New Google Search "Discussions and Forums"

[engine]

Google is rolling out in English for users on mobile a new feature labelled "Discussions and Forums" where it says that you will be able to find specialist topics and discussions.



This is and interesting development because as google has downgraded forums for a long time now.

In addition, in 2023, Google will show machine language translations for news.

[blog.google...]

[phranque]

let me guess - all results for technical queries will come from stackexchange?

[tangor]

Hmmm---another revenue stream about to be plumbed?

[engine]

I'd like to think this may be a positive thing for a long ignored sector by Google.

[Dimitri]

Agreed. And people might then discover that The Internet is not only Social networks.

[Sgt_Kickaxe]

Is this going to be a mobile only feature?

If G does this right I'll be finding new forums, with actual topic enthusiasts, that I never knew existed. If instead they do it with ($$$) in mind G will be trying to send me to Amazon questions and social media sites as if I need a Google search to find those sites.

[lucy24]

Does this mean discussions-and-forums will be separated from other results? There are times when you want knowledgeable coverage of a topic, and there are times when you want opinions on a topic. They rarely overlap, unless the topic is so arcane or specialized that forums may really be the best source of information.

No, probably too much to hope.

[engine]

Currently, it's mobile only in U.S., but there's no indication it'll move to other markets or to desktop.

If you're in the U.S region you could test this on your mobile and report here for everyone to learn. :)

As with all Search features, we’ll continue to learn about whether people are finding this new feature valuable over time, and may update it in the future as we learn what’s most useful for people.

[phranque]

i tried to guess the search term used for the example posted above but got no such results on my mobile device in the US.

[lucy24]

In addition, in 2023, Google will show machine language translations for news

In a different venue, I regularly find myself saying “I was so distracted by {outrageous thing in the foreground} that I almost failed to notice the {even more outrageous thing in the background}”.

Mutatis mutandis.

[Sgt_Kickaxe]

Mutatis mutandis or Sine qua non? (without something, something else won't be possible)

[tangor]

It's all about minting a "bright new shiny object" to click on while taking back the prior deprecation for UGC ... in the search for a revenue stream.

Forums are, after all, UGC for the most part!

[Robert Charlton]

I'd saw via Twitter several days ago that there might be renewed interest in forums. Encouraging, except for the mobile part. IMO, the best way to use forums is on a desktop, and to keep notes about topics, threads, and posts.

Worth noting that Danny, way before Google, at one time ran a forum, along with his conferences and news letters... and he would routinely ask questions of the membership about what questions he might bring up with Google, say at his next meeting with them. There was a sort of dialogue going.

[Sgt_Kickaxe]

I think most of us old foggies ran a forum at some point when popular platforms were free and open source and making themes was the rage.

To anyone who missed it, there was a forum full of enthusiasts for any hobby or interest, often several of them when the activity was regional, and acceptance was guaranteed. Now we have social platforms where ideas come together and people yell at each other because what interests one person doesn't interest everyone on the platform.

Chat rooms with a profile. Everyone became friends as they became regulars.... the good ol' days.

[christianz]

Will they recognize forums and comments sections that are in custom coded templates and presentation or just some of the most popular forum engines?