Updating this site isn't an option because the current owner doesn't want to make changes. The current owner also isn't motivated to sell. Talks of a site purchase stalled on his end.

I hear you on wanting the history preserved, we've discussed that at length amongst ourselves. It's not a matter of having the nerds to do the work either, we have that. What we don't have (and likely aren't going to get) is the permision to copy the data from this site.

I am normally an optimistic person, but I question it in a new site - I fear that a small percentage of the already-shrinking community would join and it would not build up steam and become a wasted effort. Hopefully I'm wrong.

I do think there needs or should be something to do about feedback and transactions etc. I think I have a top-10 of the site unique transaction feedback count, and have put a shit load of hard work into it. To start over seems very disheartening to be honest.

I agree NA is dying, or seems to be. It currently has legs though...

Lastly I agree NA has become a "brand name" of sorts and I think that plays a role in my first sentence - I'm worried the new site wouldn't gain steam or notoriety. However, I had the same concerns for WATA and they seem to be doing well (even if it was forced down our throats on the site - lol I say that playfully).

A lot of people are concerned with the years of data accumulated here. I can understand the concern. Is there even a way to pull all of it from the site without inviting some legal action from the current owner? Seems if he isn't open to updating or selling the site he wouldn't be open to letting the data he bought leave.

The bolded isn't the issue.   The issue is that "we" don't own NintendoAge and as Corey laid out, also is not for sale, so nothing can get transferred.





 

I'll just go ahead and copy-pasta the suggestion I've made to the rest of the staff which seems to have resonated. Currently this would be my idea/plan:


Was thinking about it in the shower this morning (as you do) and came up with what I think might be a happy compromise for the whole "losing" feedback/transactions/posts from NA thing on a new forum
When I was on the Playstation and Xbox forums, we had site awards, and some of those awards were inter-site awards. For instance, on XBA we had a "PST Staff" award if you were a staff member on one but not the other. 

Similarly, I don't see why we couldn't do the same for NA. Give people badges such as "NA Alum" for being an NA member from before the new forum came into being, an "NA Trader" badge (tiered?) for X amount of transactions on NA, stuff like that.
We could expand this to include ebay and potentially other platforms as well
"eBay elite" for 1000+ positive feedback, or something like that. Again, these COULD be tiered
This would give you a badge on your account that shows to people in a quick and efficient way that you have many positive transactions across various platforms
We'd have to verify them and award them to people, and I imagine there'd be an influx of this at the start as we get people moved over, but I think it's a good long-term solve that is incredibly easy to implement
No coding required whatsoever

Pretty good.

I was also thinking ConsoleAge.com



 

Mostly a lurker, but if the community migrated, I would too..

Simply put, I would absolutely join and try out the new site if it were to happen.

I will also say that it's unfortunate NintendoAge is a "sinking ship" so to speak due to the lack of necessary updates, as many of the insiders have mentioned.

Why do you need permission ? It's on the internet out and freely isnt it? There's really nothing stopping me from printing off the collection tracker and using that info elsewhere or copy and pasting text out of a thread and calling it my own on some other website?

Whatever the new site is called or how it operates, just remember that pushing "inside jokes" is not the way to grow the community. NA is already seen as elitist/cliquish, so too many forced references to Joel, tapes, unobtainable cryptic badges, inner circles, or even NA itself (on the new site) can drive new people away. Of course, I say that as a newer guy.

I used to browse modretro.com, and I loosely followed the transition to bitbuilt.net. It looked (to me, anyway) like it didn't really "take" very well at first, but after a few years, and the dedication of a group of core members, bitbuilt feels like it's stronger than modretro was. So let's not get too discouraged if the traffic isn't what we envision, even after several months.

Also, will anyone who happens to own the site be annoyed if every thread turns into an ad for the new site? It sounds like he literally never checks the forum.

The former no, because that's personal use.   You do a bunch of the latter, you'll likely get some correspondence from a lawyer.  

Take a peek at the bottom of any page on NA for further details.
 

I'd imagine that there are some legal boundaries to consider with something like that, especially labeling the data as your own.

 

I don't want to make it sound like I wouldn't migrate, I certainly would. It'd suck, because the "inside jokes" are what makes this site fun. It's a nice community and a place that we've all fucked off at work for the past decade or so. Haha. Hopefully NA will stay up, so we can visit it, from time to time.

If we all band together to start a new site, I'd help however I could. It took NA a while to get rolling, but the core group was good friends. Hopefully that'd be the same in what you propose. It'd be nice to get back to where there's so many posts, you can't read them all!

Some will stay, some will go, many will use both until Na shuts down and the stay-ers will be kicking the door down to be let in.. New site same purpose, sounds like a great idea to get on this and stay ahead of the inevitable. Good luck with the venture.

I have a football community that split in half thanks to leadership. Now it's two fractured groups.

If you're gonna build a bigger, better, newer NA, I say steal from everyone.

Do an official YouTube channel like Nintendo life. Guys like Defaultgen already make quality, so see if one of them wants to be the face of the site

Do official reviews like NL/Sega-16.

Do social media accounts that aren't just full of plugs for shitty youtube channels. Younger people love this shit

Perhaps retool the contest(s). I don't know how but that could be a much bigger deal than it is or has become


Basically, collecting NES is very niche. The site needs a wider net to grow or thrive in 2019

Databases need total redos. Or at least the interface for interacting with them does.

And retool bans maybe? Act like a douchebag? One week ban. Strike two is one month. Three and you're gone.

...or just do a study of a place like neogaf, and figure out why it continues to thrive. And then do them one better.

Same shit different toilet, why even bother.

And those complaining about badges/post counts/transaction haha, seriously.

A nice new toilet that hasn't been punished by hundreds of sweaty truckers with a shiny handle and warm bath mat for your feet. Also, would it kill you to start taking some probiotics and altering your internet diet? 

 

Pegboy, you didn't tell me you changed your username.  



 

I'd like to see a new forum, this one is rough around the edges especially for mobile use. Clearly there will never be any updates to the site coming soon. As far as any data on the site isnt it technically the work of the original creator like some of the guides and database stuff?

There does seem to be a tension between building a shiny new site that attracts tons of people and becomes a better NA, and simply starting a forum that focuses on giving the community a new place to be and seeing what it becomes. In the second view the loss of members isn't a big deal, and probably a good thing, although that purge may seem like the "forums are dying." It seems like most of the active members who have been around are up for going elsewhere, particularly those that have made real friends through NA.

Badges and post counts are more for bragging rights...but you might be surprised at what having a high transaction feedback record can do to making sales (and a shocking amount of folks offering gift payments out of awesomeness).

Hey seriously tho, you got TP stuck to your shoe...

 

I'd migrate to a new site and am willing to pitch in with coding. I'd rather keep na going and refresh things here but it's pretty clearly on auto pilot and it's not gonna last forever like this

Psychobear85 still trying to be that guy huh? Lol

Nah, the Pegster would have a much more intelligent insult.   Plus it wouldn't be NA as a whole, just RPG grinders and people that play games on Easy.