What makes a forum die?

[Assembly Boards Representative]

If Kronks is still reading this thread. Why did Discussion Time get taken down and where are it's members congregating now?

[? guy]

i think it's mostly not being active, and no update's or anything like that so a forum become's dead and less interesting...

[hwutheseries]

Agree with all of this!

It also comes down to something as simple as a cluttered forum. Not everybody has been on one and some members are signing up for the first time.

If they come into your forum and it's difficult to navigate or it looks really messy and unorganised, then it's enough to put people off trying to figure it all out!

[Pebbles]

inactive staff makes a forum go down hill, easy answer
which is the exact reason why i demote people when they become inactive. A lot of admins don't do it because they do not want to be ''nasty'' by demoting people they friendly with or whatever
but i care more about the bigger picture

[Midian Minos]

Inactivity all around. I have run tons of sites (3 incarnations of Percy Jackson, Firefly, 6 incarnations of Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, even a Living in Hell site). They all fell apart because members got inactive.

If anyone could figure out how to fix that other than paying members, that would be just grand.

[JJ]

Hi, Midian Minos, I don't know, but it seems to me that topic specific sites often do not do well. Unless it is something like truck repair or home gardening, etc. Perhaps you might do well with something like a site that covered ALL the genres you mentioned, to grab attention, but then had some general discussion things as well? Many people of a like mind like to gather, but they all have different characters, games, books and shows that grab them. You could have topics of ALL those things in different Categories. Then throw in a few odd things for attention and see if people start coming.

[Pebbles]

May 7, 2017 17:43:37 GMT -8 Midian Minos said:

Inactivity all around. I have run tons of sites (3 incarnations of Percy Jackson, Firefly, 6 incarnations of Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, even a Living in Hell site). They all fell apart because members got inactive.

If anyone could figure out how to fix that other than paying members, that would be just grand.

you're paying members to stay active? i hope you do not mean real money 

[Midian Minos]

May 8, 2017 0:26:22 GMT -8 Pebbles said:

May 7, 2017 17:43:37 GMT -8 Midian Minos said:

Inactivity all around. I have run tons of sites (3 incarnations of Percy Jackson, Firefly, 6 incarnations of Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, even a Living in Hell site). They all fell apart because members got inactive.

If anyone could figure out how to fix that other than paying members, that would be just grand.

you're paying members to stay active? i hope you do not mean real money 

Of course not.  That would probably be the only way to keep some people at a site for longer than a week.  I have attempted to get some discussions going about fan theories and new ideas, but usually they won't enter those parts of the site.

[Tiffy-Bean]

Not shaking it up. Honestly, I've been running my storyline (forum) for 2 years now. It is still active and healthy, and I think part of that reason is that we change things around when necessary. If it seems it's lagging and people are less interested, I'll introduce something new for them to get excited about. Know your members, I've found being personable and connecting with them on a more one on one basis makes members feel welcome and more likely to put in effort, because they feel like they are getting a return on their effort by us putting effort into them.

[JJ]

Hello, @loverofcatsandfooty . I received a prompt in an email that a thread I had posted in some years ago had a new post, so I opened it.

I opened my site in August of 2005, and it is still active, with participation. Not nearly as many active members now. But then, Facebook came along and many members drifted away. But also, some of my regular members died! My members ranged in age from teenager to fifty in the beginning. After a few years, I made the teenagers go away, because the older members found them annoying.

I've had trolls, sure, who hasn't. But I do have well defined rules for membership, do you? If someone violates the rules they are asked to leave. In fifteen years, I've only banned two people, one was a stalker of a new member and another was just a troublemaker. Others that didn't fit left quietly. No need for drama.

Your site is like an extension of your kitchen table or living room. Only tolerate those things that would be acceptable in your home. Above all, don't take obnoxious people as a personal insult. They are just like pesky mosquitoes, swat them.

Good luck, and don't give up, you've got this.

[Trab]

It's mainly the long list of rules that makes a forum die. I myself just limit it to the simple rules (the ones on the T&C's) so things wouldn't be too strict. Also, admin inactivity can also be a way on how a forum die, as people start to think that the site has been abandoned. One more thing: an influx of spammers can make a person lose interest in a forum.

