Off Topix: Embrace the Unexpected in Every Discussion
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Have you ever lost interest in your forum?
- Thread starter Bawse
- Start date
Forums take a lot of dedication to succeed. Results don't happen fast unless you offer cool promotions/giveaways.
I briefly ran a forum, but eventually decided to close it down. it wasn't because I lost interest. It was simply a time when a lot was going on in my life.
That was in the past, but it's not something I'm interested in now
That was in the past, but it's not something I'm interested in now
I get it. I started other forums in the past too that I never let reach their full potential, because I changed my interest to other sites.
Oh absolutely, I've been running forums for over 25 years, I've had a fair few instances where I lost interest in them, either momentarily or permanently, and had to shut them own. It's not a failure, burnout happens and we learn from each action we take. It's ok to lose interest, but if you have the chance to step away for a bit, let someone else run it, or even hand it off completely instead of closing it, then go that route, it saves the community for those who enjoy it.
I like your optimism. I've been on forums since the late 2000's and I've seen a lot of them come and go, especially on forum promotion sites. Every now and then you get someone who knows what people like and how they like it and those owners are very successful. But yea, I wish all forum owners success.
I’ve never lost interest, but I’ve had days where I can’t come up with any new ideas nor new content because I’m having an off day. As I’m lacking the inspiration and motivation to do anything. It happens and there isn’t anything wrong with that.
We all go through it as forum owners but the willingness and drive to push forward is whats a huge difference. Rome wasn’t built in one day and a forum won’t be built in one day. It’s okay to take days off.
It’s okay to shut down a forum if you lose interest as well. There’s absolutely nothin wrong with that!
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I have. I have also experienced burnout. Breaks help, I once took a 6 year break (from 2016-2022) not only from this forum but from all forums in general. I also had some stuff going on in my personal life that forced me to step away back in 2016. I probably could have came back sooner than 2022 but I suppose I got so used to not going on forums that it never occurred to me to come back. The reason I did come back is because I stumbled upon a backup to this forum when I found a random flash drive in a box in my closet.
Nowadays I wouldn't consider closing this place, I recently just paid up all the hosting and domains for the next couple years, I wont have to worry about paying any renewal feels until mid 2026.
I am thankful for our amazing @Admins and @Moderators we have here, I can step away for a while when IRL life gets busy or if I am just in a non-forum-browsing type of mood. They are the best!
Nowadays I wouldn't consider closing this place, I recently just paid up all the hosting and domains for the next couple years, I wont have to worry about paying any renewal feels until mid 2026.
I am thankful for our amazing @Admins and @Moderators we have here, I can step away for a while when IRL life gets busy or if I am just in a non-forum-browsing type of mood. They are the best!
I’ve always felt a deep connection to my forum. It’s a space that reflects my interests and values, and I’ve invested a lot of time in nurturing it. Like many of you, I’ve had moments of doubt and periods where my motivation waned. It’s natural for our interests to ebb and flow over time. What keeps me coming back is the community and seeing regular members engage, share, and support each other gives me a sense of purpose.
I believe in taking breaks when needed and coming back with fresh ideas. It’s all about balance and remembering why the forum was created in the first place.
@Nebulous, your story is truly inspiring! It’s a testament to the idea that sometimes stepping away can reignite the spark. Your proactive approach to securing the forum’s future is commendable. Kudos to you and the team for creating a space that can withstand the ebb and flow of life’s demands. 👏
I believe in taking breaks when needed and coming back with fresh ideas. It’s all about balance and remembering why the forum was created in the first place.
@Nebulous, your story is truly inspiring! It’s a testament to the idea that sometimes stepping away can reignite the spark. Your proactive approach to securing the forum’s future is commendable. Kudos to you and the team for creating a space that can withstand the ebb and flow of life’s demands. 👏
No.. I've just been super busy.. but with that winding down, I'll be back at it and doing exchanges.. not sure if I'll be advertising though..
I've tried walking away a few times. After all, I'm one of two admins for a community-focussed forum without a real formal "owner". However, I like the site and know the other admin has a lot on her plate at times so tend to keep coming back.
I don't see a possible way I lose interest on my current forum, unless something really really big happens. I have been with this forum idea for many years, so I do have a strong
attachment, desire and purpose with what I am doing. Burn outs? yes, I get tired too, but quitting is not in my dictionary, it might change shape/form, but not quitting on my purpose.
attachment, desire and purpose with what I am doing. Burn outs? yes, I get tired too, but quitting is not in my dictionary, it might change shape/form, but not quitting on my purpose.
I'm at that point right now. In approx. 9 months, I haven't been able to recruit a single *active* female member for it. One of the mods has attracted one member but she currently is "out" also. I feel, because of the nature of the forum, there is nothing I can offer to the friends I invited. I like to stay in touch, and to me, it could have been another type of forum, but they said they wouldn't join "just a word games" place. So, I'm close to pulling the plug, tbh. It's a lot of work, most of the time there's no one there in my own time zone, my co-founder is from another time zone but basically there when I'm on (we have some overlap), and for the rest, I feel there's barely anyone there.
Perhaps it would work better if I allowed VPN, but that's opening the door for someone I'm running away from *everywhere else*, she could be joining & come back & again, and disturb my peace of mind too much.
Perhaps it would work better if I allowed VPN, but that's opening the door for someone I'm running away from *everywhere else*, she could be joining & come back & again, and disturb my peace of mind too much.
I have in the past.
I tried doing another admin forum again last year. But it seems like if you put a lot of forum admins in one spot (who use different software), they can't get along and you're having to babysit and deal with drama too much.
So, I'm going to stay away from the admin niche and just stick to the things I'm doing now.
What made me go MIA on forums this last time was that after 13 years, I quit my career and did something else instead. It was a challenge but I'm back and a lot better than I was when I had that bad career.
I tried doing another admin forum again last year. But it seems like if you put a lot of forum admins in one spot (who use different software), they can't get along and you're having to babysit and deal with drama too much.
So, I'm going to stay away from the admin niche and just stick to the things I'm doing now.
What made me go MIA on forums this last time was that after 13 years, I quit my career and did something else instead. It was a challenge but I'm back and a lot better than I was when I had that bad career.
Oh yeah, there's been a few times I've debated whether to keep going. Either when I'm frustrated with something or stuff like that. For a while I wasn't doing much of anything with either my forum or blog. But that was partly depression and part health issues that were kinda bad at the time. I usually get over those feelings pretty quick though.
I have so far not lost interest in my forum. I feel if you have a plan and something to work towards, you will always have an interest in your forum and wanting to see it succeed.
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I've ran a few forums back in the day and I wouldn't say I lost interest I would just find myself too busy to run and administrate a forum. Sometimes it was frustrating, especially when I was trying to get my forum out there and get more members/posts. It definitely does take a lot of dedication and time but it was worth it. I would get discouraged but I didn't lose interest.
