I met once a while also wonders to ask if did I further my education or not because as they gives remarks to my current personalities being more than what I'm used to be back then and I tell them I belong to a forum where's educative institution of it own and due to strictness and disciplines involved in the forum, it gives a very high esteem courage to be concious and build your mind up in contributing very quality to the forum and as well grabs from others with meaningful attributes.

When one actually takes part in the discussions in this forum, it is fascinating how it could change his or her way of thinking. A lot of us came to Bitcoin, and remained due to the discussions making you think more, ask questions, and learn about people with totally different experiences. This in the long run instinctively develops your line of reasoning, discipline and even thinking about finances. It is not surprising that your friends observed the difference - Bitcointalk tends to become a kind of informal education itself. The combination of rigorous requirements, careful deliberations, and common knowledge challenge each and every person to develop. That is what he makes this place not a forum, but a part of your personal development.

[AVE5]

you learn more, you contribute more, and when you realize it, you see that you've been here for years and that the forum has influenced your way of thinking and become part of your life.

Verily, this forum had influenced my life in the sense that it has added more educative impacts in me which reshaped my approach in making financial decisions. With how much time I spends in the forum in communicating with other users in learning from and contributing to others inputs had so much optimized my manners of reasoning very much advanced from my learn in school.

So as it stance, some of my school mates whom I met once a while also wonders to ask if did I further my education or not because as they gives remarks to my current personalities being more than what I'm used to be back then and I tell them I belong to a forum where's educative institution of it own and due to strictness and disciplines involved in the forum, it gives a very high esteem courage to be concious and build your mind up in contributing very quality to the forum and as well grabs from others with meaningful attributes.

When one actually takes part in the discussions in this forum, it is fascinating how it could change his or her way of thinking. A lot of us came to Bitcoin, and remained due to the discussions making you think more, ask questions, and learn about people with totally different experiences. This in the long run instinctively develops your line of reasoning, discipline and even thinking about finances. It is not surprising that your friends observed the difference - Bitcointalk tends to become a kind of informal education itself. The combination of rigorous requirements, careful deliberations, and common knowledge challenge each and every person to develop. That is what he makes this place not a forum, but a part of your personal development.

And in accordance to the psychological effectiveness of this bitcointalk discussion forum, I'm giving the honour to he who created this forum at Satoshi and the admins that had made the forum stable operating under reputable verification up to these days because, most forums had existed and crashed and as for here, it's of course growing further as new users are signing in creating new accounts.
While the forum serves a means of institution to learn about bitcoin, it's indeed interesting that those who had gained certain or no ideal about bitcoin are all welcomed.
Most interestingly, being active in the forum will not only give glances about the studies of bitcoin but also impacting every sense of your reasoning for good as the forum board for discussion is categorized in different states with the activities happening in the real world.

[I_Anime]

Thats why the forum still remain one of the best place to learn about bitcoin and cryptocurrency In a whole , I won't lie when came to this forum I don't understand much about bitcoin I only see it as a mere digital token not knowinhbuts potential . But due to the forum I was able to build strong confidence on bitcoin,  that even when the market are all red I don't show any sign of panicking I just work hard save some  money and buy more . Due to the lack of proper knowledge I missed alot of amazing opportunity, but now sure I can missed such opportunity again .

[welovebit]

I am here its only 1 year during this time due to personal issues not able to give enough time but still I have to agree this is awesome because just because of this forum now I am having too many changes around me even not financially but in few other ways as well.

Always want to check and have something new investing in Bitcoin is always amazing because this is going to be one of the best decisions for me in long run about trading, finances and cryptocurrency are main topics which always attract few members are also great as always ready to give positive and helpful replies these works great in life thanks all those are doing great service day & night for success of this forum.

[Forsyth Jones]

I've been participating in this forum since 2017. I've said in several posts how much this forum sparked my curiosity about Bitcoin, cryptography, and its intelligent ways of learning, using the knowledge gained and disseminating the use of wallets and good security practices. I was slow to participate in the sig campaigns in fact, my first relevant campaign was as a Hero Member. Before that, I participated more in my local section.

I've made many friends here and I've learned much more about Bitcoin here than anywhere else. This forum isn't for everyone, it doesn't have the most up-to-date and user-friendly UI, and some people find it difficult to navigate. What keeps people like you and me here is the aggregated content. I confess it's nice to earn a few bucks while you chat, share and ask for tips. This has worked since the forum started doing this and has remained so, which is good.

This is the best place to stay informed about Bitcoin currently. Although there are news sites, we have people's opinions and opposing opinions, which in a way contribute to the discussion.

Before this forum, there were Facebook groups about Bitcoin that I participated in a lot, but today they are practically dead.

Merits are one of the best ways to know if your content is contributing to the community in some form, this encourages good posts and filters content better, causing people with more merit to have more read posts or become more relevant than others. (This is turning into a bible, I'll stop here).

[libert19]

This forum isn't for everyone, it doesn't have the most up-to-date and user-friendly UI, and some people find it difficult to navigate.

Bitcointalk doesn't have user-friendly UI? This is simplest forum I have used.

Merits are one of the best ways to know if your content is contributing to the community in some form, this encourages good posts and filters content better, causing people with more merit to have more read posts or become more relevant than others. (This is turning into a bible, I'll stop here).

I have been filtering content by merits and by reputation of users, and it's been working out fine. Sure, this does not get rid of garbage from the forum but works well on individual level.

[Forsyth Jones]

Bitcointalk doesn't have user-friendly UI? This is simplest forum I have used.

I also find the forum very easy to use and user-friendly, even from my first days participating in it.

I said the forum doesn't have a user-friendly UI, based on feedback from people who use social media like Facebook, X, etc. I have a friend who found it difficult, even after I taught him step-by-step how to navigate and participate in forum discussions, he never even posted a single message. I think it's just a lack of willingness.

I've been accessing forums since 2008 (when I got my first computer). I found most of my gaming tips on forums; unfortunately, I didn't discover about Bitcoin from 2011 onwards, only a bit later (2014 to 2015).

[Ultegra134]

Bitcointalk doesn't have user-friendly UI? This is simplest forum I have used.

I agree, it's the simplest forum to navigate. It is outdated, but I believe this is its beauty. I'm personally not bothered by it, I like its simplistic layout and personally preferred it over new UIs such as Epochtalk. The only thing I'd agree is that it's not as convenient to use multiple quotes when you're on your phone, other than that, I'm totally okay with it.

have been filtering content by merits and by reputation of users, and it's been working out fine. Sure, this does not get rid of garbage from the forum but works well on individual level.

The merit system isn't perfect but has weeded out a lot of spammers, such as those in bounties, with thousands of posts that would otherwise render them a legendary members.

[libert19]

Bitcointalk doesn't have user-friendly UI? This is simplest forum I have used.

I said the forum doesn't have a user-friendly UI, based on feedback from people who use social media like Facebook, X, etc.

I don't understand why they find it so, I mean this is as simple as it can get; the best I can think of is they are used to those social media sites and want same template here, and don't want to bother with anything different.

I have a friend who found it difficult, even after I taught him step-by-step how to navigate and participate in forum discussions, he never even posted a single message. I think it's just a lack of willingness.

Definitely lack of willingness, because where there is will there is way.