How did you end up owning/running a forum?

[CTXMedia]

I started CycleChat on phpBB as a way of killing time in between web design jobs in December 2005.

Over the next two years it gained around 70 members and not very many posts (because I wasn't really focused on it) then without much warning a popular UK cycling forum I had been using merged with some other cycling forums and a number of people who didn't like the result ended up on the doorstep of CycleChat!

I welcomed them in, put the virtual kettle on, broke out the choccy biccies and then we set about building our own forum how we wanted (the kettle is much bigger now there's 20,000 of 'em and we had to get a virtual dishwsher for all the cups!! ).

The numbers continued to rise as people told their cycling friends and we soon outgrew phpBB so moved to vBulletin 3.x series then much later to IP.Board and then in late 2011 to Xenforo.

I've been very lucky to have a dedicated team of moderators helping me over the years, but for something I've build in my spare time I'm really proud of what we've achieved and continue to take pleasure in reading some of the funny things our commnity members post and seeing new friendships formed and flourish.

So ... how did you end up owning/running a forum?

Cheers,
Shaun

 

[craigiri]

I was in on the very start of the internet and "had a dream" when I read a book called "webmaster". Since I was already in the stove and heating business, the topic was a no brainer. I wrestled at the beginning with whether I should follow the informational model...or the e-commerce one. I think I made the right choice since I really don't want to lift heavy things any longer!

 

[petertdavis]

I started my first forum because of the "Eternal September" phenomena. Back in the 90s, I participated in the Usenet groups, one in particular was rec.collecting.coins. For quite a few years it was really good, but since it was an unmoderated group there was nothing we could do to thwart the onslaught of people who didn't want to play nicely online. So, I started CoinTalk.com and invited a bunch of the guys from the Usenet group and it grew from there.

 

[0xym0r0n]

My story is dorky.

I was 11. I loved neopets.com and I loved my clan. We wanted a personal site that we could completely customize. The css options available on the neopets site were not enough for us. Not to mention schools blocked neopets site >.>

SO I went to the library checked out about 8 different books and 2 weeks later had a free hosting account with some random company i found via google. Installed a shoutbox for our discussions but I found that was absolutely useless after a while. SO i googled discussion boards and found a few.

From the clan 2 people hired me to do their personal sites. I was 12 at the time of my first job. From there I've been producing communities ever since

 

[Brent W]

I started mine in high school when I was 17 (2003) on phpBB. I had a Ford Mustang and wanted to work on it so I found a Mustang Forum and started posting. Always wanted my own website since I was a kid, so I decided to give it a try. Recently sold it to a friend of mine that owns Social Knowledge. The site is http://www.mustangevolution.com and is one of the largest Mustang Forums around.

We have been featured on AutoBlog, Jalopnik, Motor Trend and many other news sources. Our best traffic day ever was November 7, 2007 when we got a link from Yahoo's main page. The link was to their search results page and we were the number 1 result for that keyword.

 

[karll]

I was a member of a forum where I married one of the moderators Since I also knew a thing or two about Linux and databases, I was promoted to co-admin. Then the owner sold the forum to an evil corporation, which gave me the push I needed to start my own forum.

 

[Adam Howard]

Mine came out of personal need and urgency for freedom and justice. Something I felt I and others were seriously lacking. I couldn't really achieve and fulfill this in the physical world as I should have easily been able to do (as should everyone) and when turning to the digital world (The Internet), I discovered it was lacking as well. The few outlets I did find were limited or poorly managed.

So the saying I guess is true. If no one else will do something or help, you have to try to make your own way, above and beyond the standard.

And so on September 7, 2010 http://www.SociallyUncensored.eu was born.

 

[MagnusB]

I was bored, and a little bit drunk, I think....

 

[Gabby]

Ah, started a very successful NPO, needed a community. Deeply reget is as it was to much stress and cost me to much money. I keep stalling on my new NPO. LOL I hate being a forum admin on controversial site. I wouldn't mind on a fun site but not serious ones.

 

[FredC]

A moderator on a forum i frequented told me to build my own forum if i didnt like their rules.. I took that advice the following day.