Best way to return to VB?

[moonclamp]

About 9 months ago I left Vbulletin -- I found some really nifty looking software that seemed to meet all my needs (Woltlab Suite) and decided to give it a try.


I was using VB4 and never liked the lack of customisation in VB5 -- and WSC had all of that plus responsiveness.

But for some reason isn't working -- I have no idea why but the traffic is down, people don't get on with it like they did with VB and, well the move seems to have been a mistake.

To be honest I really don't understand the problem - WSC software is good, but my members still seem to prefer the older VB4 we used before.

So, I want to come back to VB, but...

The thing I didn't consider is that there are next to no export scripts for WSC -- I can import into WSC from VB, but I can't come back. I'm stuck in a one way street.

I still have the VB4 database and files from 9 months ago, but 9 months of forum is a lot to lose.

So, I'm after ideas, suggestions and experiences?

[In Omnibus]

I wouldn't come back to vB4. Development on it stopped quite some time ago. The technology is outdated. Most of the add ons and modifications are coding dinosaurs. And it won't even work with the latest PHP versions.

In all honesty it sounds more like the problem is something other than the software.

But, if you really wanted to come back to vB4 knowing that it's dated and probably not the answer there are software conversion companies that offer such services.

[Dave]

Are you sure the forum software is the cause? It's possible that the subject of your forum is just not that interesting anymore or is taken over by Facebook/Twitter/Reddit.

[moonclamp]

The forum has been online since 2005 and has been declining for the last few years due to the rise of FB etc. - but there was a very palpable drop in traffic after moving from vb which happened almost overnight.

I can't really explain it because, in all honesty, WSC offers a lot more in terms of features and responsiveness when compared with VB - and if anything it should have given it a boost.

[Dave]

What kind of traffic dropped? Bot traffic or legitimate visitors?

It's possible that a lot of hyperlinks broke and are no longer working which caused bots and automatic traffic to stop visiting your site.

[romaine]

Originally Posted by moonclamp

But for some reason isn't working -- I have no idea why but the traffic is down, people don't get on with it like they did with VB and, well the move seems to have been a mistake.

It depends on 2 factors

- Google could update their search algorithm
- You didn't do right redirection when moving to a new platform.

Hope that help.

[Mark.B]

Chopping and changing forum software to improve a dying or struggling site is pretty much never the answer.

1. It doesn't bring any new users in - nobody in the outside world cares what software your forum runs.
2. It winds up your remaining loyal user base who preferred the original software.

Unfortunately this advice is probably too late.

[romaine]

Originally Posted by Mark.B

Chopping and changing forum software to improve a dying or struggling site is pretty much never the answer.

1. It doesn't bring any new users in - nobody in the outside world cares what software your forum runs.
2. It winds up your remaining loyal user base who preferred the original software.

Unfortunately this advice is probably too late.

Agree with you, before moving to a new platform, we should analyze or ask how many members want to use that new platform and make sure that it will bring more benefits when moving to it.

[Meister2017]

there is probably a possibility via this plugin: https://xenforo.com/community/resour...?field=faq=faq