(Site is a graveyard - How can boards save itself?) Any update?

Thanks for everyone's feedback on this.  It is clear that there are significant frustrations and concerns regarding the site's moderation, particularly in the Current Affairs (CA) section. I have tired to summarise the key points below in order to form a reply for discussion - hope I haven’t misses anything:

Moderation Issues: Many users have expressed dissatisfaction with the perceived lack of visible and consistent moderation. There is a concern that reported posts often go unaddressed, leading to frustration and a belief that reporting is ineffective. Some users suggest that the moderation team may be overworked, indicating a need for more moderators or better distribution of responsibilities.

Subscription Model: The idea of introducing a subscription model to deter trolls has been suggested. While some users believe a small fee could help manage the site better, others worry it would drastically reduce user engagement and traffic. A middle-ground solution proposed is a voluntary subscription with additional benefits, though concerns about its practicality remain as we have this in place already today with low adoption rates.

Moderator Behavior and Transparency: Some comments around the behavior of some moderators, with some arguing that mods, as representatives of the site, should maintain a professional demeanor akin to customer service.  Mods however are unpaid volunteers and should not have to endure abuse from users. The discussion also comments on the need for greater transparency in the reporting process, with suggestions that moderators leave visible notes on actions taken to reassure users.

Support and Burnout Among Moderators: There is an acknowledgment that long-serving moderators might be experiencing burnout. Some suggestions include rotating moderators from other forums to provide support and prevent burnout, which could improve overall site management.

Site direction: Where are we going and what’s next for boards

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Thank you all again for your feedback and the passionate discussion in this thread. We understand that there are concerns regarding moderation, user engagement, and the overall direction of the site.

As many of you know, the transition to Vanilla was driven by the need to find a sustainable solution for hosting our community. vBulletin had become too expensive to maintain, and Vanilla offered a more cost-effective platform that allows us to keep the site running. Currently, we’re operating with a very small team—essentially one person—so resources are extremely limited. Despite these limitations, we are committed to maintaining and improving the site.  We have a call with Vanilla this week to discuss contract renewal and will know more about future direction after those discussions.

Boards and other forums like ours are competing for your time and attention against giants like Meta, TikTok, Google, X, Reddit and others. It’s a challenging environment, and it’s natural that people are spending less time on traditional forums as social media platforms continue to grow. However, we believe there is still significant value in the kind of focused, in-depth discussions that a forum like Boards.ie can offer.  That is why we keep doing our best to ensure the platform continues on into the future.

In terms of moderation, we hear your concerns. Our moderators work very hard and on a volunteer basis. Without them there is no Boards. That’s an important point - and one that should not be lost in all of this.

We are taking steps to address issues raised, including exploring ways to utilise Vanilla’s platform to help with moderation - a more shared task perhaps - but a plan that we will discuss with admins and moderators to see what is feasible.

The suggestion to rotate moderators or bring in support from other areas is also being considered to prevent burnout and ensure that we have adequate coverage, particularly in busy sections like Current Affairs. But all needs to be discussed and agreed so we will be arranging a forum to raise these topics, define the situation and agree an action plan. 

Regarding the idea of a subscription model, we are open to exploring a more robust way to collect voluntary contributions (which is in place today) that might offer some additional features or benefits, but we want to be careful not to alienate our community by forcing a subscription. Our goal is to keep the site as accessible as possible while finding ways to support its sustainability. We have done well in that regard by turning Boards from loss making to almost breakeven. Given the pressures on display ad revenue over the past few years this is very positive. 

We greatly appreciate your continued support and engagement with Boards.ie. Your input is invaluable as we navigate these challenges and work to keep the community strong. Please continue to share your thoughts and suggestions— particularly around monetisation as they are crucial in helping us make the best decisions for the future of the site.

On our side we continue in the background to work on ways to do more than just keep the lights on.

Thank you for being part of the Boards.ie community.

Odhran & Mike