Has DNForum.com been sold? - The domain is pending transfer (9.Viewing)

MapleDots said:
In other words the same concept as Acorn forums

At dn.ca I decided that everything is voluntary, no ads and no fees, if you feel you have value you can donate or sponsor.

I don't blame Helmuts for charging money because there are real costs to keeping the site running but in my opinion charging for access is not the answer and signatures are one of the reason people post. They can stick little ads in all their posts which brings value and gets them to come back and post.

I'm hoping DNForum gains traction but the charge for access motto will not be duplicated here.

PS: A special thanks to everyone who has contributed to our exprnses and especially to @jaydub for his regular contributions. (y)
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DNF is often called the dead forum for a reason. I think you need to build it back up first, if that is even possible, then consider charging money.

Paying to even have a signature is a little ridiculous IMO, especially if you already paid for a "lifetime" membership.

Brad
 
Agree Brad @DataCube . It’s going to piss a lot of people off enough that they’re being asked to pay again for benefits they thought they already paid for that they won’t come back. It used to be really busy there and you need that core if you have any chance of revival I believe.
I also understand that there are costs involved in operating and maintaining a forum but you need to put the horse before the cart here and revive/create something that people value/want to return to and contribute to financially. Actions not words/promises are needed after repeated failed attempts by the previous ownership groups.
I understand Helmut will be coming in with his vision of what he wants the forum to be but maybe listening to some of the staff and members that have/had been there for years might be a refreshing change from what previous ownership change did.
 
jaydub said:
I understand Helmut will be coming in with his vision of what he wants the forum to be
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What vision? Acorn is an established forum and he bought that site as is. Dnforum is a whole different animal and it's pissed off a lot of people over the years. Reneging on the lifetime deal might be the last nail in the coffin before dnf disappears forever.
 
jaydub said:
Agree Brad @DataCube . It’s going to piss a lot of people off enough that they’re being asked to pay again for benefits they thought they already paid for that they won’t come back. It used to be really busy there and you need that core if you have any chance of revival I believe.
I also understand that there are costs involved in operating and maintaining a forum but you need to put the horse before the cart here and revive/create something that people value/want to return to and contribute to financially. Actions not words/promises are needed after repeated failed attempts by the previous ownership groups.
I understand Helmut will be coming in with his vision of what he wants the forum to be but maybe listening to some of the staff and members that have/had been there for years might be a refreshing change from what previous ownership change did.
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There was a good comment about this from @GeorgeK -

When you acquire a business, you're acquiring both the assets and the liabilities. To the extent that "lifetime accounts" represent a "liability" to the owners, the move to simply try to eliminate that liability is not prudent, in my opinion.

Indeed, some of the lifetime accounts represent knowledgeable members who answer questions and bring value to the other members. Without them (if they decide not to pay again for something they've already paid for) the forum might become a ghost town.

news - An important note on lifetime accounts

In my view DNF needs all the quality members they can get. It makes no sense to try to milk more money from this small group of dedicated people.

Also, the total amount generated would be so nominal that it seems pointless.

Brad
 
Removing the signature option is a major mistake IMO. Even free accounts should have an option of like 1 line, never mind accounts that previously paid for "lifetime" memberships.

It is unreasonable to take over a dead forum and expect to be immediately profitable, especially when that income is supposed to come from the small amount of dedicated members.

These limited amount of dedicated members are invaluable to a forum. Now DNF is trying to milk them for more money.

Also, what is the incentive for new members to even use DNF with an account that is so limited?

news - An important note on lifetime accounts

It's because sigs were not enabled for paid memberships and when I removed them for free members, signatures disappeared for paid members too. I temporarily enabled them for paid groups, but when Lifetime memberships are cancelled, signatures will disappear again.
 
I have a pro membership there, waiting to see what happens to the signature

Right now I got this....


Screenshot - 2023-05-04T121246.395.png
 
Like I said, I like the freemium version of dn.ca

I can't tell other people how to run their forums but I cannot tell you how many times I have dug deep into my pocket over the years to pay developers, hosting, software etc.

That is what I expected when I launched the forum and I made that decision upon initial launch. As soon as we started to get sponsors/donations and such I upgraded to top line hosting/software, cloud servers etc.
 
MapleDots said:
Like I said, I like the freemium version of dn.ca

I can't tell other people how to run their forums but I cannot tell you how many times I have dug deep into my pocket over the years to pay developers, hosting, software etc.

That is what I expected when I launched the forum and I made that decision upon initial launch. As soon as we started to get sponsors/donations and such I upgraded to top line hosting/software, cloud servers etc.
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I am not sure if pay to get a signature, even if you paid before, is the best model for a forum with limited activity.

DNF should be doing whatever it can to attract new members, and keep existing ones. That move doesn't seem real inviting or much of a value proposition.

Brad
 
MapleDots said:
Like I said, I like the freemium version of dn.ca

I can't tell other people how to run their forums but I cannot tell you how many times I have dug deep into my pocket over the years to pay developers, hosting, software etc.

That is what I expected when I launched the forum and I made that decision upon initial launch. As soon as we started to get sponsors/donations and such I upgraded to top line hosting/software, cloud servers etc.
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Yes, it is a cost of doing business. You have to build the forum first, then possibly break even, then possibly make money.
To come in, then screw people over that paid for "lifetime" memberships is a bad model.

DNF needs dedicated members more than the members need DNF. The members are the ones bringing value to the forum.

Brad
 
DataCube said:
The members are the ones bringing value to the forum
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The members are THE ONLY thing that brings value to a forum.

Namepros does not understand that, which is why so many of the top members left.

DNForum will have to weigh their decisions carefully, and listen to their members if they are to gain traction.

DN.ca - Values every member and we built this forum to show what can be done without charging fees or limiting services.
 
This comment is dead on the money -

Lifetime memberships are unsustainable if you have significant costs associated to maintaining the offer. A single forum member who paid 400$ + (the highest price for exclusive was 500$ AFAIK) has paid for the associated server costs for his lifetime and then some. Platinum has never cost more than 90$ for lifetime.

So what you are really saying is that its unsustainable because you think you can make them pay again. This I highly doubt.
 
I'd be worried charging $8 per month for the blue check marks like twitter :LOL: at $96 per year he is getting huge push back.

At the most a $10 per month, get two months free if you subscribe for a year would be sustainable.
 
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I wouldn’t trust that forum at all. After all a previous owner changed my membership from Exclusive to who knows what. I wouldn’t pay another dime to DNForum no matter who owns it.
 
MapleDots said:
I'd be worried charging $8 per month for the blue check marks like twitter :LOL: at $96 per year he is getting huge push back.

At the most a $10 per month, get two months free if you subscribe for a year would be sustainable.
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Paying anything, other than a nominal one-time fee, to use an inactive forum is ridiculous.

Twitter can't even get that many people to pay $8/month and has far wider reach.

The cost-benefit analysis is terrible for anyone, especially people that have already paid.

Brad
 
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