Forrst – A Community For Web Creators

Forrst is an online setting where developers and designers can go to get away from it all. The virtual community is an exclusive place where developers can find support from likeminded professionals, get feedback on their latest projects, share business information, and generally improve their craft while offering support and advice to other web professionals at the same time.

Although Forrst is currently an invite-only community, people with GitHub accounts can head right to the front of the line and gain access right away. Forrst is a community that was created exclusively for web designers and developers, which means you can get started digging into all the articles and insights posted on Forrst without having to waste time looking through content that isn’t applicable to your line of work. Browse the links section to see examples of the websites that other Forrst users have put together. Read a few of the most recent and popular questions from community members and offer any insight that you have based on your own professional experiences. You can “like” any of the codes or screengrabs that stand out in the “Code” and “Snaps” sections of the community – which is where users post content for other users to review – and embed particularly interesting or useful posts on your own blog or website.

Using the Forrst API, you can interact with the community content in any way that makes sense to you. Users are asked to refrain from promoting themselves too much, although a bit of self-promotion is to be expected in an online community so focused on one specific industry. Nonetheless, Forrst is a great tool that developers and designers should try out when they’re looking for advice or feedback on their most important projects.

Practical Uses:

• Find out what other people think of the new logo you designed
• Get advice on why a feature on a website you built isn’t working
• Answer questions from less experienced designers and developers
• Read articles and learn about new developments in the web community

Insider Tips:

• Only web developers and designers should sign up for Forrst
• Forrst offers an API for users
• Users can decide which of their posts should be public and which should be private
• Forrst has a podcast that people can download on iTunes

What we liked:

• Forrst provides a great way for developers and designers to meet each other
• Users can learn from the mistakes that other people have made
• People can get feedback on their work, even if they don’t have coworkers to bounce ideas off of
• Membership is limited to a select group of professionals, which helps ensure that conversations stay on topic

What we didn’t like:

• New users need an invite to join Forrst, which limits how many people can take part

Alternatives:

• Behance – http://www.behance.net
• Dribbble – http://dribbble.com
• Pattern Tap – http://patterntap.com
• Skitch – http://www.skitch.com

Company Info:

• Launched: January 2010
• Privately Held
• Headquarters: New York, New York
• Founded by: Kyle Bragger
• Web site: http://forrst.com

Costs:

• Supporter accounts are $5/month