FW, in its current form, has been active for about seven months now, and in that time, virtually nothing has happened. Some people have signed up, a few games have been started, the majority of RP has stagnated almost immediately, and people forgo the forums entirely to just hang out in the chat, wherein they usually idle silently till they decide to log out. This would be less of an issue if the forums weren't the point of entry for new people, who see the inactivity and just decide to not bother registering. I know this, because I've been told by people who have gone elsewhere.

Now, in the past, I've tried a veritable plethora of ideas, and none of them had any impact on what you people wanted. Tried an FW radio station, never got off the ground because people couldn't commit themselves like they'd promised. Tried an arcade, but again, same problem. Oekaki drawing boards, image boards, Ventrilo, even the idea of hosting online games like Team Fortress, Minecraft and the like, all of these ideas, you people either just shrugged at with indifference, or just voted against. I ask what you'd like to see in the site, and again, shrugs and someone saying, "I'd help, but..." Even the people who initially wanted to help bring the site back to life has abandoned it, some as soon as just a couple months in.

And frankly, what is there for people to stay for? The inactive forums sure are a great draw, as are the people in the chat who seem to outright ignore new members, drive others away, and sit on their high horses, looking down their noses because they somehow have a higher opinion of themselves than reality should permit.

I'm trying to bring new people in from various other places, but they take one look at this place and they just go elsewhere. Honestly, I can't blame them.

At present, the site is costing me approximately $60 a month in server rental fees. I'm stating this, not because I want donations, but so you realise what this is costing me to essentially keep a chat active for most of you to idle. You people apparently don't want anything additional to the site, because you'd never use it (From what I've seen, and from what you yourselves have told me), and you're inactive in just about every area of FW.

As some of you know, I've got some surgery coming up to deal with some long-term issues, and I may be away for a short time. The money for this is all coming out of my own pocket, and if the site is becoming something of a luxury expense, then I will axe it.

So now, I have to ask; has FW just become a redundancy? Is there really any reason for me to keep wasting my money on this thing, or do you honestly want to improve the site and make it an actual community instead of a social clique for a few snobby people kicked out of Yiffy?

I, personally, would like to see Furry-Within brought back to full power so there is more than just one single furry chat and forum site online. I have stated before that I would be willing to donate money, and to do whatever it takes to keep Furry-Within going.

However, the main problem I have seen so far, at least as far as the chat goes, is that if someone logs in and doesn't see anything going on, they won't start anything. I have seen that if two people are RP'ing in the chat, and someone else comes in, they will sometimes stick around and observe, and maybe even join in.

I think we just need to advertise some more. Perhaps put an ad up on FurAffinity. Maybe talk to Google. Things need to happen or the coin is going to start circling the funnel.

As stated, money isn't the primary concern, it's getting what I'm paying for and making this place more active that's more the issue.

Advertising on FA would be nice, however, what is there to advertise? Nobody wants anything, so far as I can tell, from all the times I've asked, with exception to "a character page like what Yiffy has", which I do not have the time to write. There's a gallery that refuses to meet my expectations, and that's about it.

I'm not against the idea, and I would, but from an outside perspective, looking in, there's not that much here. People can say otherwise, but it needs a hook; a reason for people to stay beyond just a forum and a chat, which other places have already.

I have referred a couple people here for RP purposes but unfortunately don't really have the time to devote to any actual forum based RPs or anything of the like; which makes me feel as if I am not fully doing my part in that respect :/  But personally I really enjoy chatting with most the people I have met in here, and have RPed via messenger or what not with a few.  I have not found another site that I feel relaxed around and really enjoy the atmosphere for the most part.  Ah well, thanks for your efforts in any case.

Alright, I was going to drop an analogy about this place being like a skate-park, you built, without skaters (just a few cliques and teens who chill out here, right); but, if you really think there's something wrong with this site then let's look at it critically.

