The Current State Of FP(And It's Future)

[Deleted member 44219]

So we're all on FP(ForumPromotion), right now(And you're probably reading this on FP too). I'd figured that right now, a Month after these Database Failures and Host-Change, would be the best time to talk about FP and it's current state.

So FP from the get-go, seems like a great place to meet new People and discuss a lot of things about Web-Development and Marketing. Even the Landing-Page says it all. Everyone is kind and welcoming and are always helpful.

But FP does have a lot more to it. So to my knowledge, FP's Owner, Cameron Taylor, bought the Site last year. And to me, he hasn't been doing a lot for FP lately. We ask for being able to delete Posts and we only get to be able to delete our Replies and still have to report our own Threads to have them deleted. We get a Mobile App and nobody asked for it.

FP looks like it doesn't have a lot of Work going into it. And that is not good. We don't even have a Development-Team to deal with Development. Nothing Productive is going on behind the Scenes other than the XenForo 2.1 Upgrade and the new Style(Which in my Opinion, is the most hideous Forum Theme ever).

Another thing is that March was a goddamn disaster. We had about 2 Database Failures in such a short-span of time. I'm pretty sure one of them lasted for several days aswell. And that was mainly due to FP's Webhost. Cameron also chose Shared Hosting(Which I'm pretty sure is cheap) for such a big Site as FP. And it definitely took him a while to switch to a better Plan.

FP also doesn't have a very active Userbase despite having 25,000+ Users. On Average, there is about 5 Members Active everyday. Something has to be done about that or there's just not a big Userbase for Web-Development and Marketing.

FP's Future definitely to me, doesn't look bright. It might look different to you though. We've almost reached a new Decade and about to reach 2020. Cameron should use 2019 as an Advantage to help get FP back up on it's knees. And if Cameron cannot manage FP well, listen to Feedback and keep on adding things we never asked for then it's better to give away FP to someone who has a lot more experience with Forums. Or he could actually do some effort by listening to the Community and doing something good then FP could definitely be a much better place than it's current state. And who knows, maybe FP will die out, be merged with some other Forum and suffer the same demise like FreeForums.org or ZetaBoards.

(Note: All of this is in my View and Opinion of FP in it's current state. Some things I could've said could be wrong. You are free to also say your Opinion about FP's state. You are also free to oppose to anything that I say.)

 

[Page]

What you mention is what most of us now about, I think there are more things going on in the background that we aren't aware off. I doubt that they aren't hiding it from us or an reason why it's not public yet. The Mobile app is pointless since I don't have an phone that can support it and I find that they point allot of time into that App and not where is needed elsewhere.

Delete option was approved after weeks of discussions and allot of pointless off topics posts that have made some arguments. I think it was added to keep the members happy and to able to shut-them-up LOL regards topics! If it was my site I wouldn't allow members to remove topics. Cam has brought up and reason to why.

 

[Deleted member 44219]

What you mention is what most of us now about, I think there are more things going on in the background that we aren't aware off. I doubt that they aren't hiding it from us or an reason why it's not public yet. The Mobile app is pointless since I don't have an phone that can support it and I find that they point allot of time into that App and not where is needed elsewhere.

Delete option was approved after weeks of discussions and allot of pointless off topics posts that have made some arguments. I think it was added to keep the members happy and to able to shut-them-up LOL regards topics! If it was my site I wouldn't allow members to remove topics. Cam has brought up and reason to why.

There could be a lot more behind the Scenes than to what we know of. They could just be hiding stuff until it's in a almost-complete state.

The Mobile App is pointless. It doesn't have any Ratings, barely any Downloads and nobody asked for it.

And a Delete Option should've been here from the Start. If it was added to just have everyone shut-up then that's just asking for Criticism and more Debates and Arguments. And about deleting Threads, we should have that option too if we want to delete an old Thread of ours that doesn't recieve Replies anymore or we just feel like deleting it.

 

[Jordan]

How many of these threads are there going to be? These threads have been popping up since 2012. And look, FP is still here.
"But Jordan, the activity to FP now vs then is a big difference. FP is dying!"
Yes, indeed. However, so is almost every big forum out there.
Digital Point. Now at 17.5 million posts, but nothing like they where back in 2012 activity wise
The Admin Zone. Some small activity here and there like FP, but nothing like they where in 2012.
I could list about 25 forums that regardless of how active they are now, is nothing compared to what it was back in 2012.
Honestly the only forums that gained momentum in any way are ones that pay you to do so.

