The debate on social network and fora equivalence seems to never stop. Social networks (Twitter, Facebook, ...) are structured around individuals. The profile o

The debate on social network and fora equivalence seems to never stop. Social networks (Twitter, Facebook, ...) are structured around individuals. The profile of each individual matters. Fora (Usenet, HN, Reddit, ...) are structured around discussions. The topic of each discussion matters. (The topic being indirectly set by the article submitted in HN's case.) You can have topical discussions in social networks, you can have an identity in fora, and yes, there's a socialization aspect in both but their core focus differ.