While I understand that no one would actually want to move on from their forum, recently, we had webmasters close a forum because managing them has become mentally draining for them and I see no problem in it at all.
But if that is the case, a question arises - when do you think you should sound the death knell? Will you consider revenue, active userbase or any other criteria for deciding when to close it down?
I'll only move on if I'm not mentally doing well and need a break from the internet. Also if I'm sick and may not have enough energy to manage my websites. In these situations I would look to sell or give away the sites so they don't go offline. I've worked on too many forums in the past that I gave up on and I don't want to do this again.
When the drive isn't there anymore. I stepped away from the last site I was managing because mentally, I wasn't in a place to handle it, and I was truly just burnt out from doing everything largely by myself. It reached a point where I had to make a choice: keep going on a site that was basically on the brink of death or step back and let someone else try to breathe life into it for the sake of my mental health. I chose the latter, and I'm honestly glad I did.
Sometimes, a fresh pair of eyes may work out and be for the best, or maybe it won't be, like it was in my case, where the site was ultimately shut down. It's unfortunate, but at the end of the day, you have to look out for yourself and put yourself first.
As someone who has run forums over the past 22 - 23 years now, the only time I would say that enough is enough when it comes to a forum would be when you can tell it's dying, and you do not have the oomph to keep it going. Once you lose interest, that should be a time to move on.
I only choose to create forums within niches I'm passionate about.
If for some reason I lose interest in the passion, that's pretty much the end of the forum. If I have no more interest, then it's no longer fun. If I keep doing it and not having fun, it's going to be overbearing.
Time to stop depends.
If the forum was built for business/profit (until you have tried everything possible and it doesn't work.)
If was built for fun, until you enjoy it. (any single day/week or month can be frustrating, but not to quit that fast either)
If it was built for a personal goal, until you reach it. Then it's time to move on to the next thing in life. (life is beautiful, full of thousands of things to enjoy, and very short as well)
