Chatbot News

6 Chatbot Forums to Join in 2021

Bots are a hot topic right now. There are many growing communities where you can share your chatbots, discover new chatbots, learn how to use new tools, compare frameworks, and keep up with discoveries. We've put together a list of our six favorite chatbot forums for bot developers and bot enthusiasts alike to explore and find new connections in the exciting sphere of bot development.

Whether you’re a full-time bot developer or a bot enthusiast in your free time, you’re likely already keeping up with the latest technology trends—but do you know where to find other developers to talk shop and share your latest projects?

New and current bot enthusiasts might find joining a bot community to be the best solution for learning more about this rising technology. So, what are these bot communities? In a nutshell, they’re online spaces where developers and AI aficionados can share their new chatbot discoveries, learn new tools and techniques, and just talk about bots nonstop!

If this sounds interesting to you, check out this list of our six favorite chatbot forums for bot developers and enthusiasts to help you stay on the loop about chatbot news, engage in discussions with bot experts, and spark your interest in how to design your own bot!

1. ChatBots.org

If you want to discuss building, designing, and growing your chatbots, consider this community forum. ChatBots.org's AI Zone is dedicated specifically to bot development. Just like Reddit, you can browse by the latest or top topics and by categories. And you can post your own topics and comments. Unlike Reddit, there’s no meritocracy, since upvotes and downvotes don’t exist. But you can view posts by the number of replies, views, and activity.

2. Botsociety

Botsociety lets you preview and prototype your bots and voice interfaces for platforms such as Messenger, Slack, and Google Home. For example, if you wanted to design a Botsociety Slack bot, Botsociety has a “How to create your first Slack bot mockup” tutorial. In addition, the Botsociety Blog is a helpful resource for learning more interesting tricks and tools to help you design your bot—whether it’s your first or your hundredth. Want to know how to embed a bot into your website or how to deploy a simple Slack bot using the Microsoft Bot Framework? Botsociety has the tutorials you need.

3. Bot Stash

If you’re seeking resources and tools to help you with bot development, check out Bot Stash. This bot community has dozens of online tutorials, podcasts, and magazine articles to browse, helping you find solutions to challenges that you may encounter while developing your bot. And viewing the work of other developers can inspire and galvanize your bot creation.

4. Slack

With hundreds of Slack communities, it can be difficult to decide which ones to join. You may want to initially invest time in a few and then narrow it down after you find your niche. The Bot Developer Hangout channel focuses on building Slack bots. And, if you want to meet a lot of “academics, artists, and terrifyingly creative people,” (according to one member) try exploring the Botmakers bot community.

5. Facebook Chatbots Group

If you’re looking to discuss bots and AI on messaging platforms, such as Facebook, Slack, or SMS, consider Facebook Chatbots Group, where members share articles, give advice, and post questions about building bots. Want to know the best tool to enable you to build a bot without coding it as a web chat solution? Wondering whether TensorFlow can support 32-bit Windows operating system? These are just a couple of the questions people explore within the group.

6. BotList.co

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the sheer number of bots available to you, BotList.co is the perfect place to start. The main idea behind BotList is to offer a centralized bot directory, almost like an app store but for bots. But BotList is much more than a place to browse bots.

In a profile in Chatbot Magazine, BotList founder Seth Louey notes that BotList.co was designed to keep up with the rapidly changing bot offerings that are constantly sprouting and growing. Every bot features a description that helps clarify its purpose and its backend, and every bot includes several other categorization tags which help ensure that those looking for the bot are able to easily find it. This chatbot forum allows you to make a profile, showcase your bots, or browse other bots (choose from featured bots, latest bots, bot collections, and more). Plus, you can check out the profiles of other bot makers. '

As you continue learning how to build bots, it’s important to keep up with industry trends. Joining niche online communities can help you become more fluent in the practice, discover up-to-date resources, and meet other like-minded developers who share a passion for a fully integrated world. Who knows? You might also notice growth in your career.