It's honestly starting to get annoying that these posts keep popping up. Everyone has their views and opinions and think they can do so much better.

Listen, I'm far from defending FP, and I don't mean to be that user that does. As I'm one of the bigger criticizers.

Cameron should use 2019 as an Advantage to help get FP back up on it's knees

Replace "Cameron" with "Previous Owner Name Here" and "2019" with "Previous Date" And the same sentence has been said since year after year through out of the last 5 owners. Nothing is new.

And a Delete Option should've been here from the Start. If it was added to just have everyone shut-up then that's just asking for Criticism and more Debates and Arguments.

This kind of view is whats wrong with some of this userbase. You guys complain that they don't listen to their users time and time again, but when they do, you say it's just to shut them up.

All I see in the community matters section are users complaining (The same users too) in the disguise that they want to make the site better, but from my point of view, they are complaining to complain and to dis current administration instead of actually giving constructive criticism.

FP looks like it doesn't have a lot of Work going into it.

Just because you don't see it doesn't mean it's not happening.

We get a Mobile App and nobody asked for it.

Nobody asked for a lot of features that we now have. Just because you are not going to use the app don't mean someone else won't. If the app can keep at least a couple extra people active, then it's worth it. A couple extra people being active is a start to help growing the site once more.

FYI, Users did ask for an app. There has been SEVERAL topics in the community matter section either asking, or suggesting FP get a native mobile app. Do a search 🙂

The Mobile App is pointless. It doesn't have any Ratings, barely any Downloads and nobody asked for it.

From my understanding, it's still in the "Awaiting implementation" phase. So there won't be a lot of downloads.

We don't even have a Development-Team to deal with Development

What development would you like to see made?
You do understand that this is a forum software and not custom coded right?

Another thing is that March was a goddamn disaster. We had about 2 Database Failures in such a short-span of time.

Shit happens to the best of sites. It got fixed didn't it? You guys are acting like Cameron wants that kind of stuff to happen. Like he wants the site to fail.

And that was mainly due to FP's Webhost. Cameron also chose Shared Hosting(Which I'm pretty sure is cheap) for such a big Site as FP. And it definitely took him a while to switch to a better Plan.

Listen, contrary to popular belief, due to the low volume of traffic and activity FP has, it does not take much to host FP. However, I agree it should have been on a VPS from the start regardless. Now after people started having problems, Cameron did switch off shared on to a VPS did he not? Yet instead of saying he did the right thing, you still complain about it.

FP also doesn't have a very active Userbase despite having 25,000+ Users. ... Something has to be done about that or there's just not a big Userbase for Web-Development and Marketing.

I think FP needs a new model, and some heavy marketing.
"Forum Promotion" just isn't a viable business model anymore as forums are the thing of the past. I personally would have a complete overhaul of the site and it's approach. I think FP could become a real webmaster community with the right incentives and targeted audience.

Do some real marketing. Spend the $150 to send a targeted email blast out to that 25,000 user base.
Set aside a real advertising budget that you could use to go towards Facebook/Twitter/Adwords campaigns.
Set aside another advertising budget to go towards direct consumer marketing.

Even if these budgets are small. It would be a start.

Or he could actually do some effort by listening to the Community and doing something good then FP could definitely be a much better place than it's current state.

Alright cool. The same old sentence everyone is saying instead of actually listing some ideas and "something good" he could do.

Listen. I feel like a lot of people are putting Cameron and FP down just to do so. He bought the site in this state. There is nothing that was wrong with FP before the purchase then there is now.
Perhaps that is the problem. Nothing has changed since.

However, I truly believe he wants FP to succeed, and he does want to make changes. Otherwise why would he have bought it? I have my own criticisms about FP. Right now the majority of the userbase seems against FP rather than for it. Seems a little discouraging.

