How do you know when it is time?

[Tyler]

This is going to be a very very simple thread question, with probably some very complicated answers :)

Put simply....How do you know when it is time to give up your forum? And by 'give up', I do not necessarily mean to quit visiting your forum and doing other things, but selling it, giving it to someone, things of that nature. Simply where you are taken out of the position of power (or giving another power).

Thoughts?

[SoftWareRevue]

probably some very complicated answers

I think the answer is simple.

"When you no longer wish to participate."

We, as humans, are constantly evolving. Our interests mature and grow. Surely the things that were exciting and new to you ten years ago aren't so now.

That's not to say your community needs to remain exciting and new for you to run it successfully. But there may be that need for you, as an individual.

[John D]

Good answer Dennis, I know I have done a few sites but my interests changed over time.

Hosting was something I had sites on, not the actual business (I did host but I wouldn't include that in the same category) but I started getting out of hosting and had other interests, it made running a site I wasn't as interested in more of a chore.

If I was having trouble keeping a site active even with putting in as much time as I could I think I would have to let it go, nomatter how much I loved it I don't like to see a site dying out when someone else could do more for it.

[lpstong]

I feel Software has hit the nail on the head as far as an answer goes.

I had a forum which I totally just could not work. I revamped it. I paid paid posting services, did post exchanges, bought myspace bulletins, link exchanges, bouth links etc. But the life of me. I could just not make it work.

After letting the form just die after a month or so. I thought long and hard. I felt I didnt know enough about the subject at hand. It was on Graphics and Programming. I realised I was such a novice at the topic. And I couldnt really apply any other topics/subjects to it. The name of the domain was Enterwork. I am sure something could have been done. But I was frustrated, had other projects on the table. And didnt want to invest anymore time and money in it. Therefore no longer wanting to participate in the forum.

[Frets]

Dont' feel to bad.

That's the reason many start forums to begin with because they don't understand an area. Having a forum gives you the opporitunity to learn from others in the field.

When one sets up a forum. It has to be for the long haul.
You have to know people in the field one on one. Causually spamming with get you no where with building a group.

It's not enough to build and maintain. You also have to sell.
you have to get people who want to do things for you. Write tutorials post in forums add your site to thier footer. And you constantly have to stroke egos expecting nothing in return.

Supporting a forum is more then hosting it. You usually need a lot of background stuff just to get/keep members. Tutorials downloads outlinking events.

Usually if I go to a forum the first thing I look at is what does it have to offer me? Are the outlinks non existant? are they dead? Are they outlinking blindly or have they actually evaluated the outlinks?

Then it's do I like the layout. Do the people seem like ones I want to interact with. Is this a place where I can fit in?

[PN-Matt]

Very well written. I would agree with the above. I am still learning to this day about how to run my community. One thing you should'nt forget is learning is a ongoing process.

[TheDPQ]

I 'quit' Yaxay once and it turns out all i really needed was a vacation. When i came back in 3 months and usurped all the power again (bwhahaha) i was happy as a clam although the situation on the forum had not changed at all.

/me wishes everyone knew how ecstatically happy a clam can be

Of course i didn't own it, and thus couldn't sell it. The break did help though. Before outright selling your forum you may try just handing the power off to someone who hasn't been beat down repeatedly by disappointments from lack of improvements. Hard reality might have held you back from taking risks or doing something you 'know' wouldn't work.

[Origin]

Happy as a clam? At first glance I thought you said happy as an oyster ;)

Well, I always have realistic expectations...