We're moving the forum software over to xenforo in the near future (I hope). To help cut back on migration 'costs' and difficulty, we've started pruning and cleaning up the forum pre-migration. This includes pruning users, and also pruning old/non useful forum sections
Stuff that's been done so far (with future updates to be posted in the thread):
1. Deleted all users who haven't logged on in the last 3 years
NOTE: I may also prune users who haven't logged in in the last 2 years. This will remove around 26,000 of the forum's 36,000 registered users. It also means migration will be much easier. While I generally dislike deleting content, I think it's something we should do to make migration easier (2 years is a long time to not log in).
2. Removed all users 'pending email activation'
Around 4,000 users, most were 2012 or earlier and registered/last visited on the same day (never activated or posted)
3. Removed FAQ/tutorials section
This section was pretty much unused, the main/important topics that rarely came up were site questions that belong in the feature request/question/bug section anyways
4. Removed Creative Corner section
This was an executive decision I made today, and have been thinking about doing for awhile. The section isn't used much anymore, and has become somewhat of a honeypot for one-off self-promotion threads, usually from people who aren't site users and are just coming through to spam. Other site-user threads get posted sometimes, always self promotion for something, which is fine and all, but that stuff belongs in the user's personal profile (in your bio, etc)
I did move 3 sticky/big threads into general anime discussion (post your fav fan art and 2 others) and deleted the section. If you have personal stuff you'd like to promote (AMVs, personal blog posts, youtube reviews, etc), please put it into your profile bio from now on.
5. Removed Vendor Reviews section
This section was a remnant of when we used to have a vendor database (this is at least 1 version of the site ago, if not 2) for buying anime-related stuff. I don't see us bringing it back in the future and the section is generally unused and spammy when used
6. Removed Anime Reviews and Manga Reviews sections
These were old/locked sections that used to be used before we had user/community reviews on the site. I debated posting an announcement first about 'move these into the site by x day before I delete them', but while scanning them, they were pretty much all written by the (now MIA) site reviewing team, or other old regulars who aren't around anymore. Given the content is 3+ years old I'd hope those have been migrated anyways, and there's no easy way to manually move them. So, I removed the sections.
7. Removed a bunch of hidden/moderator/beta test sections that are unused
8. Removed "AniRec List of the Week" section
This is another forum section that used to be heavily trafficed, but has become unused over time. Funkgun has taken up the task of posting new thread, we chatted about the possibility of removing the section and he's given his blessing. We may re-invent the section in the new forum, or it might morph into something that encourages people to make custom lists on the site instead
9. Removed "AP V3" section
V3 has been out forever
10. Pruned all threads from "completed bugs"
Sure, it would be somewhat interesting to keep these threads, but most are bugfixes or years old. Pruning threads means a smaller database size/easier to migrate, and I didn't really see any value in keeping these around. Any newly completed bug threads will get moved into there, but the old ones are gone. In the new forum software I may put an auto-prune into place for the section anyways, removing threads that are more than a few months or year old.
11. Removed Chat Quotes section
Another once-interesting oldie that's become unused
More updates to come. In the meantime if you're reading this and haven't logged into your forum account in the last 2 years, do it soon :)
Stuff that's been done so far (with future updates to be posted in the thread):
1. Deleted all users who haven't logged on in the last 3 years
NOTE: I may also prune users who haven't logged in in the last 2 years. This will remove around 26,000 of the forum's 36,000 registered users. It also means migration will be much easier. While I generally dislike deleting content, I think it's something we should do to make migration easier (2 years is a long time to not log in).
2. Removed all users 'pending email activation'
Around 4,000 users, most were 2012 or earlier and registered/last visited on the same day (never activated or posted)
3. Removed FAQ/tutorials section
This section was pretty much unused, the main/important topics that rarely came up were site questions that belong in the feature request/question/bug section anyways
4. Removed Creative Corner section
This was an executive decision I made today, and have been thinking about doing for awhile. The section isn't used much anymore, and has become somewhat of a honeypot for one-off self-promotion threads, usually from people who aren't site users and are just coming through to spam. Other site-user threads get posted sometimes, always self promotion for something, which is fine and all, but that stuff belongs in the user's personal profile (in your bio, etc)
I did move 3 sticky/big threads into general anime discussion (post your fav fan art and 2 others) and deleted the section. If you have personal stuff you'd like to promote (AMVs, personal blog posts, youtube reviews, etc), please put it into your profile bio from now on.
5. Removed Vendor Reviews section
This section was a remnant of when we used to have a vendor database (this is at least 1 version of the site ago, if not 2) for buying anime-related stuff. I don't see us bringing it back in the future and the section is generally unused and spammy when used
6. Removed Anime Reviews and Manga Reviews sections
These were old/locked sections that used to be used before we had user/community reviews on the site. I debated posting an announcement first about 'move these into the site by x day before I delete them', but while scanning them, they were pretty much all written by the (now MIA) site reviewing team, or other old regulars who aren't around anymore. Given the content is 3+ years old I'd hope those have been migrated anyways, and there's no easy way to manually move them. So, I removed the sections.
7. Removed a bunch of hidden/moderator/beta test sections that are unused
8. Removed "AniRec List of the Week" section
This is another forum section that used to be heavily trafficed, but has become unused over time. Funkgun has taken up the task of posting new thread, we chatted about the possibility of removing the section and he's given his blessing. We may re-invent the section in the new forum, or it might morph into something that encourages people to make custom lists on the site instead
9. Removed "AP V3" section
V3 has been out forever
10. Pruned all threads from "completed bugs"
Sure, it would be somewhat interesting to keep these threads, but most are bugfixes or years old. Pruning threads means a smaller database size/easier to migrate, and I didn't really see any value in keeping these around. Any newly completed bug threads will get moved into there, but the old ones are gone. In the new forum software I may put an auto-prune into place for the section anyways, removing threads that are more than a few months or year old.
11. Removed Chat Quotes section
Another once-interesting oldie that's become unused
More updates to come. In the meantime if you're reading this and haven't logged into your forum account in the last 2 years, do it soon :)