Do most people quit forums because they can't make money?

[Shawn Gossman]

Over the years, I've seen a lot of beginner forum owners quit because they didn't get huge and rich overnight.

It takes time to start earning online. The internet is extremely saturated.

Do you think most forum owners abandon their forum because they can't make money with it?

Have any of you ever been like that?

 

[AWS]

Never. I'm not in it to make money. I'm in it because I enjoy building things. I am a retired structural engineer and while I don't build roads and bridges any longer I can build forums.

 

[Cpvr]

No, I think some forum owners abandon their forums when they don’t take off like they expect them too.

Especially when they’re hoping for overnight success and it doesn’t happen.

I've seen it happen time after time.

 

[Tracy]

I also don't think it's always down to not getting rich quick. Way to many get easily frustrated that they have spent all the time and effort (usually) in setting up a site and they expect immediately members. As mentioned, the internet is over-saturated in almost every topic you can think of, so simply setting up a site isn't going to draw traffic in like it used to. You have to offer your users something that peaks their interest and then keeps them coming back.
I've never ran a site to make profit nor to "get big". I run them because they are in a niche I am interested in.

 

[Nomad]

Most people I know are not running forums for money. They are running forums because they love it. I do not think there are too many people actually trying to run a forum to make money. The main reason why people quit forums is because they cannot built it into a thriving community.

 

[Shawn Gossman]

Maybe trying to get rich fast or make some kind of income from forums was a thing of the past? I do remember people trying to do it.

I think eventually I'll look into creating some kind of income generator for my forums. However, it isn't to put profit in my pocket. I would use the money to put back into the forum for software updates, domain costs, and contest money. I think that is a reasonable goal.

But when I see bigger forums just loaded with ads, I see a forum trying to make a lot of money. Of course, their server bills are more than mine, I'm sure.

I don't say anything negative about those who want to make money, though. There is nothing wrong with it at all. But I wonder about those trying to get rich from forums.

 

[Tracy]

Maybe trying to get rich fast or make some kind of income from forums was a thing of the past? I do remember people trying to do it.

It is still a thing with some. But they are finding out that it's not as easy as it used to be.
I know on some other admin sites you see a BUNCH of posts about how to monetize your site and "get rich".

I think eventually I'll look into creating some kind of income generator for my forums. However, it isn't to put profit in my pocket. I would use the money to put back into the forum for software updates, domain costs, and contest money. I think that is a reasonable goal.

If I ever reach that point, it is also what I will do. But my monetization will be from dealing with vendors and product manufacturers in my niche and trying to work out a form of sponsorship from them.

I grew up in an era where those that were interested in doing this type of stuff generally did it for free. Just the stuff to run my multi-line BBS back the latter 80's cost me the equivalent of about $25,000 in todays money just for the equipment. And I recouped nothing of that as I did it because I enjoyed it.

 

[Shawn Gossman]

There's nothing wrong with giving it for free, either.

However, there's nothing wrong with trying to make money.

I make a lot of money online through multiple income streams. It's allowed me to get myself out of debt and be more comfortable as well as help others around me.

The internet makes earning money very easy if you're willing to work for it.

 

[Tracy]

However, there's nothing wrong with trying to make money.

I make a lot of money online through multiple income streams. It's allowed me to get myself out of debt and be more comfortable as well as help others around me.

And I'm not saying there is anything wrong with that. It just goes against my core philosophy of what the internet was hoped to be.
I am lucky in that currently I can easily afford keeping my sites online without having to worry about it negatively impacting my life. It's budgeted for like most people do for any hobby they have, and I have found it's a lot cheaper than hunting or fishing, or even astronomy/astrophotography.
I honestly don't see my site exceeding what I have budgeted for many years unless it massively gains an audience of active participants.
Other than a few minor credit cards and 3 more months on my truck, we pretty much are debt free.