[caladrius]

I first created a forum for a particular sport (not the big ones like football, basketball, baseball, hockey) in 1999. It was a reaction to another forum’s tendency to shutdown whenever some members started trouble. So, I created mine as a “backup” if and when that other forum shutdown. That was essentially my sole ambition — to be the backup. LOL!

Well, when I created my forum, it was basically populated by me and one other guy named “Ricky.” Just the two of us. It was very lonely. I advertised my forum on that other frequently-shutting-forum but my forum grew at a snail’s pace. My first reaction was to switch to another forum host to improve the look. It was still just me and Ricky. And then I started to send out emails to college coaches in that sport. It was kind of shameless but I was surprised to learn that those coaches wanted desperately to talk about their sport, their program, and their athletes. I also created a separate blog with the sole purpose to drive more people to my forum. Rather quickly, there were many referrals and word of mouth. It worked. The membership eventually grew into the low 1,000s.

Then around 2004, I burnt out and transferred ownership to someone else. I have no regrets.

Now, in 2020, I created another forum (for the first time since I gave up my last forum in 2004) to serve a niche function for the main board that I gave up in 2004. Not many members right now, which was a deliberate choice as I am slowly building it up. But I’m not sure I’m up for the kind of relentless and shameless advertising campaign I had going back in 1999. (I’m also about 20 years older now.)

I actually love what I created so far with my current forum, but ironically, there may not be that many members to fully enjoy it.

[Former Member]

Jan 17, 2017 2:25:06 GMT -8 hwutheseries said:

Agree with all of this!

It also comes down to something as simple as a cluttered forum. Not everybody has been on one and some members are signing up for the first time.

If they come into your forum and it's difficult to navigate or it looks really messy and unorganised, then it's enough to put people off trying to figure it all out!

I completely agree with this. I joined a forum that had many categories, boards and sub-boards, and quite a few announcements that were seen on every board. It felt very claustrophobic to me, and it didn't help that almost all themes were very busy, which made it feel even more closed-in. At least I was able to hide the categories I wasn't interested in, but I still have trouble to "see the wood for the trees" so to speak.

But one reason a forum dies is because your members just can't be bothered to post. No matter what you do, it doesn't get a response.
I see this in many forums, where members are either just posting smileys or images, but hardly say a word. I am on the forum because I want to talk to people, discuss things, communicate, but most members on forums barely get a word out. Surely, they aren't like that in RL, so why not respond to questions on the forums as you would in RL?

[sharon]

Thank you for posting this topic it’s been very insightful especially during now while I attemp to revive my own forum.

I think the thing that makes a forum successful is the sense of community provided. People are active in forums not simply because there are many posts being made but because they feel like they belong. In order to invite people to join and stay in your forum you need to treat them as friends and make a conscious effort to getting to know them and let them know you.

[JJ]

I agree, sharon, it is a feeling of belonging and among friends that keeps people coming back. Also a feeling of trust. I want members to be themselves, warts and all. As the hostess, it is my place to get to know the members on a personal level so I can interact with them as people, not some nebulous person from the web cruising by. I take time to get to know them, their family and their personality. I try to post interesting or amusing things that I think THEY would like. But I think the main thing is that I want my members to feel safe. I don't allow bashing. Sure, it's ok to disagree with someone, but not in a nasty or combative way. I have a separate area for "serious" conversations if a couple of members want to have a serious discussion, but I do monitor it so things don't get ugly.

But, time goes by, my once very busy site only has a handful of active members now. I've been open for over sixteen years, and many just quit forums completely, some went to Facebook and many even died. I had two admin die, and now, it's hard to get anybody to make a commitment to being an admin. Unfortunately, that means it is up to me to keep the site fresh, and it's getting harder and harder as I have gotten old.

Regarding cluttered sites, I have a code on my site for minimizing all categories to the one line topic description. That way, members can easily close up the categories they aren't the least bit interested in and leave open the ones they are.

I wish you all good luck.