Future of the Forum: Plans and Discussion
Feb 14, 2015 10:44:02 GMT -5
Post by NariaDreaming on Feb 14, 2015 10:44:02 GMT -5
Feb 14, 2015 8:37:49 GMT -5 @carbenatar said:
I understand the need to bring in new members, but I had no idea when we moved here that the long-term plan was to become a full website and compete with TB. Was that your plan all along and I missed it? I'm not going to lie, it makes me a little nervous. I thought we were just going to be a kick-ass forum. This is getting way more complicated than I ever imagined.Having said that, I never ventured beyond TB forums; that's all I was interested in over there. So it's possible all of this talk won't affect me in the slightest because I will likely just stick to the forums here as well.
Edit to add: This is long. This is raw. This is me pouring out my feelings in the moment. I apologize for any typos.
It was definitely not in my mind to turn this into a full blown website when I built it. Originally it was built when I was sensing shit about to blow up on the other site, and I knew that eventually what happened to The Nest would happen to us- and I WARNED the admin and the fucking CEO of the other place that this was going to happen if they kept marginalizing the very women they had built their empire around. But did they listen, no.
So then the exodus happened and people seemed relatively happy- especially people who come from more "stable" boards (for lack of a better word) such as Parenting and the older BMB's. But as people migrated over from some of the communities who actively receive new members during a difficult time (3T, IF, the after loss boards, etc), I heard the same sentiment over and over "This place is great, but I received so much support during [insert darkest hour] and I hate that people won't have a place to get that support now".
I think this "dual loyalty" hurt my home board of 3T harder than any other board- because I was IP banned, and our other mod was stuck on the other place, since she was technically one of their employees as of the week that this all collapsed. I honestly could not have survived the last 2 years of my infertility battle without the women of this place. They've been my rock in this horrible horrible storm. And the timing of all of this could not have been worse- I was in the middle of my first IVF cycle, things weren't looking good, and suddenly my safe place was gone and the other ladies of 3T and IF didn't know where to turn. There was a huge pain point of "some of our friends are here, but what about the ones who are still over there? What about the newbies who are diagnosed with IF and don't know where to find us? They won't have support".
That's when the wheels in my head started turning. I was the person who had made the FAQ threads on SEVERAL boards on the other site, and that synthesized knowledge was lost when I had my content deleted. As people started working on picking up the pieces and putting the information together over here, that's when the wheels started turning in my head.
If we have all this knowledge, and we're compiling all of this knowledge, why don't we compile it in a way that would be accessible to outsiders? Why don't we draw new people into this community who are looking for something beyond "you're totes pregnant" and "take the clomid candy, it won't hurt you".
At the same time, I had people reaching out to me asking if they could link to their new "newbie blogs" and if there would be ways to get more exposure.
So that's when I started seriously talking to theophania and wordsy about making a website to house the collective knowledge of this amazing community. And it grew from there.
I will be 100% honest with all of you right now. I've spent the last week terrified to make this announcement. I'm so excited at the potential of this site, and to see this community grow, but I was also afraid that members might think that I'm just some asshole who wants to profit off of them. That was never my intent, and IS NOT my intent. I cannot even begin to talk about how poorly the moderators were treated on the other site, the bullshit we were put through, and the outright lies we were told from the top down. I'm not here to get rich off the backs of my friends. I'm not in this to buy a fucking vacation home in the Caribbean or some shit. I'm not here to abuse the amazing moderators who jumped right in to get this community running. I'm not here to take advantage of the dozens of people who have already volunteered to create content, provide professional services, or otherwise lend a hand in building this amazing vision.
I'm here because without this community I don't know if my marriage would have survived infertility. And I don't want people who find themselves wondering "what the fuck happens now" when they realize that "the baby in the baby carriage" doesn't always immediately follow Love and Marriage to not have a place to turn during their darkest hour.