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Originally Posted by mental4astro
Hold on a minute folks,
Before getting too carried away, think a little about where IIS is now & how it got to be so from its hay day some 10 years ago.
Look for all the money raising ways you care for, but if the basis isn't there to maintain it, and it is in desperate need for maintenance & updating, what are you putting your money down for?
Mike, do you want to continue with IIS? Because if Terry is already gone, it looks to all still fall on you, mate, and you have already mentioned in this thread that you are way too busy to make more replies in the very thread you started asking to "fix" IIS. And if you don't want to continue, who will pick it up? This is far more fundamental than a donation button.
Mike, that you are tired of IIS, I get it. I really do. All power to you, brother. You have done an amazing job starting this up. It may well be time to let it go. It is an option too.
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There's definitely points to consider in this, which I have already thought about. But don't have answers yet.
My interest in space & astronomy is still there, but not in a practical sense and not in a way that requires a lot of my time. We've seen countless times over the last 20 years people come and go.. some people rediscovered the hobby after many years away from it. Some people left the hobby after many years in it. That's only natural.
The easiest solution (for me) is to simply let it die - people will naturally find other places to congregate.
However, if there's ways to keep the site and community going, I'm keen to explore those options because this site is 20 years old! There's a lot to be proud of, and with some effort , it might be the chance to reinvigorate it - with help.
That is, finding someone who can help maintain the site or forums more. The moderators (RB, h0ughy, sheeny) and Suzy on FB have done a fantastic job keeping things ticking along. Whether it's them (they're tired too!) or someone else who has the inclination, energy, etc to help maintain things, would be required.
I definitely know that we can't stay on the current hosting site. I'll need to pay the current bill to keep the site going while I work on finding another provider, getting on a new platform (modern version of vBulletin etc), and can still get the marketplace side going. There's a lot of custom code Terry did to get IceTrade like it is now. So any new solution won't be exactly the same.
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Originally Posted by glend
I see IIS as primarily a chat site, and a sales board. And frankly the only time some people seem to appear is to flog something in the Classifieds. So yes, if your only selling stuff then be prepared to kick in a percentage of your sale. In recent years, a fair number of older, or longer appearing members, seem to have pulled back a lot. Some if this is likely due to the weariness of age, illness, and a lack of a sense of community which has been noticed. There used to be regular dark site trips in the eastern states, and local trips and events, all if which build the sense if community. All if the big star parties in NSW are gone, one of which was put on by IIS. Even the Astro Society is winding down. Poor Al Meehan is stuck with heaps of Star Party equipment, and a lack of interest in people helping out. Simply, the sense of community and mateship has gone. I organised a couple of Central Coast Morning Tea to get people talking and may be planning. The last time we met last year there were three of us that showed up, and a cornerstone member Al Lovett has sold off his astro equipment. We lost a big personality earlier this year, Alex E, controversial at times, but he got folks excited.
While I appreciate the issues that IIS faces, they are not unique issues, as many people are time poor, aging, and frankly everyone is squeezed financially, especially those with mortgages.
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I was kind of alluding to this too.. there's definitely elements of truth here and that's natural with any community of any kind - online or in person. There's always changes, people come and go, and it requires a lot of work (and new blood) to keep the community invigorated.