 

[Deleted member 44219]

How many of these threads are there going to be? These threads have been popping up since 2012. And look, FP is still here.
"But Jordan, the activity to FP now vs then is a big difference. FP is dying!"
Yes, indeed. However, so is almost every big forum out there.
Digital Point. Now at 17.5 million posts, but nothing like they where back in 2012 activity wise
The Admin Zone. Some small activity here and there like FP, but nothing like they where in 2012.
I could list about 25 forums that regardless of how active they are now, is nothing compared to what it was back in 2012.
Honestly the only forums that gained momentum in any way are ones that pay you to do so.

It's honestly starting to get annoying that these posts keep popping up. Everyone has their views and opinions and think they can do so much better.

Listen, I'm far from defending FP, and I don't mean to be that user that does. As I'm one of the bigger criticizers.

Cameron should use 2019 as an Advantage to help get FP back up on it's knees

Replace "Cameron" with "Previous Owner Name Here" and "2019" with "Previous Date" And the same sentence has been said since year after year through out of the last 5 owners. Nothing is new.

And a Delete Option should've been here from the Start. If it was added to just have everyone shut-up then that's just asking for Criticism and more Debates and Arguments.

This kind of view is whats wrong with some of this userbase. You guys complain that they don't listen to their users time and time again, but when they do, you say it's just to shut them up.

All I see in the community matters section are users complaining (The same users too) in the disguise that they want to make the site better, but from my point of view, they are complaining to complain and to dis current administration instead of actually giving constructive criticism.

FP looks like it doesn't have a lot of Work going into it.

Just because you don't see it doesn't mean it's not happening.

We get a Mobile App and nobody asked for it.

Nobody asked for a lot of features that we now have. Just because you are not going to use the app don't mean someone else won't. If the app can keep at least a couple extra people active, then it's worth it. A couple extra people being active is a start to help growing the site once more.

FYI, Users did ask for an app. There has been SEVERAL topics in the community matter section either asking, or suggesting FP get a native mobile app. Do a search 🙂

The Mobile App is pointless. It doesn't have any Ratings, barely any Downloads and nobody asked for it.

From my understanding, it's still in the "Awaiting implementation" phase. So there won't be a lot of downloads.

We don't even have a Development-Team to deal with Development

What development would you like to see made?
You do understand that this is a forum software and not custom coded right?

Another thing is that March was a goddamn disaster. We had about 2 Database Failures in such a short-span of time.

Shit happens to the best of sites. It got fixed didn't it? You guys are acting like Cameron wants that kind of stuff to happen. Like he wants the site to fail.

And that was mainly due to FP's Webhost. Cameron also chose Shared Hosting(Which I'm pretty sure is cheap) for such a big Site as FP. And it definitely took him a while to switch to a better Plan.

Listen, contrary to popular belief, due to the low volume of traffic and activity FP has, it does not take much to host FP. However, I agree it should have been on a VPS from the start regardless. Now after people started having problems, Cameron did switch off shared on to a VPS did he not? Yet instead of saying he did the right thing, you still complain about it.

FP also doesn't have a very active Userbase despite having 25,000+ Users. ... Something has to be done about that or there's just not a big Userbase for Web-Development and Marketing.

I think FP needs a new model, and some heavy marketing.
"Forum Promotion" just isn't a viable business model anymore as forums are the thing of the past. I personally would have a complete overhaul of the site and it's approach. I think FP could become a real webmaster community with the right incentives and targeted audience.

Do some real marketing. Spend the $150 to send a targeted email blast out to that 25,000 user base.
Set aside a real advertising budget that you could use to go towards Facebook/Twitter/Adwords campaigns.
Set aside another advertising budget to go towards direct consumer marketing.

Even if these budgets are small. It would be a start.

Or he could actually do some effort by listening to the Community and doing something good then FP could definitely be a much better place than it's current state.

Alright cool. The same old sentence everyone is saying instead of actually listing some ideas and "something good" he could do.

Listen. I feel like a lot of people are putting Cameron and FP down just to do so. He bought the site in this state. There is nothing that was wrong with FP before the purchase then there is now.
Perhaps that is the problem. Nothing has changed since.

However, I truly believe he wants FP to succeed, and he does want to make changes. Otherwise why would he have bought it? I have my own criticisms about FP. Right now the majority of the userbase seems against FP rather than for it. Seems a little discouraging.

