Important News!!

Arghus · 10-07-2025 02:02PM

I don't know how moderation can be blamed for boards decline when I'd say 90% of the users - maybe more like 95% - have never had a disagreement or run in with a mod. And there's hundreds of sub forums in here with very light modding, if any at all.

And the two most preceptious drop offs in activity line up perfectly with big drops in the standard of the overall experience: the migration and the emergence of the bouncing page bug.

Not saying moderation is perfect: it's not. Not saying some people haven't been done dirty by it over the years: it's happened. Not saying that hasn't driven some people away: yes, it has, but I think that cohort isn't representative of the vast, vast majority of boards users. But threads like this eventually become dominated by those with a grievance.

People who blame it all on moderation need to take the blinkers off. But, being honest, a lot of them - not all, but a lot- don't even know they have them on in the first place.

dulpit · 10-07-2025 02:05PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123620584#Comment_123620584

Couldn't agree more. Moderation isn't the issue people make it out to be. The issue is that nobody is here anymore, and that's down to an ill-judged migration to Vanilla coupled with a period of downtime to facilitate that.

kurt_angle · 10-07-2025 02:08PM

Sorry but this subscription thing is absolute nonsense for a forum. You won’t get the numbers. You might get a hundred or so but that’s about it.

You have two options.

Put the site up and sell it. I am sure there would be plenty of companies who would purchase it and actually make it profitable.
Seek investment to completely revamp the site.

My guess is you would rather let the site burn to the ground and close down rather than either or these two options.

Buffman · 10-07-2025 02:12PM

Been around a while myself so I wouldn't be adverse to subscribing, but I'd be hesitant to do it to support continuing on with Vanilla, and would expect a detailed account of what the money is intended for. (I wouldn't want to be just potentially contributing to someones golden parachute.)

Some poor decisions from the boards community POV were taken in the past, which might have made some money for the individuals involved at the time but were overall detrimental to boards.

(Like getting rid of the original Sub option, selling/splitting up boards.ie from it's profitable sibling adverts.ie, Vanilla)

I think asking people to pay for the Vanilla experience now is a bit like asking the Titanic passengers for donations, but instead of using the money to repair the ship and save it, the plan is to use it to ram back into the Vanilla iceberg at full speed.

eagle eye · 10-07-2025 02:14PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123620522#Comment_123620522

I'm sorry but you are either trolling or just don't understand the world. Elon Musk would not have the slightest interest in a tiny site in Ireland, not if it was on sale for $1.

erlichbachman · 10-07-2025 02:14PM

A distinction also needs to be made here if a subscription model is saving a business or saving the site, there is a big difference, saving the site means subscribers are partners.

Mo Ghile Mear · 10-07-2025 02:17PM

It’ll take a good few days for word of this development to get out there. A lot of posters like myself wouldn’t be on boards everyday. And even at that it’s easy to miss the post from Mike. So early days in getting opinions on whether people are happy to pay.
I closed my original account when I got browned off of cranky negative argumentative posters whining and moaning. But I came back after a few years and I have to say the positive outweighs the negative and there’s always something here to inform or entertain me.
Even if nothing changes re Vanilla and modding issues I for one would definitely contribute. Boards has been my happy place over many years now. I’d really miss it.

antimatterx · 10-07-2025 02:27PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123620636#Comment_123620636

They should send a mass email out.

breezy1985 · 10-07-2025 02:27PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123620625#Comment_123620625

Brilliant. I never knew I was a partner in Netflix and Spotify.

Can't wait for the next board meeting.

Royale with Cheese · 10-07-2025 02:28PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123620522#Comment_123620522

But what would happen to the Elon Musk is a cúnt thread in CA??

Standard Toaster · 10-07-2025 02:29PM

Almost 23years later for me, yikes.

Best of luck boards but the writing has been on the wall for some time. Certainly consider mirroring the site to archive.org or similar. Surely distilled.ie have some cash?

