Endless Fight's 9th birthday

[VirusZero]

The site has hit 9 years old. It's well beyond the age that most sites normally make it.

Normally this is where I'd talk about things that I'm working on behind the scenes. But most of them have already been talked about. The transition away from roleplay to gaming has already happened. Same for the upgrade to the backend software. The theme I have good to go, just unfortunately didn't get to actually install. (Work again has interfered.)

However unlike other years I think it's time to do some reflection. Truth is that life has gotten busy for most members. We're not around as active as we once were. Sorry to say but it's months since most of the formerly active members have even signed on. Truth is that I don't want this forum to be all about me, but it seems like I'm the only one that actually posts now. Even on the discord server, it seems like it's mostly just me. And I'll admit that's kind of a reason why I haven't been in that big of a rush to make changes. (If it feels like I'm just doing it for my own sake.)

That's why, as of now, I'm planning on closing the forum on February 15th 2020 if nothing really changes. (Endless Fight's 10th birthday.) I don't want to keep pumping money into the site if no one is actually using it. I'm not ready to give up just yet. However it can't be just me.

[Maroon Caludin]

(02-15-2019 11:49 PM)VirusZero Wrote:  The site has hit 9 years old. It's well beyond the age that most sites normally make it.

Normally this is where I'd talk about things that I'm working on behind the scenes. But most of them have already been talked about. The transition away from roleplay to gaming has already happened. Same for the upgrade to the backend software. The theme I have good to go, just unfortunately didn't get to actually install. (Work again has interfered.)

However unlike other years I think it's time to do some reflection. Truth is that life has gotten busy for most members. We're not around as active as we once were. Sorry to say but it's months since most of the formerly active members have even signed on. Truth is that I don't want this forum to be all about me, but it seems like I'm the only one that actually posts now. Even on the discord server, it seems like it's mostly just me. And I'll admit that's kind of a reason why I haven't been in that big of a rush to make changes. (If it feels like I'm just doing it for my own sake.)

That's why, as of now, I'm planning on closing the forum on February 15th 2020 if nothing really changes. (Endless Fight's 10th birthday.) I don't want to keep pumping money into the site if no one is actually using it. I'm not ready to give up just yet. However it can't be just me.

I understand how you feel. Honestly I've contemplated the same for my own forum (but not for the same reasons). I'd hate to see this place close. I do enjoy it. I may not post a ton, but I also don't always have something to add.

[randomdrifter865]

A lot has changed that's for sure, I can attest to that, hell these days I've become more a ghost even on facebook or even any other thing I used to do off the computer honestly, but I cannot blame you for feeling how you feel about your forum. This place is your baby and it was a good place for a lot of us and still holds fond memories for myself as I am sure has with those whom you still speak with even on discord.

Sadly, it pretty much just life for us all, we've all made commitments to the lives we live now ,but sometimes its like we forget the other things that made us who we are today. I know sounds sappy and a bit flowery ,but that is one of the few things that seem to come to mind as I start to go through my memories of here and I know its bit late for me to say anything, but I can't help ,but say thank you, because granted mind you as one of the members of the other forum that I started in, both that and this forum came at a time where I didn't even know how to actually socialize. I was still learning how to even do that at the time.

At a time where I had barely much had anyone I could talk too, feeling often an outcast even in my actual sphere of friends at times. In certain ways I feel this place and the other I have to thank for that and at times you guys and gals even got me through some tough patches. People I have never actually met in person. Made that much of a difference than those I actually did know, even those few I still cherish just as much as some of you here even if we don't get to speak or well do the things we used to do, I still often think of whats Virus, Tank, and Vile are doing. Heck I still remember Silver, Mantisk and few others that kind of went there separate ways.

Hell, here I got to be vocal and express what was on my mind even though it did take a while especially how awkward I was. Now a days I gotten way too quiet.

[VirusZero]

Yeah we're all busy now. I'm definitely no exception to that. There have been weeks where about the only thing I have done is work. (Makes it hard to sit down and really post when that happens.) I rarely ever hear from others anymore either and likely for the same reasons... they're all busy with work stuff too. Even on discord now people seem to barely talk. The last time I had a real chat with anyone there was May.

Which is kinda my point that I made in the opening post. For a while now I've felt like it is just me. And that's no way to keep a site going. Staff can only do so much by themselves. (It's a universal truth of running sites.) Eventually it takes other people, members, to contribute. I've tried various methods over the years to help bolster activity too. From contests to participating in post exchanges with other forums (I go post on them and they come post here) and more. I've tried posting stuff to discord but it all just seems to be ignored.
Maybe I didn't go about those things the right way. Maybe my timing for posting them was off. Maybe the notifications were messed up. Heck maybe there's something wrong with the site/server that's affecting things and I just don't know about it. There are plenty of possible reasons but I can't be sure of any of them. More or less it's just like throwing things at a wall and hoping something sticks.

Which makes me think that it's time to stop spending money on something that realistically is only me using. I could get a blog for much cheaper if I really wanted to just throw my opinions out there.

But I want to be clear...

We're not at the point of closure yet. There is still time. So I'm not giving up hope just yet. And I also don't want people to think that I'm trying to guilt them into anything. I understand we're all busy with different commitments.

[randomdrifter865]

Nah man, I was just feeling your oomph in the statement, wouldn't think you were making anyone feel that way to begin with. You never were that kind of person anyways, always true blue and honest. And that's why I enjoyed the transparency the most over the years.