The site's dry, right? Shit like respectable literature is practically nil (essays, poetry, stories, whatever), storytelling and polls are few and far, and Adult RP is lax (and you probably thought that would be the kicker, right? Furries role playing furry sex on the boards so others could ogle it like the nymphos furries are portrayed as? Like when Fchan used to have twice as many gay pics compared to straight/bi, why the hell is it empty here?).

Comparing sites: F-list has its fetish index, comprehensive. SoFurry used to be about stories, now it's just a gallery like FA where (day-)old works are buried in dust. The only thing yiffy.tk has is history with users, and a rocky one at best, nothing else, really. I Google "yiff" and I find SoFurry on the lower half of the page. Googled "furry" and FA hits near the bottom. These other sites don't touch, and encyclopedia dramatica and urban dictionary top the chart. The only way you find "Furry Within" is like how you find Yiffy.tk or F-list: type the name exactly. My point is that when someone's searching for fellow furries, they're not seeing this site - not within the first three pages. After that, who gives?

Still, that shit could be expensive. The fact that you care so much to try these ideas, and pay for them, like Vent, is just... fuck son. I wish you could feel your hard-ass work rewarded (and it is hard-ass, bro, no doubt. Beyond hard, because, like the rest of us you've got a whole-nother life to live daily). You're giving us furries a place to be. If FA and all those other sites were cities (and they might as well be), then this place is like a town. Homely. This is a place with maybe few ative members, but where most can feel equal to others, without that class-mentality that goes with the big sites. Membership here seems tight, people notice, and as a furry there's nothing more satisfying than that. Thanks, Azh.

To make things clear; the site is not[/b] shutting down. Not yet, at least. I just need something to justify my costs. Yes, it's a nice hang-out, but in the long haul, I feel like I'm getting ripped off. I want to expand this place, so more people have a reason to come here. Though I'm sure there's a handful of people who have already abandoned ship due to this topic's title alone. (Given that they're aware of the forums in the first place.)

Granted, I will admit that the site needs a lot of work, and when I get everything I need functioning how I want it, real work will begin. But what I really need is feedback, from people here, on what they actually want. Think outside of the chat for a moment. I'd want more than just a fucking shrug or "I'd help, but...", which I seem to get the majority of the time. The only thing on backburner right now is a decent gallery CMS, since the one I'd like refuses to work with my SQL databases. Anything else, feel free to comment.

Aside from a kick-ass profile system I'm not sure there's much I want (maybe this summer I will try to learn how to code again, but don't count on it ).

We're here because we want to be here, perhaps you should be asking the people who left what they want?

Azh, you speak the truth on all levels.

As far as actual CONTENT on the site goes, we really shouldn't keep putting drywall up when the house is burning down. Right now, it's really just a problem with user activity and interest. I'm not really sure why people come here just to idle in chat or say they are interested in an RP only to drop off the face of the earth.

You know as well as I do that I don't cry about it, but I can't help wondering the same things that you expressed in the original post. I'm always on board to keep this thing going, because generally I enjoy hanging out with the folks on here when I do hop on. If more hyperactive collie is required, I can definitely acquiesce (thank you spell check!), but I have a feeling it's something more than that. The dudes and dudettes here just need to think, "Why did I join in the first place? Maybe I should be MOAR active!"


Or we could just post memes over and over again? JUST SAYIN :3

Good news, there are people willing to Roleplay within the chat itself.

Thanks to Anastasia Sage, Felicia wolverini, Dark Kitsune, and Qaja we got something rolling within the chat and kept it going.

I was able to drop some suggestions to a few people on other sites today about coming here, one actually came over. I'll be doing what I can to bring life back to here. Can't promise a quick fix though. But I've always liked a challenge.

-Nods nods nods-

I gotta say I fully support the idea of getting up there on the Google search. I guarantee there are furs out there searching for places to go without finding them. I myself was completely lost trying to find something new until Azh got this place up and running again. I knew there had to be places out there other than Yiffy, but again, nothing comes up when you Google it!

