Have you ever deleted or shut down a forum and then later had second thoughts about whether or not you made the right decision? Most times, there would be no going back. So what did (or would) you do if you found yourself in that situation?
Having second thoughts about deleting a forum
- Thread starter Beverly
- Start date
I haven't regretted any shut down decisions I've made. (To be fair though, I've only ever had to make 3 of them.)
The only times I've made the decision to shut a site down was when I was pretty much the only one left. No one else was visiting or being active anymore and I had other, much more important, projects that needed my attention. So I didn't want to spend time on reviving a site (especially one for someone else who wasn't even around) when I had other things I was working on.
The only times I've made the decision to shut a site down was when I was pretty much the only one left. No one else was visiting or being active anymore and I had other, much more important, projects that needed my attention. So I didn't want to spend time on reviving a site (especially one for someone else who wasn't even around) when I had other things I was working on.
I think deleting a forum requires a lot of thought and shouldn't be done in one day. Deleting a forum means deleting hard work, friendships (and not only yours, but other users as well) and multiple other things. So I think we should all take a lot of time to think about what we're really doing when we hit that delete button.
fantanoice
Madly Diligent
I shut down my very first forum ever because I was ashamed and embarrassed by it (I made it when I was 11, after all). However, as time went on, I wanted to look at it again to see how far I'd come, but of course the option wasn't there.
Or at least, it wasn't until I remembered Archive.org. 😛
Or at least, it wasn't until I remembered Archive.org. 😛
Cz. Ervin said:
Heh, reminds me of selling an old site I once had. Thankfully we were on a free host at the time as well and it was only for FP cash, not real money, but the new owner was a complete ding dong so to speak. He'd keep bombarding me with emails, like how to add a domain, how to do this, that or the next thing. I kept telling him to go for the support forum if he wanted help especially since the site was now out of my hands, but he didn't take the hint. After a while I just ignored his emails and the site disappeared into nothingness.
Closing a forum shouldn't mean necessarily deleting it. I am against deletion, because it is months' work (or years'). Deleting it sounds like... burning the book after reading it, in my opinion.
I closed down a forum I was a moderator on. And another one will close, but none of them will be deleted/ put offline. They are there to be read.
I closed down a forum I was a moderator on. And another one will close, but none of them will be deleted/ put offline. They are there to be read.
I also never really deleted a forum, unless I really have no attachment to it any longer. I'm known for having second thoughts once in a while, lol, so I don't delete things unless I'm dead sure I'm not going to try it out again or if I'd wish to start elsewhere. Having second thoughts is normal, so it'll be best to consider all options very carefully before deciding to stop or start all over again.
I usually analyze how much I can contribute to new content every once in a while, and the prospect of the topic I'll base my forum on. For example, I can easily start a forum about an anime I like. But when it ends, what will happen to my forum? It will die too. I also consider the target communities of my forum, how hard it will be to reach them and if it's worth all my effort later. Last but not least is the platform of the forum/website and all the technical details about it.
I usually analyze how much I can contribute to new content every once in a while, and the prospect of the topic I'll base my forum on. For example, I can easily start a forum about an anime I like. But when it ends, what will happen to my forum? It will die too. I also consider the target communities of my forum, how hard it will be to reach them and if it's worth all my effort later. Last but not least is the platform of the forum/website and all the technical details about it.
I've closed 2 forums in the past but never actually deleted them. They no longer exist, but I have them running on my own computer and it's nice to look back at them or reference them when building a new one.
I have had many forums, but I truly miss PromotionShock. I let it go because I didn't have the attachment I once had with it, and now I kind of miss it wishing I could get it all back. It was my first forum that was actually successful-ish.
Beverly said:
Yeah, actually. I've closed a forum once, deleted the entire thing, few months passed and I simply said "screw it, I am opening it up again" and luckily my host at the time had a backup and was able to restore it, and it did just fine for a few months. I honestly have not been in the position of deleting a forum not not being able to reopen it, so I would probably just not even try to open it back up. I think it'd be best of just to leave it as a relic rather than trying to pick it back up.
I'd definitely never delete a forum. Those posts are pretty valuable, even if only to be merged into a later project. But I do think that you should close your forum, or at least devote time elsewhere, if it doesn't prove to be a success. You can always try me projects if one fails.
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