***The-T-Bar Forum Nearly Closes but now Lives On!!!***

Evening guys and gals,

Unfortunately it gives me great sadness to announce that we have decided to close The-T-Bar Forum. I assure you this decision has not been made lightly, we've had a long hard think about it and several discussions but the truth is that The-T-Bar's future is looking unrecoverably grim. With the forum getting quieter each month and me lacking the time to boost traffic the future of the forum is unavoidable. I'd like to share with you all the statistice for new posts since the forum opened on Oct. 31st 2009:

*October 2009 - 199
*November 2009 -3597
*December 2009 - 2531
*January 2010 - 2672
*February 2010 - 1653
*March 2010 - 737
*April 2010 - 570
*May 2010 - 962
*June 2010 - 734
*July 2010 - 643
*August 2010 - 584
*September 2010 - 337

...as you can see the post count is declining pretty rapidly! And let's be honest no one wants to be a member of a dead forum so the way I see it is we can either end it with our heads held high or we can bleed every last drop out of the place until there's no one left.
I wish it didn't have to come to this but I can't see a way out that doesn't involve dedicating time that I just don't have anymore. I wish I could go back to that crazy, chatty, enthusiastic, won't take no for an answer, MG_CHIC but I've just changed and my priorities aren't what they were. If I'm being honest with myself I'd have ended the forum when I started at Virgin but I couldn't bare to let you all down. But now I realize that having a forum with no direction is far worse than having no forum.
So the forum will be closed for good on October 31st 2010 (our one year anniversary). If anyone wishes to take it over and go in a new direction with it you are very welcome to but please think hard as it's not your money that you will lose (£11.74 a month is hardly a great sum) but rather a great deal of your time.

On a personal note, I would like to thank you all for the good times we have had and the loyalty you have shown. I love you all and I hope you will make to stay in touch with many of you. I'm proud to have counted you among my friends and I hope that whilst the forum may be over, our friendship isn't.
I'm truly sorry I couldn't have been the owner this place deserved and I'm even more sorry to have let you all down, in hindsight there were probably things that could have been done differently but hindsight is a wonderful thing! I hope you accept my deepest apologies,

Kara xxx

P.S. I'm sure that news of The-T-Bar's closure will be delightful for certain members of another forum and I have one thing to say to those people: E' meglio vivere un giorno da leone che cent'anni da pecora. (It is better to live one day as a lion than a hundred years as a sheep.)

Kara, Im really sorry it has had to come to this.
But I wish you the best of luck for the future.

P.S. I agree with your P.S. 100%.

Aww thanks hun! :grouphug:

Agreed, would have been so nice for the forum to maintain a consistent level of posts & a bit of variety but I guess in the end we're a bit like the local grocers vs. Tesco... we provide a smaller, more intimate service but it just isnt enough! :frown:

A sad but enevitable conclusion to the forum really.... Most smaller forums have been struggling since social networking took off... Added to the fact most new people join the biggest and busiest forums in the field means it's an uphill battle.
These things happen I guess.
Wishing you well for the future Kara.

I feel for you kara, first to lose your car now the forum. I hope somehow we can all keep in contact, but I for one will never return to the other lot, so maybe e-mail will have to do. After all the work and effort put into the layout and content I hope we will find a volunteer to keep it going. But if not keep it on file, you never know maybe one day ?
Good luck Kara and keep in touch.

Nothing I can really say Kara, I know for one I havent spent the time I should have on here and for that I am sorry hun... Its a shame that the T Bar didnt take off the way we had all hoped, but, at the end of the day hun, you gave it your best shot..

Kara;16040 wrote: Aww thanks hun! :grouphug:

Agreed, would have been so nice for the forum to maintain a consistent level of posts & a bit of variety but I guess in the end we're a bit like the local grocers vs. Tesco... we provide a smaller, more intimate service but it just isnt enough! :frown:

But I like the local grocers better than Tesco's.

Andycolm;16041 wrote: A sad but enevitable conclusion to the forum really.... Most smaller forums have been struggling since social networking took off... Added to the fact most new people join the biggest and busiest forums in the field means it's an uphill battle.
These things happen I guess.
Wishing you well for the future Kara.

Thank you so much Andy and may I return the best wishes to you!

I agree with you completely, it is a constant uphill struggle, don't get me wrong I believe that with a lot of hard work you could rival bigger forums by offering something unique say but it sure doesn't happen over night and the amount of hard work it would take is just too much for me!

Eagle;16044 wrote: I feel for you kara, first to lose your car now the forum. I hope somehow we can all keep in contact, but I for one will never return to the other lot, so maybe e-mail will have to do. After all the work and effort put into the layout and content I hope we will find a volunteer to keep it going. But if not keep it on file, you never know maybe one day ?
Good luck Kara and keep in touch.

It completely saddens me that people like yourself will not have alternative but perhaps someone will come along and save her, ya never know, I hope you're not the only one that sees her potential!

Can't count the amount of tough luck I've had recently, first losing slave, then Virgin, now the forum, but it's made me stronger & I do believe the tide will change, hopefully this new job will spell a fresh start for me. Not to mention the wedding which of course yourself and anyone else on here is very welcome to attend!

Teri;16045 wrote: Nothing I can really say Kara, I know for one I havent spent the time I should have on here and for that I am sorry hun... Its a shame that the T Bar didnt take off the way we had all hoped, but, at the end of the day hun, you gave it your best shot..

Thanks Teri, and don't underestimate how much you helped, you gave it your best shot to! I was always greatful for the way you made everyone feel welcome and of course just being your bright, bubbly self was invigorating! Keep in touch on the good ol' facebook!

GazSuttonUK;16046 wrote: But I like the local grocers better than Tesco's.

Lol I know and for once we're actually cheaper! :lol:

My first reply, hope its not my last.
Just when I found something different.....

buzzbee;16048 wrote: My first reply, hope its not my last.
Just when I found something different.....

Aww I'm so sorry hun! Can't imagine how frustrated you must be! All I would say is give it a week or so for everyone to hear the news as I know there are some really passionate people on here so fingers crossed someone will step forward and then you can stay & have a seat lol!

Hi Kara,
Really sad to read of the impending demise of this forum YOU created.I have found everyone very helpfull regarding my technical enquiries,especially David and Clive.The wealth of knowledge of the forum members will be sorely missed by myself, and I expect by many more.Please accept my thanks for the pleasure YOUR forum has given me since I joined and be assured that whatever pleasure this news gives some people,it took a strong person to stand up and be counted and go forward to create something that gave immense pleasure to other like minded people.I personally would like to wish you all the best for the future and thanks for the past.
Best regards Neil x

Sorry to hear you are closing the forum Kara but can understand your reasons. Keep in touch - I am sure you will have another MG one day;)