Well...There's not much I can say to oppose against you.

I never knew that Threads like these have been popping up since 2012. I was never here during that time to begin with. And I know that every Forum is dieing. That is, unless the Forum is dedicated to a big Community or Fandom(E.g. Furries). Social Media is what's killing Forums. And if what you mean by 'Think they can do so much better', that's not me. I'm just trying to point out some things. I'm not the Person who tries to make his Views better than somebody else.

And my God, how many Owners has FP had since 2007! I thought there was only 2 Owners, not 5.

And there's a reason as to why a lot of us Users say 'They don't listen to us'. It's because it doesn't look like it. And to be honest, we can't blame anybody for this one. Again, it doesn't look like they're listening to us. Even if they are, it still doesn't look like it.

And how are we meant to know if FP is working hard behind the scenes. I know that even if we don't see it, it's still happening. What I'm trying to say is that it doesn't look like they're working. Besides, how are we to know. We don't work on the Staff Team.

How was I meant to know that the People of FP wanted a Mobile App. Too me, a Mobile App seemed unnecessary. And even if the App does keep a few extra Users Active, it still wouldn't be enough Users to show that FP still has a good amount of Activity. And I'm pretty sure I missed that 'Awaiting Implementation' part so you got me on that one. But why would it be on the App Store anyway if it's 'Awaiting Implementation'? Is it just for testing at the moment?

I also know that FP isn't fully coded and that it runs on XenForo. As if that wasn't obvious enough by the Copyright Text and the Discussions regarding the XenForo 2.1 Upgrade. A Development-Team would be good as they could be implementing new Features and the other Staff can be left to do their Jobs(I'm not sure if all of the Staff Members do Development or if it's just a select few so call me out on that one if I'm wrong).

The Database Failures, I know wasn't Camerons Fault. It was the Host and the Hosting Plan that he went with. If he's going to pick a Cheap Plan for FP then that's just saying 'I'm a Cheap Guy and I don't like spending too much money'. I am glad that the Situation has been dealt with now.

I have to agree that Forums are the thing of the Past. Another thing is that FP's Name(ForumPromotion in this case), makes it sound like it's only for Promoting Forums and not just Websites in General.

And listen. Just because a majority of the Users say that he should do something good is just because:

1. As I stated earlier, it doesn't look like there is much going on behind FP when there really is
2. Some people are just pure mean towards Cameron
3. Some people just want other people to believe that Cameron is not doing something good is true and thus' that creates a full on debate and war

Now I haven't been with FP for a very long time and I've joined in the 'Cameron Era'. Maybe some People just felt like FP didn't need a new Owner, maybe some People just feel like Cameron isn't doing enough to benefit the Site. There is a multitude of Reasons for why People are trying to knock Cameron off his Throne but of course, these Users are most likely not going to provide any valid Reasons.

I do appreciate some of Cameron's Work such as Upgrading the Software to a newer Version and constantly keeping us Updated on things. There are still a lot of Flaws and Issues with FP though that need to be addressed and this year would be the best time to do it. And I do agree that Cameron wants FP to be a great place. I just think that a majority of the Users are to busy pointing out Issues and trying to knock him down off his Throne.

But hey. We can pray that FP does Improve itself during this Year. Especially with the Software Upgrade that a lot of us are hyped about.

 

[Jason76]

I think ads are not a viable model really, too many ad-blockers. A better idea is driving up a lot of traffic to the site, and then making a classifieds section (paid one).

 

[Deleted member 44219]

I think ads are not a viable model really, too many ad-blockers. A better idea is driving up a lot of traffic to the site, and then making a classifieds section (paid one).

Classifieds could be another way to earn them money. I do use an Ad-Blocker and I honestly don’t care about the Notification they leave for people using Ad-Blockers.

 

[Jason76]

I think ads are not a viable model really, too many ad-blockers. A better idea is driving up a lot of traffic to the site, and then making a classifieds section (paid one).

Classifieds could be another way to earn them money. I do use an Ad-Blocker and I honestly don’t care about the Notification they leave for people using Ad-Blockers.

