If you've visited our website before, you may remember that we used to run a public forum where people could ask questions, share ideas and discuss IT topics. That forum was permanently closed on 3 March 2025.
We know forums can be useful. They help people learn from each other, build small communities and give websites a place to share practical advice. But the reality is that running a public forum in the UK is no longer as simple as putting a discussion board online and checking in now and then.
The Online Safety Act 2023
The main reason for the closure is the Online Safety Act 2023. Although the Act became law on 26 October 2023, the online safety duties were brought in gradually, and from 17 March 2025 Ofcom confirmed that platforms had a legal duty to comply with the illegal-content safety rules. That includes things like carrying out risk assessments and having proper systems in place to deal with harmful or illegal user content.
In plain English, that means running a public forum now comes with a much heavier level of responsibility and potential liability than it used to. A website operator may need reporting systems, moderation processes, record keeping, documented risk assessments and a clear way of dealing with unlawful or harmful posts. Ofcom's own guidance makes it clear that this is now a structured compliance obligation — not just a case of doing your best and keeping an eye on it.
A decision that made itself
We are an IT support business, not a social media company. Our time is better spent helping customers directly than trying to run and police a public discussion space to a level the current UK regulatory climate increasingly expects. The practical truth is that this is another restriction, cost and administrative overhead for smaller UK businesses — and one that many simply cannot justify taking on. That is one reason you have probably seen plenty of smaller forums, comment sections and community spaces disappear in recent years.
So the decision was simple: remove the forum rather than expose the business to unnecessary legal risk.
The support hasn't gone anywhere
That does not mean we are less willing to help. Quite the opposite. It means we would rather focus our effort on what we actually do best: providing direct support, proper advice and real help to customers, instead of spending our time moderating public discussions and worrying about compliance duties.
If you need help, want advice, or have an IT question, you are still very welcome to contact us directly.
The forum has gone, but the support has not.
If you'd like to discuss any of the topics covered here, get in touch.