Site Management Where do you see YOUR forum in 5 years ?

[Cedric]

Most forum owners don't have a plan for 5 years when they open their forum, which is a shame, as you should have a plan for 5 years. We often jump onto something not even knowing it will last a year. Too much owners don't think as a community leader and see where the boat takes them.

If you'd take away those people with no year plan, let alone 5, we'd probably see only like 10% of the forums that are built now.

There's some stuff to consider. Can I bring the commitment and dedication for at least a year without suffering a burnout or losing interest ? Can I bring something different than my competition or am I just a copycat? Is there a reason my audience will choose me above their competition? Do I have a back up plan when everything seems to fail?

All in all serious questions but not to be taken too lightly. Think in advance, not when the ship sails.

In a world where online communities are constantly evolving, it's worth exploring the role of foresight and planning in forum success. Share your insights, experiences, and ideas on how having a 5-year plan (or not) impacts the forum landscape. Let's discuss how these considerations can shape the future of online communities.

 

[Paul]

Most of my members are in their 20s and 30s and have done away with social media so we'll still be kicking along. I may have handed it over to Emily though.

 

[Bluezone777]

I never had a plan for five years down the road and I also never had a forum last that long as things just happened that made that not be a possibility. I always went into owning a forum that if I am to go ahead with it that I be in it for the long haul as I did not give myself the permission to just walk away at the first trouble that came along. I always took my staff positions and board ownership seriously because the community that comes to your board deserves no less then your best.

 

[Cedric]

Most of my members are in their 20s and 30s and have done away with social media so we'll still be kicking along. I may have handed it over to Emily though.

Who is Emily to you and your forum? It’s cool that you’d give over the leadership of your forum, would you officially retire and stay as a member?

 

[~ True Legend ~]

Who is Emily to you and your forum? It’s cool that you’d give over the leadership of your forum, would you officially retire and stay as a member?

Emily owned SomethingForEveryone and Paul owned Funjoint. Both sites merged a short while ago.

 

[Jane]

You mentioned copycat…this is why I try very hard to think of different subjects to get people talking.I have resurrected Fright Night..Not letting it go. Added a Christmas section..and a few others. I am constantly trying to think of things to add whether that be codes or cool themes..

Yes I have the bog standard general chat forum like most forums I post on..but as above,,I do like to think of things others dont have.

 

[Cedric]

You mentioned copycat…this is why I try very hard to think of different subjects to get people talking.I have resurrected Fright Night..Not letting it go. Added a Christmas section..and a few others. I am constantly trying to think of things to add whether that be codes or cool themes..

Yes I have the bog standard general chat forum like most forums I post on..but as above,,I do like to think of things others dont have.

That's great really, but please do realize that a code or theme does not make your forum last 5 years. You need to focus on nothing more but content and the building of a community.

 

[Darth Cognus]

If a place lasts 3 weeks to a month on more than the founder's starter fluid it's already got some spunk. I'm not an owner (in fact I avoid being the top dog as a rule) and I don't have a success story to mention here so take me for a grain of salt. But from what I've seen it comes down to another problem that goes far beyond internet forums, and that's succession.

You won't last forever. You might fuel it for a month, a year, a decade or two or more (congratulations and this might be past you as it's probably had a good run), but who's going to keep the vision alive after you? In anything I undertake I want a bouncing board at the very least. If I want it to survive then whatever else I'm doing to make it work, I'll always have an eye towards how it's going to survive beyond me and account for what's going to happen if the answer is 'it won't'. If you're not worried about burning out and you're happy to prop up the thing for as long as it takes (and you're not just doing it for you), then do it for bus factor.

Just a nugget to add to your 5 year plan.

 

[Cory]

I think as long as Jcink remains open, I will continue to run my forum due to the fact that I love the type of coding I do on the software and coding in general and forums are one of my primary hobbies. I love helping the less fortunate build a greater foundation for their community and rely on me to often help them with coding issues they may run into. It's a good feeling to know you're helping people for the greater good.

 

[MrDawn]

Most forum owners don't have a plan for 5 years when they open their forum,

A lot of forums that people are starting up are going to be gone, and that doesn't need 5 years to happen. Some places could be closing down in 3 months because the forum owner got bored or it was already doing badly to begin with.

