Online Communities

The standalone web forum has largely had its day. Most foreign residents and travellers in Indonesia now network on social platforms, and many boards this page once listed have closed — among them the namesake Living in Indonesia forum (no relation to this site), JakChat, BatamChat, the Baliblog forums, and Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree, gone since 2021.

Where people network now

Facebook groups are the centre of gravity, with large communities for foreign residents in Jakarta, Bali and beyond. WhatsApp and Telegram carry much of the daily traffic, especially among Bali's digital nomads. Reddit's r/indonesia and r/bali became reachable again in July 2026 after an eleven-year national block. I watched the old boards empty out as Facebook swallowed their traffic; convenience won, though the forums were better organised. Treat open Facebook groups with care: scams and bogus listings are common.

For something more organised, InterNations and Meetup run regular gatherings in Jakarta and Bali, and the foreign business chambers — BritCham, AmCham, EuroCham and their national counterparts — remain the serious route to professional contacts. If you still prefer a threaded board to a feed, one old-style community board is also going strong.