Site Management Were you part of a site that totally changed its focus?

[VictorBlack]

I’ll never forget the time I was part of an anime forum about ten years ago. It was a tight-knit community—small but close. We’d been chatting about our favorite shows for months when, one day, I logged in to find everything had changed. Without any warning, the forum owner had rebranded the whole site to focus on a completely different anime. The design, the colors, even the logo was different.

At first, I was in shock. I had no idea this was coming, and it felt like I had walked into the wrong place. Sure, we were still the same group of people, but something felt... off. Some members were cool with it, but others weren’t so happy. It made me think about how much control owners should have over their communities and how changes like this affect the group.

• Should forum owners be able to make big changes without asking the community first?
• How would you feel if your favorite forum suddenly changed its focus without warning?

 

[Ravenfreak]

I personally think owners should let members know if they're going to change their site beforehand to let the community know. Whether if the members decide to stay or not, is up to them. I would be a bit disappointed if the community went in a direction I am not a fan of, and I might leave the forum.

 

[Shortie]

From what I remember of all the forums I have been on, I have never known any of them to change their focus.

I am all for people wanting to possibly change the focus, sometimes you do have to if the current focus is not working out for you. When it comes to having an already established community though and then changing the focus, that is never a good idea and will only lead to you losing members of your community, especially if you never consulted with your community first before making the decision.