Thinking of closing my forum

[Peggy]

Well geeze, reading this thread one has to wonder if it about Kaisers' forum or about Carlos.

As the saying goes, Kaiser, where there's smoke there's fire. Yes you're being criticized. So suck it up, and learn from it.
Is the criticism meant to be constructive? No? Then make it constructive. Look at what's being said, look at your forum, with an honest open eye, and see if there's a reason for the criticism.

Then do something about it. Correct the mistakes.

I have to tell you, when you issued the invitation on John's site to join, I went and took a look.
I have never seen so many closed threads on this small of a site. Thats why I didn't join.

 

[Alpha1]

Kaiser, your site looks nice!

If you really want to quit, then consider to sell it to your competitors. Otherwise, try to learn from this and make your site even better.

 

[Carlos]

If you really want to quit, then consider to sell it to your competitors.

Actually, don't do this. Sell it to someone that has experience and knows a lot about the subject. Otherwise, you can expect an aftermath where members lose touch on that site. I'd advise against it.

And if you do decide to sell, please, do not hesitate to ask me.

 

[Jamie]

I for one don't know much about your site, but I wouldn't quit because of ANYONE of the web..

They are all men and women living and breathing just like us all.. we all make mistakes (even them) the thing for each of us to do is learn from it, grow with it and keep on keeping on...

Don't close your site because of anyone.. close it or keep it ONLY because it's what you think YOU want to do...

Jamie

 

[Mikey]

Up to you how you run it, I personally don't mind, a forum admin is a forum admin, it's your site, run it how YOU wanna run it. I did recently pull a staff member up on closing support threads though, it comes across as bad, as someone else mentions, a slap in the face of your members..

 

[Dodgeboard]

Kaiser, this is like the third meltdown I've seen from you. Here and on other boards. I realize you're only 16 or 17 but you really need to get some thicker skin or get out of the admin business. Quit getting all butt-hurt over what other people say. Let it go. Think twice about posting your dirty laundry on public message boards. It just makes you look immature. I know you have some serious skills. You just need to get some thicker skin.

 

[estranged]

As already stated by others, learn from your mistakes.

I checked your site and noticed you have closed a thread when a few people started posting negative comments about the new style. You should never do this. If I were a poster there, I would be pissed off and never visit your site again. But seeing you are only 16, I would probably do similar mistakes if I were at your age. Stop thinking about closing your forum, these are the things that will teach you how to act more mature in these situations.

 

[Kaiser]

Kaiser, this is like the third meltdown I've seen from you. Here and on other boards. I realize you're only 16 or 17 but you really need to get some thicker skin or get out of the admin business. Quit getting all butt-hurt over what other people say. Let it go. Think twice about posting your dirty laundry on public message boards. It just makes you look immature. I know you have some serious skills. You just need to get some thicker skin.

The comments they posted weren't like "Oh hes a bad admin" it was much more serious they were making fun of my forum and me every single way possible and giving me a bad rep, and age wise they should have been way mature, as age is not a factor here. it was about 4 or 5 people and its very hard not to avoid.. And I did avoid it, I didnt start an argument with them which I could, I let it go.. and I felt bad so I felt like sharing the situation.

 

[Dan]

Hey man, here is the bottom line. Is your site still active? Is the content where you want it to be? If the answers to those questions are yes, then you are golden. You can't please everyone. It is a unicorn. Pleasing everyone doesn't exist. As long as your site is headed in the direction you want it to, whats the problem?

Now, as everyone else has stated, what doesn't kill your site today only makes it stronger. Good luck and never stop learning.

 

[Carlos]

Most likely, these are just kids. You can still reel from this controversy.

I think they're just jealous. Not too many forums can get to 15k posts in just a few weeks or months. Nobody can do that, and you're what? 16 or 17?

 

[Sadik B]

Hi Kaiser

Firstly, relax, take a deep breath and stay offline for a few hours or a couple of days.

Secondly, this may be the single best thing that has happened to your forum! haha. Ok now you may ask why. Go to your Analytics and compare the traffic you had before this whole controversy thing started and after. See a spike? See new folks around? Now wouldn't you have loved that if it wasn't for the "I feel so bad" thing.

Thirdly, if you own a forum, you are owning a place for people to meet. The larger your forum gets, the more crowd you have to manage. And in a crowd you will always have all sorts of people. So always be prepared to take criticism, hurt etc. Be as much fair as you can be, seek advice from long term members but remember it's all part of the job.

