Merging Forums

[Cosmic]

What are your thoughts on merging forums together?

In my opinion, this is one of the more effective ways to build a strong community. I guess it's kind of like two forums joining forces to make a bigger forum. You can't succeed just by merging, but it gives your forum a big boost.

What do you all think?

 

[Kaynil]

I think it is an option not to be taken lightly. In theory yes, it is uniting forces to push for the same direction. In reality, we have to take in account that each community forms an identity and their members with it. There is also the software the forums are into, different softwares may complicate things, not only for the move, but for the tranquility of members.

I've been in communities that have merged and seen both situations, one where the communities really pull as one and we become one big family and other times when after the merge both communities feel uneasy and the activity never picks up at all.

My best advice is to always communicate in both communities the intentions and listen to your members, addressing their concerns and honestly explaining to them what changes to expect is the best way. Also decide beforehand how are the staff going to be reorganised so you don't look too overstaffed or the staff that remains is not looking too one-sided.

 

[MasterA]

I agree. However this is only the case when you merge active forums. If you merge with an inactive forum that only has like 3 members online in the past 24 hours or something like that then it would just probably be a waste of time.

 

[Agent_Zero]

Would you have both databases merge and all the forum nodes and threads?

 

[Cosmic]

Would you have both databases merge and all the forum nodes and threads?

Usually when two forums are merged:

- the similar sections which the two have in common are merged together. So, if both have an off topic section, then both become one

- Usually one forum is merged into another. One forum stays effectively the same, and the other ceases to exist.

- Any accounts which exist on both boards are merged together.

- Posts which cannot fit anywhere into the new forum are discarded.

 

[Cierra]

I don't necessarily agree with this method, but one thing I have heard on another forum is to allow members a short period of account deletion, if they would not like to be a part of the new forum after the merge. There are account deletion plugins for some forum software (MyBB for one) so it doesn't have to be manually.

 

[Deleted member 25872]

Merging forums is a good way to become more successful and established. This will help getting a popular forum.

 

[Migi]

In my opinion, merging is risky. Much like what Kaynil had said, it looks good and strong in one glance but the real problem is inside. Will the members of both communities enjoy the new place? Can the new staff team do their job to bring the new community afloat? I've never been a part of forums who were merged, but I've seen few ones which merged and failed afterwards. I've also seen not-so-related forums merged, for example webmaster forum and general discussion forum, which makes you question if it will ever work.

Certainly this is not a simple matter and must be discussed very carefully.

I don't necessarily agree with this method, but one thing I have heard on another forum is to allow members a short period of account deletion, if they would not like to be a part of the new forum after the merge. There are account deletion plugins for some forum software (MyBB for one) so it doesn't have to be manually.

That's an interesting feature. It is a good gesture but is it necessary at all? I mean, surely you don't want to encourage members to leave the new community. And if someone wants to leave they just have to never log in again, so deletion may not be necessary at all.

 

[Sharon]

MasterA makes a valid point that I would have to agree with. I believe merging forums is only effective if both communities are relatively active. I've seen two instances personally where at least one forum was pretty much dormant and it did nothing for the other community but create chaos due to irrelevant boards and inapplicable posts.

 

[Reverse Flash]

It's risky but it can work well, like in the case of, say, Feedback Exchange. PromotionCurve was merged into it, IIRC.

 

[Geoffrey]

I think there is a difference in a forum merge and the owner of one forum buying another and combining the databases. To me, a merge consists of two owners/admin teams coming together and combining communities, combining staff teams, using features of both boards, etc.

I've seen several of these merges and never have I seen a successful one long-term, it always has ended up with one of the communities dominating and basically absorbing the other one. Sometimes one community doesn't like it and the merge fails that way, but usually one community's interests and habits just naturally take over the other and it's like no merge happened at all except for a few extra members.

Because of that, I don't really see the point in merging.