To Launch or not

[xIsabel38]

I've been working on my EverQuest Next based website since 2012. Since then it has undergone 3 different name changes and seen the hands of about 13 different Developers.

It has gone from style to style; From design to re-design. The homepage itself was redone three times. And the logo has been done twice. It's fair to say I've put several thousand dollars worth into getting things the way I wanted them.

Now I'm at a very weird crossroad. That is that only one more element needs to be completed (being the postbit). But I find myself scared now. Scared of going live and scared of submitting the site to public opinion. I'm scared that I will fall hard on my ass and fail. I'm almost relieved that the postbit still needs work.

I guess I'm wondering if this is a common feeling. Is anticipation of going live a burden to others? I find myself playing around in my test board and trying out new add-ons and tweaking small things that I can tweak myself but, really there's only so much I can procrastinate.

 

[nodle]

Never gonna know until you try...

 

[Big Dan]

Never gonna know until you try...

+1. Give it a shot. The absolute worst that can happen is people don't like/use the site. Most people will be decent enough to give constructive feedback instead of just downing all your hard work.

 

[iTuN3r]

I have been working on this new site for last 2years now . Finally stepped up and decided to give it a shot . Started New page on facebook sunday evening . Getting pretty good responses and got few sponsors lined up already .

 

[mcatze]

Never gonna know until you try...

Try it..

I tested around since xf 1.0 on one board. Its been online since 2008 (first with vB). I had no users but paid with the years several thousand dollars in License, AddOn, Styles and so .. Who cares?

Just try it.

 

[AdamD]

Dooooooooo ittttttttttttt

 

[xIsabel38]

Lol I don't know what I'm so afraid of. Many times my sites were based on a group of players. I wasn't nervous then because they were friends, guildmates, and the like. This is the first time I'm doing a site for the masses... Hopefully.

Once my postbit is done and I verify everything thereafter works well, I'm doing it! Imma take the plunge and see where I land.

So any ideas on how to launch? I was thinking a prize giveaway for my site field. Like giving out a Trailblazer gift which let's users play in the alpha game and affords them some in-game items.

Also having maybe a founding member username and title for the first 25 members or so. Anyone else have any ideas?

 

[iTuN3r]

Lol I don't know what I'm so afraid of. Many times my sites were based on a group of players. I wasn't nervous then because they were friends, guildmates, and the like. This is the first time I'm doing a site for the masses... Hopefully.

Once my postbit is done and I verify everything thereafter works well, I'm doing it! Imma take the plunge and see where I land.

So any ideas on how to launch? I was thinking a prize giveaway for my site field. Like giving out a Trailblazer gift which let's users play in the alpha game and affords them some in-game items.

Also having maybe a founding member username and title for the first 25 members or so. Anyone else have any ideas?

Ye do some kind of giveaway .....make sure to have bunch of guidelines to qualify for it .

Here is what i do ...i would give them small flyer and code name they should print it put the code in there take picture with their catch of the day - this is for fishing site.

 

[xIsabel38]

Interesting concept, I had bought the raffles add-on but it needs some tweaking before I can use it. So for now, I suppose something like what you said would be best.

Maybe I can do a "Why would you want to be a Trailblazer" contest where users can email a small paragraph or so entry. Determine perhaps my fav 5 and then let users choose via a poll.

 

[iTuN3r]

Ye The way i approach will help my community too to bring in traffic people always share those pictures around their social network page . Word slowly gets around .

 

[=MGN=RedEagle]

Lol I don't know what I'm so afraid of. Many times my sites were based on a group of players. I wasn't nervous then because they were friends, guildmates, and the like. This is the first time I'm doing a site for the masses... Hopefully.

Once my postbit is done and I verify everything thereafter works well, I'm doing it! Imma take the plunge and see where I land.

So any ideas on how to launch? I was thinking a prize giveaway for my site field. Like giving out a Trailblazer gift which let's users play in the alpha game and affords them some in-game items.

Also having maybe a founding member username and title for the first 25 members or so. Anyone else have any ideas?

Haha. I always seem to launch first and ask questions later. I spent two days on my most recent forum and just launched it.... oddly, it worked great! (2,500 members 20,000 posts in 5 months!).