And finally, you have a great forum which has a lot of potential. If you continue on it as you are for a couple of years you can give some of the big guys serious competition. So don't even think about closing or selling it.

And another point, why the hell did you get that peachy skin? Your old skin (the one when you were runing XF beta) was really good. At least keep that as an option. I would go as far as say that you will have better success for your forum with that skin than this one.

Edit: I played a little more with your forum and the new skin kinda grows on you. So it's not as bad as I thought.

Cheers mate... don't let others pull you down.

And Carlos, you are really silly!

 

[Kaiser]

Hey man, here is the bottom line. Is your site still active? Is the content where you want it to be? If the answers to those questions are yes, then you are golden. You can't please everyone. It is a unicorn. Pleasing everyone doesn't exist. As long as your site is headed in the direction you want it to, whats the problem?

Now, as everyone else has stated, what doesn't kill your site today only makes it stronger. Good luck and never stop learning.

Thanks, im happy to have you as a great member there

Most likely, these are just kids. You can still reel from this controversy.

I think they're just jealous. Not too many forums can get to 15k posts in just a few weeks or months. Nobody can do that, and you're what? 16 or 17?

Well age is not really the factor, just how you do certain things & thanks

 

[estranged]

And another point, why the hell did you get that peachy skin? Your old skin (the one when you were runing XF beta) was really good.

Agree with this. It is a nice skin actually but it is the last skin I would use on an admin forum.

 

[Kaiser]

Hi Kaiser

Firstly, relax, take a deep breath and stay offline for a few hours or a couple of days.

Secondly, this may be the single best thing that has happened to your forum! haha. Ok now you may ask why. Go to your Analytics and compare the traffic you had before this whole controversy thing started and after. See a spike? See new folks around? Now wouldn't you have loved that if it wasn't for the "I feel so bad" thing.

Thirdly, if you own a forum, you are owning a place for people to meet. The larger your forum gets, the more crowd you have to manage. And in a crowd you will always have all sorts of people. So always be prepared to take criticism, hurt etc. Be as much fair as you can be, seek advice from long term members but remember it's all part of the job.

And finally, you have a great forum which has a lot of potential. If you continue on it as you are for a couple of years you can give some of the big guys serious competition. So don't even think about closing or selling it.

And another point, why the hell did you get that peachy skin? Your old skin (the one when you were runing XF beta) was really good. At least keep that as an option. I would go as far as say that you will have better success for your forum with that skin than this one.

Cheers mate... don't let others pull you down.

And Carlos, you are really silly!

Thanks Sadikb I agree with you.. I will add another theme option soon.

 

[Dan]

Now that we may have apparently talk you down off the ledge, how about throwing some of your traffic my way?

 

[Fred Sherman]

<body><p>If you still enjoy it, keep doing it. This too shall pass. If you don't - and by that I don't mean today, or even tomorrow but a true discernment, then stop.'<p><br><p>Life is far too short to be unhappy. Each day is a gift. It is wasteful to squander today in unhappiness is hopes for a happier tomorrow, because tomorrow is not guaranteed us.<p><br><p>One other observation. People talk about spending money wisely rather than hoarding it, because we can't take it with us. There is truth in that. Why then to we hoard other things, like anger. These too much be left behind. Better to do so now.<p><br><p>Good luck my young friend. Let go of the anger and just follow your passion.

 

[Lykke]

I dont know the full case, and don't bother looking into it tbh ... but, as an admin to a forum with a lot of different members, you really can't satisfied them all. There WILL be heat and you WILL be in the middle of it. We had it happened too on both forums and it is unfortunate of course, but you need to set up rules and you need to follow up on them. If you really believe in the forum and what you stand for you take it like a man. Learn from it, and move on. If you feel it's unjustified, why should one rotten apple be the reason for your forum to shut down? If they keep on and you asked them to stop, ban the f**ks. Oh almost forgot .. do NOT keep discussing with people. You're the admin, your last word is law, simple as that (of course you need to be reasonable )

Again, I dont' know anything about this particially case, just saying ...

 

[Carlos]

Well age is not really the factor, just how you do certain things & thanks

Aw c'mon! Accept what is being said! No need to be defensive about your ....age!

 

[jonsidneyb]

I have thought about closing many times. I haven't yet. Give it 4 or 5 years first.

 

[Carlos]

And Carlos, you are really silly!

lol. How so?