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i can only echo the sentiments on this page michael, – this is the best abf/anr website around and it is all down to you and your hard work and dedication!
who ever takes over this site (hopefully someone will!) they will have big shoes to fill and high standards to achieve.
all the best to you for the future and thankyou for all you have done for the people on here.
regards. michael.
Ah Michael im absolutely gutted to hear this but 100% understand why you woulld go this route. I get to enjoy the full of the site but you have to take all the crap that goes with running and keeping a site like this safe and you most likely dont get to sit back and enjoy like the rest of us. I hope you will stay on in some capacity. I have enjoyed all our chats over the years. You have also been so good to me when trouble came my way. Whatever lies ahead i wish you all the best.
Dear Michael,
So sad to hear that you have to quit here. But I understand it. Thank you so much for making this site a home for such a variety of Fellows from around the world united by their love to ABF.Would it be a bit easier for you if there is a monthly fee maybe? I sm sure lots of us members would support you and your fabulous site.
Turning a free site into a pay site is the quickest way to kill it. Especially for a fetish/kink/niche interest site.
Most of the time when site owners want to step back or transfer ownership, it’s because of the time and energy that must be invested in running a site. It’s not an easy job, and usually takes more than just an interest in the site’s topic or friends on the site.
Just some food for thought.Michael, I’m devastated to read this news, and I fear for the future of this site. ABFH is by far the best ABF/ANR site on the internet, and you’ve kept it a free site, too. If you’re selling it, no doubt the new owner will want to recoup their investment, which means the days of this being a free site are numbered. And I agree with the sentiment about that transition expressed in the post directly preceding mine here. Is there anything the collective membership can do to persuade you to change your mind? Have you considered recruiting volunteer co-administrators to lighten your workload?
Hi Michael, I’m relatively new and I don’t know you very well. I think you’ve done a very good job running a free website. Frankly, I know very little about what it takes to do so. I only have to assume there are at least some costs involved with computer equipment, programming and upgrades.
To me, it doesn’t seem feasible to operate as a free site. Although it’s been so generous of you to provide this, it doesn’t seem practical or fair to ask you to continue doing it. I assume you have a personal life and running a world-wide website seems like much more than a weekend hobby! I encourage you to: 1. Explore charging monthly or yearly memberships immediately thru credit cards like every other dating site; 2. Advertise your website for sale if you still choose to sell or 3. Re-evaluate other options site members have suggested if you like those.
Whatever you decide, be happy in your decision! After all, it’s yours to make. 😊I’m sorry to hear this news as you’ve done a great job running this site Michael! But as others have said, you need to take care of you first!
Thank you Michael. We take so much of this website working great/smoothly for granted. Appreciate you!
Asking for donations is the best avenue for raising funds and not killing the site. See if some volunteers can help take some of the load off your plate.
Food for thought.
My two cents.
Having been a moderator for over a dozen years at a very, very (leading in its field) large Internet forum, I’ve seen how owners can take a significant step back from running a forum. Yes, this site is a bit different than a standard Internet forum but the basic concepts apply.
As others have pointed out, a couple of things can be done. One, is to recruit volunteers to run the site on a day to day basis. Yes, it takes a little time to get the right people and the right number of people, but once that’s done things can more or less run themselves. The owner can decide how much or how little they are involved.
Another is to monetize the forum with ads. The mechanics of this can vary but the idea is to have enough income to hire software support and an administrator to run things, if desired.
Income can also be generated by a modest membership fee to participate. The key here is modest, to maintain the existing culture that Michael has so skillfully created. I don’t know the number of members here, but let’s say there are a thousand, $50 a year buys $50,000 of help, which should cover most, if not all, of the site’s needs.
Hi Michael,
Sad to hear that you are looking for other options for this site. In that regard, if stepping back/away is in your best interest, then you have to do what you need to do in order to preserve your sanity 🙂
There always comes a point in everyone’s life when they have to simplify their life, remove any identified causes of stress and move forward.
Nothing ever remains the same. For some reason, this year seems to be an interesting year in that regard.
That’s all I have to say for now, other than highlighting what others have already chimed in regarding the awesome job you have done with this site. I definitely echo what they have articulated about your vital role in bringing this community together. All the best in the months ahead.
Michael your leadership has been outstanding! You have very much diserve retirement in all of your hard work and hope to stay tuned with any new changes, thankyou!!
I suppose what @ontoanew1 said is spot on. This place wouldn’t be the same without you involved.
Baring difficult economic policies our government has in place about FOREX, I’d pay a monthly subscription adding up to $50 a year. No questions asked.
Please explore monetisation if that fails then you could look for a buyer.
Interesting top linking domains. Less so the cut-n-paste PHP modules or the implied involvement in the Air BnB crash, and not even the porn site. Forget those. Go straight to pakalertpress. Your rabbit hole awaits.
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