 

[Ravenfreak]

Honestly I don't usually have a 5 year plan. I'm a person who doesn't think much about the future with anything really, I live in the present. I go with the flow, but I have a really good feeling that Thee Zone as well as Gex Forums will be here still in 5 years. In that time, a new Gex game could be announced. Even if, there's going to be people introduced to the series by means of the Trilogy coming out sometime next year. That can bring in new activity. I've even thought about looking into modding the Gex games and seeing if anyone else is interested in that subject and I can integrate it into the community.

 

[Dismal_Bliss]

My 5 year plan is to still be actively involved with the community in 5 years, lol.

My one community is 17 years old, founded in 2006. We limped along and almost pulled the plug in 2008. Then we changed direction and today it is bustling.

So the lesson I have for my 2nd community is to hang in there and keep watering it. There are only 2 other forums in my niche. One never got off the ground, and the other died and even the owner has abandoned it and he doesn't even know his SSL certificate expired.

 

[~ True Legend ~]

Honestly I don't usually have a 5 year plan. I'm a person who doesn't think much about the future with anything really, I live in the present. I go with the flow, but I have a really good feeling that Thee Zone as well as Gex Forums will be here still in 5 years. In that time, a new Gex game could be announced. Even if, there's going to be people introduced to the series by means of the Trilogy coming out sometime next year. That can bring in new activity. I've even thought about looking into modding the Gex games and seeing if anyone else is interested in that subject and I can integrate it into the community.

We are a perfect match as community partners @Ravenfreak <3 Living in the present in a blessing to your mental health… not to concern yourself with the past and worry about the future

 

[Jane]

That's great really, but please do realize that a code or theme does not make your forum last 5 years. You need to focus on nothing more but content and the building of a community.

Yes I realise that..which is why I keep plodding along.

 

[Paul]

Who is Emily to you and your forum? It’s cool that you’d give over the leadership of your forum, would you officially retire and stay as a member?

Emily joined Funjoint about 5 years ago. A couple of years ago she created a forum as mentioned earlier called 'somethingforeveryone' and they merged with FJ in June this year. Only reason they wanted to merge was because Emily and her co-admin Maddy (best friends offline) got pregnant and basically they no longer had the time to keep the forum going. They got close to 3 years out of it. So she put the merger idea to me. Also most of her members were on FJ anyway, only about 10 weren't and all but one made the move with her/them. I may be jumping the gun with 5 years, maybe I have 10 more in me. Emily also gets so many members to FJ. She is back online a lot more now but happy to stick with the merger rather than re-open her forum which got over 100,000 posts in nearly 3 years. Not sure if I ever mentioned the merger on here or not. She's young and knows what she's doing. I'd most likely remain a member and just tell her to do whatever she wants

 

[~ True Legend ~]

Emily joined Funjoint about 5 years ago. A couple of years ago she created a forum as mentioned earlier called 'somethingforeveryone' and they merged with FJ in June this year. Only reason they wanted to merge was because Emily and her co-admin Maddy (best friends offline) got pregnant and basically they no longer had the time to keep the forum going. They got close to 3 years out of it. So she put the merger idea to me. Also most of her members were on FJ anyway, only about 10 weren't and all but one made the move with her/them. I may be jumping the gun with 5 years, maybe I have 10 more in me. Emily also gets so many members to FJ. She is back online a lot more now but happy to stick with the merger rather than re-open her forum which got over 100,000 posts in nearly 3 years. Not sure if I ever mentioned the merger on here or not. She's young and knows what she's doing. I'd most likely remain a member and just tell her to do whatever she wants

Thanks for the explanation 😊

 

[Jason]

I've been a website hopper ever since getting into web development seriously around 2009. However, though, this is a project I don't want to give up. Well, one reason is Drummer Lesson, the domain name, is worth a huge amount of money and another reason is it's a very passionate project for me.

OK, I do see the site being very powerful and popular in 5 years and I know how to get it there, but not sure on the exact timing.

 

[zoldos]

My longest run forum was about 7 years. I plan to not only beat that, but definitely continue into the foreseeable future. I'm 48, and I've run forums for 25 years

Still not tired of it!

 

[~ True Legend ~]

My longest run forum was about 7 years. I plan to not only beat that, but definitely continue into the foreseeable future. I'm 48, and I've run forums for 25 years

Still not tired of it!

Still running BoS invite only?

 

[DigNap15]

When I started my forum I had a political goal to achieve (that has now been achieved (thanks Elon etc)

My forum is still going well after nearly 4 years.

Most of my members are 45 years old plus

The question is, can I keep up the enthusiasm at my age (73) and my work load and other personal hobbies etc