What is a reef forum for, anyway?

[Malum Argenteum]

An online reef forum has a lot of purposes, uses, and effects -- it can:

• help people share technical information
• help people share theoretical/basic knowledge
• help people share evaluative recommendations of many sorts
  • aesthetic: 'that would look better with a red coral there'
  • husbandry imperatives: 'don't add more fish, they'll fight'
  • wider environmental advice: 'don't keep fish species that mostly don't live long in captivity'
• boost egos, in good ways or bad ways
• enable commerce, in good ways and bad ways (stuff people need vs stuff they don't need; also spamming)
• promote community
• help people spread misinformation (bad faith posts/trolling; also spamming)
• encourage envy, and underpin a 'keeping up with the Joneses' attitude
• be a drain on posters/readers time and attention to other things they should be concentrating on (school, family, work)

I'm wondering some things that don't seem to get wondered often:

How do we rank these and other purposes/uses/effects in order of importance (for example, is it more important to 'be nice' or promote concern for the wild stock that our hobby depends on, when there's a conflict between those two in some certain situation)?

Are there some things that forum users should just say 'no' to, full stop (tangs in a XX gallon; misinformation, encouraging envy)?

Are there possible purposes/uses/benefits of a reef forum that aren't well known, but should be promoted?

The central question, I guess, is: besides inconveniencing fish, what are we all supposed to be doing here?

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I think it is a good way to promote community within the hobby. We don't have the largest reefing scene where I am so it is nice to be able to come on here and hangout with likeminded individuals. Plus I think R2R especially is amazing for the vast array of knowledge that is provided and helps me figure out what in the world I am doing right or wrong with my tank haha

 

[GARRIGA]

Forums should be a means for conveying information without condemnation because one feels they know and the other doesn’t. Web often promotes behavior we don’t exercise in person. Best just express one’s opinion and each respect each for it. Otherwise it’s 12 years arguing Silver Surfer was strongest. Don’t see any benefit in that. I don’t even know who Silver Surfer is but recall it from Crimson Tide. Two kids running their mouth about nonsense.