h1. Users and their content are the top features for community sites

Whatever they are called ...

* social media
* social networks
* forums / message boards

... these sites accept user-generated content, and most likely, the sites host discussions on that content.

Fine comment in this thread with my emphasis added:
https://ello.co/thomashawk/post/jxqnl9CnXL1DGTJsCg7OMQ

q..
Ello needs more posts - *especially more posts that are your own.*  Photos, artwork, writing, whatever. 

My least-vfavorite thing about looking at FB is all the *click bait garbage that everyone +reposts.+* 

If you don't have something original to post, you should think about why you're wasting everyone's time reposting the latest grumpy cat meme, or whatever.
q..

The focus should be on the users, the content, and the discussions. Does a wad of features make that happen, or can fewer features, combined with an easy to learn and use UI/UX work best?

Ello's client-side, JavaScript-heavy user interface needs tweaked. Link colors and the icons may need improved too. Ello will resolve its UI/UX issues over time. But hopefully, they don't add too many "normal" social network features that make the interface and experience worse. 

Is a share or forward feature necessary? Is a like or favorite button necessary?

Maybe Ello is an example of how web content readers and producers are ready for the past and old services, such as The Well and Live Journal.  

I think The Well charged users $100 a year. The Well contained a lot of interesting discussions. It was a home to writers, artists, thinkers, etc. 

The Well could probably work today. The Well probably fizzled in the aughts because of Live Journal, Blogger, MySpace, Typepad, Wordpress, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, etc. 

But maybe users in 2014 are worn out from complex systems with a ton of features. Maybe at least a small segment yearn for a simpler interface and experience with more interesting discussions.

This could be why the message board will always exist. 

 #socialnetwork - #socialmedia - #forums - #blogging - #design - #reading - #writing