Ask David
What open and diverse discussion web forums are better than Reddit (and Quora)? Those have been overrun by spam and by overboard moderation at the same time.
The best one I’ve found right now is Me We Too. Fun fact: It’s built on UltimateWB!
What I really like about Me We Too is that you can actually connect with people there – not just read posts and argue with strangers. You know how you feel a connection when you say to someone “Me Too”? This is kind of like that. And you never know who you’ll connect with and on what. You find similarities with people who are very different than you too – so in that way it is like the antidote to dehumanization of the “other”.
Me We Too has a very different approach to social interaction. You post something about yourself – it can be an opinion, an experience, something you like or dislike, something you believe, something you’re wondering about, or even something completely silly. Other people can respond with Me Too, Hmm, or Not Me.
And here’s where it gets interesting: you can find out who responded.
If someone Me Too’s something you posted, you can see who they are. If someone has a different opinion and selects Not Me, you can see that too. You can then look at other mini polls they’ve created/interacted with, connect with them, interact with others on the comments section for that post, fan or friend them, message them, and continue the conversation.
That’s what makes Me We Too feel less like a giant website full of anonymous comments and more like a place where you can actually discover people you have something in common with.
It’s About Finding Your People
The site’s We Circle feature takes this idea even further.
It looks at how you and other members have responded to posts and helps you discover the people who are most like you. So instead of simply following whoever happens to have the most popular posts, you can find people based on the things you actually have in common.
And the subjects aren’t limited to one narrow type of discussion. Me We Too covers everything from hobbies, entertainment, pets, food and travel to technology, philosophy, politics, relationships, business, sports, and everyday personal habits and experiences. Users generate the mini polls, so the topics can really be whatever you want.
That’s a big part of what I like about it.
You can talk about something completely ordinary one minute and something much more meaningful the next. The point isn’t just to broadcast your opinion. It’s to find out who else thinks, feels, believes, or experiences something the way you do – and who doesn’t.
You Can Disagree Without the Whole Thing Becoming a Fight
I also think the Me Too / Hmm / Not Me system is interesting because it gives people more ways to respond than simply agreeing or disagreeing in a comment.
Maybe you completely agree: Me Too.
Maybe you’re not sure or only partly agree: Hmm.
Or maybe you see it completely differently: Not Me.
And you can still comment or create a related, more detailed, or opposite post when you have more to say.
That creates room for different viewpoints without every interaction having to turn into an argument.
And Yes, You Still Need Spam Control
The fact that a community is open and diverse doesn’t mean it should have no moderation.
Any social website needs ways to deal with spam, abuse, and inappropriate content. Me We Too has reporting and flagging features, along with safety information and community rules.
The goal is to have reasonable rules that protect the community without making it so difficult to participate that legitimate discussion gets removed or banned.
Why I Prefer It to Reddit or Quora
Reddit and Quora can certainly be useful, but they have become very large, centralized platforms with their own systems for moderation, visibility, and participation.
Me We Too feels different because the emphasis is much more on discovering people.
You aren’t just looking for the next popular post. You’re finding out:
Who else is like me?
Who thinks differently?
Who has had the same experience?
Who else is interested in this?
And then you can actually interact with those people.
That’s a much more interesting concept to me than simply having another endless stream of posts.
So, What’s the Best Alternative to Reddit and Quora?
For me, right now, it’s Me We Too.
I think the way it turns simple posts and opinions into opportunities to discover that there really is no “other” is what makes it stand out.
It’s open to a wide range of subjects and viewpoints, but it isn’t trying to be an unmoderated free-for-all. And the emphasis on finding connections – through the Me Too, Hmm, and Not Me responses and the We Circle – gives it a different feel from the huge, anonymous discussion platforms.
If you’re tired of Reddit or Quora and want somewhere you can actually meet people, discover what you have in common, and still encounter different viewpoints, I’d give Me We Too a try.
Related Articles
- What Happened to Reddit? API Changes, Shadowbans, Bots, and Community Decline
- What Happened to Quora? Building a Q&A Site That Won’t Sell Out Your Users
- Just Got Banned from Reddit or Quora? Why You Shouldn’t Rely on Them for Traffic
- How to Promote Your Business on Reddit or Quora – Without Getting Banned
- How to Prevent Forum Spam: Effective Ways to Protect Your Message Board
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