Forum Merging

[Jazzy]

With so many General Discussion forums I was wondering something. Have any of you forum owners ever considered merging your forum with another forum? I would think a great benefit would be to build up a larger forum and merge the member base.



Ever do this? If so, how did it work out?



Would you if you could?



Good idea or bad idea? ( please state the reason for your response )

 

[JetWing34]

I did when I was a forum moderator at another forum. It's quite necessary to do so.

 

[Jazzy]

I did when I was a forum moderator at another forum. It's quite necessary to do so.

I'm talking about merging two General Discussion forums into one larger forum. Is this what you're talking about too?

 

[Locke]

I think it can be quite productive as long as both/all sites involved have a similar atmosphere and rules so there is very little culture shock.



If you dump the members from one site into the already developed community of another, it can be quite a culture shock and they may feel betrayed to have their home ripped out from under them. Also, members of the host site will have to deal with an influx of strangers all at once.



In addition to member issues, you'd have to deal with moderation and administration compatibility. Who stays? Who goes? Sometimes, it might be worth keeping everybody from both sites in their current (or equivalent) role, but sometimes it's not. What about policy decisions? When there's a disagreement between the two site owners over rules and how things are handled, how is that decided?



These are all things that have to be resolved before a successful board merger can take place.

 

[hotspot]

I merged all three of my forums together to make one forum; it went very well and it's been much more successful than all three of them.

 

[Sinon]

I don't really think it's a good idea. For one, how will staffing be worked out? Will all staff from both sites stay staff? What about differences in rules, if any exist? I'm on a few boards which allow discussions on sexuality, and I'm on many that do not. If one from each merged, which one's rules would take precedence?

Too many variables.

 

[FTON]

It's a bad idea, it can lead activity to the bottom of the hell, Users will be mixed up with multiple topics, accounts, and it can also cause Maintanance issues.

 

[Nebulous's iconNebulous]

The only way I would merge with another forum is if I bought that forum or that forum was given to me. Also I would have to have a reasonable assurance that the majority of the community / member-base of that forum is willing to be merged. Otherwise what's the point?

 

[.Xstinct]

I've tried it once but it didn't work out,after the merge all of the sudden the old staff from the other board came with all kinds of demands....