Should you ever bring a site back?

I have personally tried reopening a forum that I had, but it didn't go to well. It was a bust, and to be honest the dust from the old forum never really settled.

I have opened a new site, and so far it has been going quite well. I'm looking forward to working with people in future, but as of right now I only need two people to run my site effectively.

 

I never say never. I've had my site closed twice due to things like dodgy partners and lousy servers. Came back bigger than ever.

 

I actually just reopened an old site of mine. I think if you learn from the previous and try and make it better, there's no reason not to!

 

I agree with Space Rogue. Never say never. As long as the revived forum has updates made to address any issues it may have had (causing the closing) Then the site will be good as new.

 

A bit like having driven a Hyundai then hopping into a Mustang really when you do it all again.

 

I don't think "revivals" work very often. However, a revamp or restructure? That's a whole new pot, and that can be very effective. The site closed for a reason, and reviving it exactly as it was will probably have it closing again soon for the same or similar reasons. But if you go back into it with some changes, learning from what went wrong the last time and making provisions to the structure so it won't happen again? That can be a recipe for success.

That's what me and a group of members from a site that died did. The site closed because it was too high maintenance for the admins, and with their blessing, we took what worked and scrapped what didn't to make a new site. Sort of like a revamp, where the members from the old site could come back together for a new one in a similar vein. It's been a great success and we've been open for several months already!

 

I think it really depends on why the site shut down. And I think a lot of people have already said the same thing, but making sure that you get rid of all the issues that caused it to be shut down in the first place should be the number one thing on your list. If it was the staff then find new staff, if it was the members then either ban the ones who were problem causers or find a stern way to tell them that it won't be tolerated this time around.

But I think it's possible for a site to come back and be successful.

 

From experience, bringing back a site is cumbersome at best. In my first ever case of revival, it boiled down to finding a new host, getting new members entirely, all while keeping the content generally the same--let's face it, the members really enjoyed an anarchy-themed contemporary-fantasy setting!--but moving on to new and better things. Any troublesome members, you ban straight away, or if they want to remain active and reform themselves, keep a close eye on them (unfortunately). From a previous death one site of mine faced, it was because of two members who really tried bending the rules to get their way, and when I said "No" for the last time, they exacted "revenge," took a chunk of our members with them to a Zoids site, and pretty much shat all over the board. Just to do the same to said Zoids board. My girlfriend's presence revived it and made it super successful, though, so...

Back on topic, revivals just come from learning from your mistakes, steering the site in a new direction different from where you were steering it before, and killing the zombie...that is to say, if the problem persists, just take off the head.
Vague advice from my standpoint, but all this comes from a place of rebuilding and pushing forward while learning from my own past mistakes. Ten years of mistake making, wubba lubba dub dub!!!

 

Honestly it depends on the site. It also depends on you as a person. I won't say it's easy, because it's not. You have to be ready to fight for it. You also have to be ready to change somethings that may have caused it to die last time (if it was a lore or content issue). Another thing a lot of people do is make the mistake of it being exactly the same as last time, it won't be. It may be similar, but never truly the same.

As long as you're willing for small changes to happen and know it won't be exactly the same then go for it. and if it just died because of no time due to RL being a jerk, then honestly it will be easier to bring back. ;) I wish you luck with what ever you decide to revive.

 

If you have a passion for the story and have an unresolved business that is in the setting then I think you should absolutely bring the story back. Even if it's a new incarnation of it, breathing new life in can really make a difference.

 

In cases like unresolved business, especially if you had a member with an awesome character go missing, I just revive the character and move it along with the rest of the plot. If the member was a jerk-ass? Well, have your own fun with that character who cemented themselves into the lore *evil laughter*

 

I can think of one site I would love to see come back - a star trek fan club with an RP mixed in known as Fed-Intel.
It was an awesome concept. Sadly it was managed by a jackass who hated America / Americans so much that he left the country, became an ex-patriot and constantly reminded the US members- which were the bulk of the membership- how much he hated this country. The group ultimately folded because of his hatred.

 

Oh, hatred. One of the worst reasons for a site to fold *wipes tear*

 

I suppose it all really depends on the situation. In my case, when I started out RPing, it was on a resource-site for average webpages (counters, chats, boards) and a community of roleplayers had established themselves there. Eventually the resource-site was shut down and the players were scattered to the winds.

So I took the kingdoms of the world and compiled them into a single planet with a cataclysmic backstory and rebirthed it as a post-apocalyptic fantasy. It appeals to old community members and new ones alike. It's been a real hit to say the least.

This is my third 'revamp' of the site in the span of about 8 years, but prior instances of the site shut down simply because I didn't have the time or energy (or money) to put into them - not because they were failing. Now the community is thriving, so - I say if you've got something broke, fix it, make it better. Kintsugi, baby.

 

I've brought my forum back after years of being gone. I originally let it go when I was in college. I think it had something to do with changing interests, being busy, and having an in-person writer's group.
Now I'm in a different place in life and wanted to revive it. I also got the domain name back for free, which was a bonus.

 

I've considered it. Goodness knows I've had my share of failed sites that I loved but finally had to close down for one reason or another. I generally can't bring myself to bring them back online once they're down. There are usually too many memories associated with the dead site and usually I've found it better to have a clean slate.

 

I actually brought mine back this year. Best decision I ever made.

It folded originally because I wasn't healthy enough to keep up the energy to run it, plus a poopy co-admin situation that left me high and dry. But now, everything is sweet. So happy. :D

 

Took ten years, but, yes, why not? I've written other places over the decade of silence, but always held a candle for my first PBP RP. So, with the help of good friends, we dusted it off and gave it another go. I have zero regrets.

 

Why not? If it is something you enjoy, do it for you. If you are happy, it will come out in your work and your stories and it will attract people (or so I hope).

I'm actually wanting to do this. I used to have a forum RP site, did ok and had lots of fun and good memories with it. But then life and distractions and such and basically it died. I focused on other things, but I continued to build in on my wiki and stuff - just never the forum RP part. Now I'm wanting to do the forum RP again.

One thing I'd suggest for restarting an old forum RP, make it new again. Don't try and pick up where the story left off.

 

I rebooted my game after a couple of years of downtime. The main reason I wasn't able to keep it going were things happening around my personal life and basically sapping my time and energy. Those things have resolved and I got more time available now. So two years ago I restarted the Fawkes, and we've been going strong ever since. I really think it depends on why you've shut it down. Also I'd say that you're better off going with a (soft) reset if you do, to get rid of any unnecessary baggage you might have.