New Owners

[Randy]

How do you feel when a forum is taken over by new owners?

Do you think communities suffer because of ownership changes? Do they get better?

What have you seen happen to a forum after a new owner takes over?

 

[PGen98]

How do you feel when a forum is taken over by new owners?

It usually leads to the forum declining, sadly. New owners, unless they come from within the community itself, rarely understand what they've taken on and it drives the members away.

Do you think communities suffer because of ownership changes? Do they get better?

Typically suffer, but sometimes they get better.

What have you seen happen to a forum after a new owner takes over?

Usually a steady decline into obsolescence

 

[Nebulous]

Promotion forums and Admin forums can usually do well with new owners but close-knit general discussion type communities usually don't survive an owner change. I can think of one forum off the top of my head that had decent activity and then it was sold and rapidly declined into a ghost town.

 

[Gizmo]

I once sold a forum. I told them I would sell it to them if they continued the forum but then they only wanted the database for it's posts/members....

 

[PGen98]

I once sold a forum. I told them I would sell it to them if they continued the forum but then they only wanted the database for it's posts/members....

Another all too common theme, sadly. Buy up as many forums as they can, merge them into their existing forum and make it seem that their forum is somehow more successful and active than it truly is. It's a terrible tactic to use.

 

[Kale]

How do you feel when a forum is taken over by new owners?

Do you think communities suffer because of ownership changes? Do they get better?

What have you seen happen to a forum after a new owner takes over?

New owners are the worst thing to happen to a forum. I'd prefer if the OG owner does step down they give it to an established user or staff member instead. Yeah, they can suffer due to the ownership changing. I've seen forums decline in activity with new owners or an owner before.

 

[Nebulous]

I once sold a forum. I told them I would sell it to them if they continued the forum but then they only wanted the database for it's posts/members....

Nothing wrong with merging a forum, but they should have been upfront with you beforehand so you can make an informed decision before deciding whether or not to sell. Even though you are parting ways with your forum, its still your baby and you want the best for it.

 

[Kale]

Nothing wrong with merging a forum, but they should have been upfront with you beforehand so you can make an informed decision before deciding whether or not to sell. Even though you are parting ways with your forum, its still your baby and you want the best for it.

A lot of forums used to do this back in the day. They'd just merge and basically that was it.

 

[nomad]

I have been on a lot of forums and I have seen the change of ownership on these forums. I had to leave some of these forums because I did not agree with the policy change.

 

[Nebulous]

I have been on a lot of forums and I have seen the change of ownership on these forums. I had to leave some of these forums because I did not agree with the policy change.

What types of policy changes have you seen?

 

[Cedric]

New owners taking over an existing community barely goes well unless they were already part of that community.

 

[Nebulous]

New owners taking over an existing community barely goes well unless they were already part of that community.

Indeed. I can think of one that used to be poppin' now its as dead as a doornail.

 

[Crys]

How do you feel when a forum is taken over by new owners?

Do you think communities suffer because of ownership changes? Do they get better?

What have you seen happen to a forum after a new owner takes over?

I like to give them a chance and see what they do.

Yes, some, others do well.

One site I ended up leaving because the new owners seemed to tolerate drama with members or members that continuously created drama. The atmosphere was just terrible.