I'm a little surprised the article didn't mention Mastodon. It has its warts and issues (i mean, ahem, features) like no full-text search and no quote-posting,

I'm a little surprised the article didn't mention Mastodon. It has its warts and issues (i mean, ahem, features) like no full-text search and no quote-posting, but Mastodon does generate the small discussion forum feel, but with the ability to link out to other communities.