Setting up ads can be fun for admins - but they simply don't work these days. Well, they might for Google (AdWords) etc. but I don't know how they get around ad-blockers.

 

[Jerlene]

Yes, you can delete your replies. Members asked for it and we provided a compromise. You won't get everything you asked for simply because you asked for it. That's not how this works. We need to compromise, and by "we" I mean both staff and members. It's a two-way street. The sooner that is understood, the sooner this will be smooth sailing.
No, no one asked for a mobile app, but it was made because the owner of the site thought it would be beneficial to the community. As the owner, he is free to make decisions like that. Again, the sooner that is understood, the sooner this will be smooth sailing. I personally don't use the app, I'm more of a computer girl, but I like it. I like getting push notifications and the simplicity of posting. Although I don't like not receiving FP$ for my posts. lol I'm sure I'm not alone in that.
How would having a development team benefit FP? I recall people asking for less staff. How did we get to the point where we're asking for more? A development TEAM is not necessary. We do, however, have a "technical" person on our team. Also, how do you know that "Nothing Productive is going on behind the Scenes other than the XenForo 2.1 Upgrade and the new Style"? Do we need to review your permissions because you have access to our staff forums? Or are you just making assumptions? We brainstorm quite a bit. Not everything will come to fruition, at least not right away, but we are always brainstorming. But new things everyday, every week, maybe even every month, is just not realistic.
There were a couple of DB failures, and I agree that one took longer than it should have. I also agree that FP shouldn't have been on shared hosting, but that has more to do with having more flexibility than the size of the database, which this particular shared hosting provider could actually handle.
Yes, FP has more inactive members than active ones, but we can't force members to be active. We do promote externally but again, we can't force people into anything. Before someone cries "ad blockers", we promote using threads, blog posts, etc. Each of the staff members have been trying to promote when and where we can. It may not seem like it, but many of the new members we've been receiving is a result of our efforts.
What I want to know is, why are you reiterating points that have already been addressed? What are you hoping will be the result of this thread? What exactly are you looking for? With all of your points addressed in the past, I'm curious. How did we fall short of your expectations? I genuinely am curious. Help us help you?

 

[Joshua Farrell]

One of the things I keep hearing from complaint posts like this, is a "lack of community". And believe me, I have been hearing this line for far longer than it should be being posted. Well, as it so happens, staff cannot be the only ones that participate in a community, a community literally involves all registered users, and if the registered users fail to reply, then the community will obviously be lacking in both activity and lack of ideas to help better the place.

Want the community to be active? part of the fix is to be active and post. Want good ideas to help the place? Actually post ideas on how to better the place. Have suggestions to make for the current services offered? Post those suggestions on how those services can be done better.

Do you want to help? Don't complain and help. 🙂 Anything that is done to help the community, will help the site as a whole. And honestly, the last couple of owners didn't do much to help anyways, as those owners just wanted the money from a site that well, needed to have a more hands on approach, than to just "generate income".

Cameron wants the place to succeed, and every time a thread like this pops up, there is nothing posted in these threads that will help the place succeed.

So, want to help out? Help then, you don't need to be staff to help the forum succeed.

 

[edenwax]

Shit happens to the best of sites. It got fixed didn't it? You guys are acting like Cameron wants that kind of stuff to happen. Like he wants the site to fail.

To add to this (not in response to anyone specific) but Reddit, which is by far the largest "forum" of them all(and arguably the biggest forum killer too), used to go down every. single. day. It still has trouble with up time and it's currently one of the largest websites on the web and growing.

I get that the downtime was annoying but a little downtime isn't the end of FP peeps. And yes two down times in a month is still nothing compared to the old days. Maybe I'm just getting old but downtime used to be the norm.

 

[two50v]

It's mainly because of the fact majority of people have grown up and moved elsewhere, most forum goers post-2012 (the Internet became incredibly and rapidly commercial since around early 2013) are either one-timers who post a few times and never come back or old members who have been around for since the beginning of the creation...

The truth is, most forums are dying due to the constant commercialisation of the Internet and the fact the modern generation of teenagers are turning into convenience whores. In all honesty I actually am supportive of how article 13 went just because non-profit and not so primarily-commercial sites aren't covered by it, so it may actually be able to used for its advantage with forums and such