Loughc · 10-07-2025 02:36PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123620695#Comment_123620695

distilled are no longer involved in the site tho.

Loughc · 10-07-2025 02:38PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123620601#Comment_123620601

if you think a forum site can be profitable in 2025 I have some things to sell you.

billgibney · 10-07-2025 02:38PM

Yes, we all love the censor free boards.ie site.

ancapailldorcha · 10-07-2025 02:39PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123620601#Comment_123620601

How will they make it profitable?

Oscar_Madison · 10-07-2025 02:41PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123620584#Comment_123620584

“I don't know how moderation can be blamed for boards decline when I'd say 90% of the users - maybe more like 95% - have never had a disagreement or run in with a mod. And there's hundreds of sub forums in here with very light modding, if any at all. “

Vast majority of modding complaints are with the CA forum I’d wager- Food, BBQ, EV forum etc probably wouldn’t merit much mod intervention on a weekly basis.

I don’t think I’ve ever received a warning or ban outside of the CA forum- so that’s where majority of issues lie - it can’t always be the moderators fault- true- but it can’t always be the posters fault either. Moderation there these days is petty and stifling -its moved from non intervention a year ago and letting trolls rule, to essentially coming down hard on trivial aspects - the pendulum has swung too far the other way.

Cyrus · 10-07-2025 02:43PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123620601#Comment_123620601

strong opinions from someone with 19 posts…

The Bends · 10-07-2025 02:45PM

Heard about the site on the rocks today from a friend and as someone who was with you years ago (think i signed up the day of the 9/11 attacks as i remember and stopped posting around 3 years ago) i can't say i'm surprised in the least unfortunately.

The very lifeblood of a forum should be lively discussion being welcomed from all sides no matter what their POV once it isn't true hate speech or abuse it should be allowed. There was a distinct lowering of this protocol towards the end of 2016 into 2017 that was very noticeable and a hardcore clique of views took hold and ruined a once healthy discussion platform. I vividly remember long time posters around that time up until circa 2020 warning of the long term effects of this policy and how it would adversely effect sign up's and site traffic and here you are now today on the verge of being closed down and i for one think that is as equally sad as it was avoidable.

Subs are probably a way to keep it going a bit longer but it will just turn into more of an echo chamber with less and less diverse opinions being voiced and the site will eventually die on it's knees anyway. I wouldn't trust the same people who have ran the place into the ground over the last decade with my hard earned to make the correct decisions to return Boards.ie to it's former glory either so it would need a route and branch overhaul from that side also to give yourselves a chance.

J.

DayInTheBog · 10-07-2025 02:50PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123620730#Comment_123620730

Maybe we could sell the Admins in the slave markets of west Africa?

Just a thought 😁

24 hours in and neither @Boards.ie: Odhran or @Boards.ie: Mike have posted once. The writing is on the wall I'm afraid. Time to either stage a takeover or find other fora for Bargain Alerts.

erlichbachman · 10-07-2025 02:51PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123620685#Comment_123620685

Did Spotify or Netflix say they would go under if you didn’t subscribe? This is why a distinction is necessary, you may be happy to keep boards going as viable business with your subscriptions but I’m not, on the other hand if the business is walking away and the only way to keep the site afloat is for users to subscribe then I’d be in, in this scenario there is no business in a sense, there is the need to manage the site and all that comes with it, the site would be managed by those who provide the funding and those elected to carry out roles.

con747 · 10-07-2025 02:52PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123620770#Comment_123620770

Mike posted around 12.40 earlier.

Edit

There's also a thread Mike started with user stats but it only has one lot of data for some months.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058405448/boards-ie-average-monthly-active-recipients

My name is URL · 10-07-2025 02:55PM

If nothing else is to happen, I hope there is some plan in place to have what is already here archived officially. Decades of information specific to internet usage and engagement is too valuable a thing to just have disappear overnight if a decision is made to pull the plug.

I'd suggest going as far as contacting National Archives of Ireland to seek guidance on the matter.