 

[xIsabel38]

Impressive. I'm always more of a control freak making sure I have a plan and everything is working accordingly before hand. Wish I had the nerve to just launch like that.

 

[Carlos]

Impressive. I'm always more of a control freak making sure I have a plan and everything is working accordingly before hand. Wish I had the nerve to just launch like that.

Then develop that nerve. I have the same "feeling" as you. Control freak is a bit too far, but I want the site to be perfect for a user to feel "right at home." Comfortable. Invited. So, I take my time; slowly but surely, launching new features little by little. Because if you do it all at once, you end up having to go back to do one thing all over again. Sometimes, you break things. Despite what people believe or make you believe; slow is better.

I launch sites, and they fail. It's not your failures people remember you by, it's how you picked yourself up to make that site successful - that they remember you by. I owned a few BF3 domains, and I didn't even launch them because I didn't have a twitter handle to go with 'em. So, I didn't have a good marketing plan (for those BF3 sites) - so I scrapped the project. Guess how much money I lost from that one? $50. No joke. I owned a few MW2 forum domains, but I was too late on launching them, then I converted them into MW3 Forums - still didn't work, so I scrapped those projects and focused on CODForums.

MVC3Forum was my most successful venture until CODForums exploded a year later. I spent $50 on acquiring MVC3Forum and tried to resurrect the site through re-launching it on MarvelVsCapcomForums.com - tried and failed. I decided to merge that into my main company forum.

 

[wedgar]

I've been working on my EverQuest Next based website since 2012. Since then it has undergone 3 different name changes and seen the hands of about 13 different Developers.

It has gone from style to style; From design to re-design. The homepage itself was redone three times. And the logo has been done twice. It's fair to say I've put several thousand dollars worth into getting things the way I wanted them.

Now I'm at a very weird crossroad. That is that only one more element needs to be completed (being the postbit). But I find myself scared now. Scared of going live and scared of submitting the site to public opinion. I'm scared that I will fall hard on my ass and fail. I'm almost relieved that the postbit still needs work.

I guess I'm wondering if this is a common feeling. Is anticipation of going live a burden to others? I find myself playing around in my test board and trying out new add-ons and tweaking small things that I can tweak myself but, really there's only so much I can procrastinate.

I understand your feelings. But I think I'd jump in - water's fine.

 

[wedgar]

Lol I don't know what I'm so afraid of. Many times my sites were based on a group of players. I wasn't nervous then because they were friends, guildmates, and the like. This is the first time I'm doing a site for the masses... Hopefully.

Once my postbit is done and I verify everything thereafter works well, I'm doing it! Imma take the plunge and see where I land.

So any ideas on how to launch? I was thinking a prize giveaway for my site field. Like giving out a Trailblazer gift which let's users play in the alpha game and affords them some in-game items.

Also having maybe a founding member username and title for the first 25 members or so. Anyone else have any ideas?

One major segment of my community is amateur radio clubs. Been working on putting some resources for these clubs to grow membership and to grow activities.

I'm giving some books on various amateur radio topics away as prizes for those with the most trophies each month and plan on doing this over a four month period.

My hopes are to reward activities (posts and likes) and in doing so, build permanent activity and growth in our forums.

 

[Motobaka]

This is exactly what we do. I have found out that I don’t know anything about what other people want ever. So what we did was start with XenForo as it came from the box. We called it the beta stage of the forum and people take pride on being the “testers”. We had some add ons we had bought already but did not installed them until some users suggested them. That makes it their suggestion being implemented. And we have been doing that. We are not a BIG community so maybe this is not the best way to go, but I like the atmosphere that this creates. They consider it their home because in a way they created it.

 

[Brad L]

It's not easy being a perfectionist.

 

[Carlos]

It's not easy being a perfectionist.

Yep.

This is exactly what we do. I have found out that I don’t know anything about what other people want ever. So what we did was start with XenForo as it came from the box. We called it the beta stage of the forum and people take pride on being the “testers”. We had some add ons we had bought already but did not installed them until some users suggested them. That makes it their suggestion being implemented. And we have been doing that. We are not a BIG community so maybe this is not the best way to go, but I like the atmosphere that this creates. They consider it their home because in a way they created it.

I agree, and this is what I do, too. Similar situation, anyway.