User blog comment:Cristina7/Introducing Discussions, a New Platform For Engaging Your Community/@comment-1038387-20160908191322

We've been using it on DC for a while now, and I like it... mostly. Granted, we had relatively little forum activity for a wiki our size, so if you have... that's not something I can comment on.


 * We've got several new editors out of it. Knowledgeable people, who never knew anyone could edit a wiki. They were looking for a place to discuss things and got sucked in.
 * On the other hand, it also brings in people who only have a phone - I never knew teenagers these days have a smartphone before they have a desktop. I'd love to see the stats on usage. It challenges the dinosaur thinking and makes you take a better look at portability. Whether you like it or not.
 * I miss wiki markup, easy linking and shortcuts. It's not MediaWiki, and it shows.
 * I'm more or less the only site admin that's active on Discussions. That's a valid concern voiced below - admins may not want to take time to look at a forum that isn't easily accessible from the site, or visible in Recent Changes. I think it's important that at least one admin does, just to make the D-community feel more at home, more part of the wiki. But you have to be present even if you're not policing, to avoid being seen as a largely invisible dictator who only shows up to delete and block.... it can take up a lot of your time. Hence, D-mods. Makes you look friendlier. My life's become a lot easier after I promoted some people to D-mods.
 * I like that it doesn't show up in RC, but I miss the connection with the Wiki in the sense of communication. I can't send someone a DM. I could do it in a reply, but that's likely to be overlooked. I'd like a link to the Wall be included in the app. Or are Walls not portable either? On the same note, I think they should be able to see their block reason in the app.