Also, I do admit that there is more that I could be doing to help out. I really REALLY want to do a radio, but firstly I doubt anybody would listen (since there usually aren't many people on when I am) and secondly I'd need a second machine to do it since my laptop is often being moved around and I don't have my desktop with me right now. Hopefully when I move to Boston I'll be able to set something up that can run 24/7.

I did write an into to a rp thread, but with few views and nobody replying, I just sort of gave up on it and never began another. I suppose I could write a few more and I just might if I think someone is going to join in.

Anyway, VIVA LA FURRY WITHIN!

I figure the radio, like most radio stations that I hear so I am using there example, have DJ's that work in shifts. So for a radio station that is built and used through this site, we would have to have a set schedule and list of people willing to DJ for the times that they are most free.

Here is an example for how it can work:

At 4:00 PM Central time one user finishes there set. Another gets on at 4:10 and continues till 9:00 central time. (I'm using central time to give an idea for it, it can be set up differently when we get it started.) The music could be set up so that it shifts from one genera to another when the next DJ  comes on, or if we can agree on music we have one person play there favorites in that genera then the next person do the same.

But for how cool, and entertaining this can be. I think we gotta put it on hold till we can get more members to listen to the stations.


As for the google thing, I wouldn't know how to get FW higher on the list besides getting more people here to increase the traffic.

Or hey, what about a weekly podcast? No need to stress on exact timelines at that point

I was having trouble thinking about what I want, but I am fine with what is going on. I liked the Vent thing, and used it often, but it's gone now. I am also going to try to RP on the forum again.

However, Cheeky also brought up a good point. Maybe the people who look around and leave should be asked what they want from these sort of places. What exactly are they looking for when they come to this site? The base thing is there. A furry forum.

Then again, not being able to find the place would put a damper on things. Do we advertise on other sites or what?

Still kind of out of it from anaesthetic, so I'll keep it brief and see if I can only use real words and not ones dreamt up in delirium.

Google ads are expensive, and they're even more costly when you're paying to be at the top of every page. Trust me, I've tried it, and I ran up a very large bill for very little return.

The radio would be nice. It would set us apart from many other sites. However, the problem is getting people to commit to the project. Here they are, pretty much signing up for a second job. I have access to software that would allow us to do these sorts of things, I have knowledge and experience to teach people, I'm pretty sure I have the old walkthroughs on setting things up, but without people whom I can solidly rely upon for this, it's just another monetary sinkhole. Last time, we had everything prepared, had people assigned to DJ, playlists sorted, and no one showed.

As for asking people who left, I have asked a number of them over time what it is that made them leave. Some said they just didn't know anyone, some stated they didn't like the company, some had a grudge against me for being another Hitler (because, as we know, I fucking loooove pushing for master races, killing Jews and invading small European countries), some just got bored after logging on once and seeing no one around. And the rest, they just thought there was nothing here they couldn't get from anywhere else.

Ugh. Those who don't know anyone, that is the point of a new place. The idea is to talk to the people and get to know them. With not liking the company, I can go on about that, but I won't. And of course Hitler himself was a Furry and ran a forum in which he wanted to keep order in instead of letting everyone run amuck. I know I regular Zieg Heil you as you put me in Ze Burner. With boredom, I like a lyric from a song "If you are bored, then you're boring." The idea is to make your own fun and see how many people join in on it. With the rest, they do have a point. Type "Furry Forum" in a Google search, and you'll find tons of them. But even when there were new features, I don't remember newbies showing up and saying, "Hey, I saw this feature and thought it was awesome!"

For radio, I don't know. Personally, I have my own music. I don't even listen to normal radio, let alone Internet radio. If it is going to waste money, I don't see the point in it. And sadly, the only way to know if people are going to show and do their job is if they pay to be on the radio. That way, they won't want their own money wasted so they'll do it. They would essentially have to pay for their job in order to make sure they do it. Good intentions don't pay the bills.

I'm going to look for Furs on other sites, like gaming forums or anime forums, etc, and see if they would like to check this place out and add their ideas on how to make this place more lively. That's honestly the only way I know how I can help.