Forum is extremely unsuccessful due to rival site

[thesignalman]

You are proving my point.

That I started a forum for the wrong reasons? To an extent yes. But you have to remember that I also thought the one I got kicked off from needed more to it, which is another reason why I started my own.

 

[beerForo]

No, that you can't...

 

[PatriotGB]

Nobody seems to appreciate the work that goes into my forum. Despite me committing hours of my time to it.

Hours? That's nothin'! LOL! If I added up the hours, I've got WEEKS into building mine. I'm talking hundreds of hours.

Here are some additional thoughts...​

When I built my forum I wasn't sure I could compete with the "big player" admins and mods from the old forum. I had actually joined their new forum. When I did, I commented "I'm glad to find a new gathering place for the old crew from the (now defunct forum)! I was thinking about building a new forum. I guess I'm off the hook now!"

Guess what they said back to me? "Go build one anyway. The more the merrier!"

Now... I can't be 100% sure it was sincere... or if it was a brush-off (since I had quarreled a bit with one of them). LOL! So, I basically said, "Hold my beer...." And now my new forum is really taking off! LOL!

My initial attitude going into the project was, "Well... here goes nothin'! If it flies, it flies. If not, I'll give it a year."

I POURED myself into the project. When I decided to do something, my nature is to do it REALLY WELL. I dive in deep. That is something in me that I do for me. The project represents ME and my efforts. If nobody else likes it, at least I'll be proud of it. We used to say in the Navy, "Run it up the flagpole and see if anyone salutes!"

The reward IS the effort. It's knowing I did my best. That's it! If someone else appreciates it, fantastic! If not... I'll admire my own work for a while and then move on to the next obsession!

It's still early for my forum. So far, so good. But things can change, eh? I'm having fun with it, so there's that!

 

[JRobert]

 

[Max Taxable]

That I started a forum for the wrong reasons? To an extent yes. But you have to remember that I also thought the one I got kicked off from needed more to it, which is another reason why I started my own.

Some really good and experienced folks have been volunteering sound advice about what to do NOW. Nobody's focused on your reasoning for starting your site. Nobody cares about your history with the other site. You're the only one who gives a rat's ass about that.

Move forward. Let the past go.

 

[PatriotGB]

^^^ Agreed. Let's see what you've got!

And, I'm going to reiterate the advice to make the forum OPEN to the public. Especially a new forum that you want to GROW.

 

[Max Taxable]

And until you get your style issues settled there is no reason to allow your customized styling to be visible to the public. Keep the xF default style as your public "face" until your custom look is ready. That green color is offensive to the eyes and off putting.

Earlier you said "nobody seems to care about all my hard work" and you nailed it, they don't. I'm talking about visitors and members. They care about engaging content and a style that doesn't offend the eyes. They care about readability. They care about FUNCTION not form.

My last word to you is, the site isn't about YOU. It's about your targeted consumer. It's about your audience. Focus on them and their wants and needs. Blogs are about the owner, forums are about the users. The community.

 

[DarkGizmo]

No offense, I read your OP and it reads like a high schooler crying that there's a more popular kid in school. You need to offer something more than your rival, OR just give up on the past and walk your own path, what you're trying to do is be a copycat that thinks they'll "1-UP" their 'rival'.

Be your own site, do your own thing, come up with your own ideas. The most important thing for ANY forum is the content you can provide on it that is worth signing up for. Which is pretty much what everyone else has been telling you.

 

[thesignalman]

^^^ Agreed. Let's see what you've got!

And, I'm going to reiterate the advice to make the forum OPEN to the public. Especially a new forum that you want to GROW.

Some people will take issue to me making the forum open to the public as a lot of the other online signal groups are private due to the exchange of personal information involved in this hobby, such as meet ups or where people live.

No offense, I read your OP and it reads like a high schooler crying that there's a more popular kid in school. You need to offer something more than your rival, OR just give up on the past and walk your own path, what you're trying to do is be a copycat that thinks they'll "1-UP" their 'rival'.

Be your own site, do your own thing, come up with your own ideas. The most important thing for ANY forum is the content you can provide on it that is worth signing up for. Which is pretty much what everyone else has been telling you.

Okay, yes. Like I've mentioned before my forum has more sub categories than my rival site does. Eventually I will add a feature that includes maps on it too. My site also has a live chat and a media gallery unlike the rival site.

 

[thesignalman]

Earlier you said "nobody seems to care about all my hard work" and you nailed it, they don't. I'm talking about visitors and members. They care about engaging content and a style that doesn't offend the eyes. They care about readability. They care about FUNCTION not form.

My last word to you is, the site isn't about YOU. It's about your targeted consumer. It's about your audience. Focus on them and their wants and needs. Blogs are about the owner, forums are about the users. The community.

I tried to make the colors traffic light and highway themed like Aaroads (not my rival site but another forum I frequent:

AARoads Forum - Index

AARoads Forum - Index

www.aaroads.com

What colors do you suggest I give my site?

 

[PatriotGB]

Some people will take issue to me making the forum open to the public as a lot of the other online signal groups are private due to the exchange of personal information involved in this hobby, such as meet ups or where people live.

So have a sub-forum for such exchanges (meet-ups and location) that are private. Of course, the sense of "security" is false, since anyone can register and then have access to that info... Unless you are doing a thorough vetting of every applicant (doubt it).

But, make the REST of the forum open.

It is my strongly-held opinion that making the entire forum private, requiring registration is a HUGE mistake for a new forum. I'm tellin' ya... people who don't know the forum are not nearly as likely to join if they can't see what it's about and what the "vibe" is. They will move onto another forum where they CAN browse around a bit as a guest, first.

 

[PatriotGB]

I tried to make the colors traffic light and highway themed

I would do that with a logo or other small features / accents. But, the main screen colors??? No way.

 

[thesignalman]

you are doing a thorough vetting of every applicant (doubt it)

Registration questions are a thorough vetting.

 

[thesignalman]

I would do that with a log or other small features / accents. But, the main screen colors??? No way.

What small logs and features exactly?

 

[thesignalman]

My forum isn't new, it launched during the first year of covid. The rival has been around since 2013.

 

[thesignalman]

That green color is offensive to the eyes and off putting.

And the April 2022 theme to Xenforro isn't?

 

[Max Taxable]

And the April 2022 theme to Xenforro isn't?

Was that intentional, an April Fool's joke?

Are you always obtuse?

 

[thesignalman]

Was that intentional, an April Fool's joke?

Are you always obtuse?

No it's not an intentional joke, what makes this site's green in the April 2022 look less offensive than the green on my forum.

 

[thesignalman]

make the REST of the forum open.

I've asked members, they don't want it open to the public. They want it to stay private.

 

[Max Taxable]

No it's not an intentional joke, what makes this site's green in the April 2022 look less offensive than the green on my forum.

Good grief. Xenforo's AF style was intentional, as a joke. Not as a permanent styling look.

It's clear you're just wasting our time, those who've tried to help you.