What makes a forum die?

[Mandoli]

Feb 14, 2016 4:21:36 GMT -8 @womenonly said:

There are some forums that are made up of multiple boards.
Some of those boards are repetitive.

Okay, point made. But I have joined boards where it was over-cluttered. It made me feel lost in the shuffle, even with threads left and right. (And yes, I'd love to post a thread or two. Don't beat me to that.) I think you can feel the same way with a board that doesn't have any substance to it.

[shorewillow]

On my forum we have 12 members and 5 of them haven't even posted anything. Me and someone else are the only ones who go on it anymore. I am a affiliate with 5 sites 3 of which are mine. And ever since we affiliated we have gotten no new members just a lot of guests.

[The Maniac On Wheels (The MOW)]

Feb 13, 2016 23:12:17 GMT -8 Mandoli said:

Feb 13, 2016 20:39:35 GMT -8 The Maniac On Wheels (The MOW) said:

I've tried that, but they either don't post or stay in the Games board.

I have a game section as well - but I've made it so that post counts are disabled (mainly so they don't inflate everyone's totals, which is a good idea). Perhaps you could try that and then encourage more contributions to the board in general.

I have a section that post counts are disabled as well, but it's not the game section.

And I've ecouraged contributions to the board in general MULTIPLE times, but it hasn't worked.

[tayorous]

if it never starts in the first place.

[Mixed]

Feb 15, 2016 15:01:00 GMT -8 tayorous said:

if it never starts in the first place.

But why does it never start? Admins not advertising enough or affiliating enough. Admins only hanging in the C-box. Some even lose patience very quickly and delete the forum after a month. Sure a forum won't be highly active after only a few months. It takes time to find the members that have an interest and the time for your forum. I think a lack of patience on the Admin's account is a big reason for forum death before they even start.

[imagineer]

Bad moderating.
Ignoring your members.
And members forming little cliques and ignoring other members.

I joined a forum that was very quiet, it was just 2 of us actually. Then a friend of the other member joined. At first we all posted with each other, but then the two friends very quickly just posted with each other and ignored me. I have not posted on that forum for a while now coz I don’t seem to get a response, and I have now joined another forum instead and we are all getting on just fine.

I have experienced similar things on other forums where a handful of members form little cliques and post with each other and have all their inside jokes, etc.
That is fine, but not when they ignore other members and make them feel left out or even unwelcome.

On one forum, I have even had a clique of members gang up on me and be rude and even abusive to me about my faith. One of the moderator did not really pull them up on it, and then instead of banning the trouble makers who started it, he actually temporarily banned a member that stuck up for me after things turned nasty. Such mishandling of issues will drive members away and creates a bad atmosphere.

[The Maniac On Wheels (The MOW)]

Mar 4, 2016 12:00:36 GMT -8 imagineer said:

Bad moderating.
Ignoring your members.
And members forming little cliques and ignoring other members.

I joined a forum that was very quiet, it was just 2 of us actually. Then a friend of the other member joined. At first we all posted with each other, but then the two friends very quickly just posted with each other and ignored me. I have not posted on that forum for a while now coz I don’t seem to get a response, and I have now joined another forum instead and we are all getting on just fine.

I have experienced similar things on other forums where a handful of members form little cliques and post with each other and have all their inside jokes, etc.
That is fine, but not when they ignore other members and make them feel left out or even unwelcome.

On one forum, I have even had a clique of members gang up on me and be rude and even abusive to me about my faith. One of the moderator did not really pull them up on it, and then instead of banning the trouble makers who started it, he actually temporarily banned a member that stuck up for me after things turned nasty. Such mishandling of issues will drive members away and creates a bad atmosphere.

Exactly why I left the one I was a part of before making my forum.

The admin and mods didn't even care about it. Instead of making new sections, they would group random things together like parenting and fashion on the same board. It got ridiculous.

[Former Member]

As soon as the main owner starts to float away, it's member base floats away too. Even if your gone for 1 and a half days.

[♥ ℒʊ√ ♥]

Thankfully, that's not the case with all boards.


Our members are quite capable of keeping the board active on their own. I don't need to be a daily presence to assure that. Granted, I am there 95% of the time, but there are times when life interferes and everyone understands that.

If you have a true community of genuine members, they enjoy one another's company and are willing and capable to keep the board active. Our board is over seven years old and every member is of equal importance to the forum's health. 

[Mixed]

Mar 7, 2016 22:11:27 GMT -8 ♥ ℒʊ√ ♥ said:

Thankfully, that's not the case with all boards.


Our members are quite capable of keeping the board active on their own. I don't need to be a daily presence to assure that. Granted, I am there 95% of the time, but there are times when life interferes and everyone understands that.

If you have a true community of genuine members, they enjoy one another's company and are willing and capable to keep the board active. Our board is over seven years old and every member is of equal importance to the forum's health. 

It's just tricky to get to that point when working from scratch.

I think forum death is dependent completely on the individual forum and even the type. If members don't feel their staff is engaged in the topic, a discussion forum could fade. If members don't feel they have any control, an RP forum could fade. If the forum doesn't feel welcoming, any forum can fade.

Just need to keep working at it. Then perhaps the forum won't fade.

[Former Member]

At this time, I feel that a forum without genuine and active members is one good reason for that admin putting their forum into maintenance mode.
No members is another reason for letting a forum die.
Not all admins want to spend their time posting and updating when there are not any active members.

Some forums live.
Some forums die.





 

[Mistysong]

I think one of the biggest things honestly is not keeping up with leaving the website looking updated. To me personally, I don't like to stay on a website unless there is effort being put into the aesthetic of it.

[Skidjit]

There are so many things I've read here that I completely agree with. One vital thing I've known for years... if a member of your group feels like they are being forgotten, ignored or not important to... at least the admin (ME) then why would I expect them to stick around long?

I don't have to post daily or weekly for my members to keep posting.

We have one thread that is an off topic conversation thread where we do nothing but catch up with each other's lives. When I post there, I like to make a comment to each and every person. If I really don't have something I can think of to say, then I at least add a shout out hello to those I didn't comment to. I never want them to feel they are any less important that those who post more and so I have something to reply back to. Those less active members will come back in and smile knowing they were not forgotten just because they had to be away from their computer for a while.

I think and have seen forums die because the mass member group have lost their interest in what the site is about. They begin to move on to greener pastures.

I've personally seen a forum die because of the chat box. That is why I won't have one.

A forum doesn't have to have a ton of members to be successful either. Just as long as everyone who IS active is having fun. I mentioned it not long ago on another thread here, that it's good to know your members interests and encourperate their ideas into the making of the site. Keep it fresh.

Yes, I post a lot, but usually in bulk. Then others will come post in bulk right behind me if they have the time. There was a time I considered asking if there's a way for us to turn off post count so no one feels they HAVE to outdo another. Ugh. Then I found the Karma plugin. I feel it's a great way to make a person feel important and they can give Karma to each other.

[♥ ℒʊ√ ♥]

I agree, Skidjit . We also have chat threads where we catch up with one another. It's great fun and you truly get to know the personal, real life side of your members.

I sincerely believe each and every active member is as important as an active admin. Without those members, the forum will eventually die and an admin may still have their title, but they have little else.

A forum is very lucky when they have found their niche and the members who like and appreciate that niche. It's not easy and it doesn't always work, but just the trying is a positive thing. You learn so much running a forum ~ whether long term, or short. It has its own skill set and they're well worth the time and effort. 

[Anatoly]

people never get informated if a forum gets created (sorry if this post is existing, i am too lazy too see all 62 pages)