Buying A Backup

I would like to suggest that forumotion provide a backup-buying service. This means that us with forumotion forums could purchase a backup copy of our forum for a one-off fee, and then it gets sent to us. This way we would be able to move our forums to other hosts without losing all of the data we have built up (members, posts etc).

Now, before someone says this is not possible because we don't have DB access, i'm not suggesting the access is given to us. I'm suggesting that forumotion go in and get the backup, then we merely get a copy. This way it is secure.

Hopefully forumotion can understand the importance of this and provide this service. It would also be another area of revenue for forumotion, because i'm not suggesting this is free, but that forumotion charge for every backup

Nice idea bud

I'd certainly be interested in purchasing my Forum back up!

Put up a poll, so we can vote, please.

Poll added.

Sorry about not adding one initially!!!

I don't think so. A lot of free forum hosters have this option and they do not lose members as a result.

For the small percentage of members they do lose, forumotion will make a return on their losses through the money they charge for the service to be carried out . Added onto the fact that if the person decides to move the old forum on forumotion servers can be removed, increasing server space.

Also, remember, the majority (I am not stereotyping just stating a fact) of people using a free host forum do not have the technical knowledge to go and restore that backup on private hosting and then run the forum without all the help etc forumotion gives. So it would only be a certain amount of people that would use this feature.

Still I think it is a good enough suggestion to be implemented - how does having the option there hurt anyone?

Nah we don't actually need this, anyways...
Nah we don't need this... definitly

If Forumotion becomes wants to be the leading forum host, they will need this. Just like how blogger, wordpress allow database downloads. People would then trust Forumotion with their databases.

Doctor Inferno wrote:If Forumotion becomes wants to be the leading forum host, they will need this. Just like how blogger, wordpress allow database downloads. People would then trust Forumotion with their databases.

I agree with you.

My vote is Yes.

Rabu wrote:Nah we don't actually need this, anyways...
Nah we don't need this... definitly

I am shocked.

Could you give valid reasons as to why you think it is not needed please? .

Do you consider all of the features forumotion currently has to be vital? I don't.

Sometimes it is about what is benefitial, not "needed".

Actually, on second thought. The backup should be provided for free. Can a mod merge this and this topic with the first one I created here?

Why should it be provided for free??

It is going to take time for a member of technical staff to go in and get a backup (a useable backup) and send it to us. Especially considering forumotion has a lot of modifications, so if someone wants to go and restore the backup elsewhere it needs to be compatiable.

I think asking for it free is too much.

If it's a backup it should be free, because I doubt we will have access to the files inside. Unless you are talking about having the forum's database.

In that case, yes perhaps it should be free.

The forums are backed up on a regular basis anyway, so I don't see why it would be that big a deal to provide us users with an actual copy .

However, how would the backup be of any use to us unless forumotion then implemented a restore option in the admin panel (or within rescue tools?).

Is there going to be any answer to this one - or have I missd it? I'd like to know if forumotion are going to offer this option, and if so at what cost.

Thanks ............................

i say yes
but i doubt it will work

Move our forum to other hosts?

I don't think this is a good idea then, because Forumotion forums will then be on another host, and then the support forum would just lose more and more members...

Torres, its not forum hosts, its personal hosts, ie. web space. The support forum will only lose people that have server issues.

All this talk is quite academic if you read this thread:

https://help.forumotion.com/suggestions-for-your-forums-f30/buying-a-backup-t53996.htm

Forumotion are not moving on this one - your threads and your stories on their forums do not belong to you

Having a forumotion forum for the last 2 1/2 years with over 366 users and some 14,000 posts this has come quite hard I don't mind telling you.

recent problems forumotion have had with servers brings it home to us all how vulnerable we all are.

My users are very concerned, but totally helpless. and as has been said before on this forum; if we had have understood this from the beginning we would not have entered down this road.

I guess Forumotion believe they have us all over the preverbial barrel.

Anyway no point in complaining - there's no one who can make a difference (or is willing to) listening.

No doubt as I am complaining about Forumotions' service, this thread will be removed and I will get a warning.

or simply make web site service as well, so there is no need to switch to other host...

Example: You make a FM forum, with no knowledge of any CSS/HTML/PHP/JS and it stays online for several years. When it gets really active, with a lot of posts, topics & members, you realize you need to make a website (not just with HTML, but with PHP, js, css files etc... (maybe even flash))... Than it gets on your mind, that this is not available on forumotion, because its only forum service. So you need to make a poll about making DB transfer available. (thats what happened here, i suppose)

FM service has always been great, with interactive/smart/helpful staff...
As like that you do not wish to make an exceptions to several users wishing their forum's DB...



To end this story, this should be enabled, so everyone is satisfied, but if FM had site service as well, nobody would ask this question, but it doesn't have... So I vote yes in this topic, unfortunately...
(hope someone actually saw what i really meant by this post, especially staff.)

i voted yes

My point in all of this is we have no control over our threads. Our forum as an example is for british Army veterans, the average age being 65. They have a wealth of stories and history between them. The oldest fought in WW2 – and the rest of us saw action in almost every conflict since – up to the Falklands war. Our data base is unique to us – and there are lots of other forums covering a wide range of subjects to cancer support groups to young people discussing the latest music – all with the same uniqueness.

The resent problems Forumotion have experienced with their servers leave us worried about their ability to keep our stories secure. We don’t really want to move – like the format and tools. But everyone knows you should have more than one back-up saved in a different place, and what Forumotion are asking us to accept is they will look after our data base securely.

This is what bothers us – not moving to another platform – just securing another copy away from the original in the event of a total loss situation.

Why the people at Forumotion can’t see that beats me.

I guess it's not in forumotion's own interests to give us access to our databases.

I voted yes though because, like you hareswith, I would at least like to have a copy of my forum on my HD and disc. I don't think I'd actually move my forum, just have peace of mind that if it did go belly up on forumotion, then at least I could resurrect some semblance of my forum if need be.

Bump...

Good idea
Voted yes

if this works.. how much per backup cost?

I see no reason for this not to be implemented. I think we need this function.

I understand that the terms dictate that we do not own our own databases - the whole point of this suggestion is to make obtaining it possible, in a way that if we choose to go down the private hosting route we can transfer our members and post data easily. Obviously modifications cannot be because these are specific to forumotion.

I would very much like to see this added and judging from the poll results so far it is a very popular idea, so keep voting people and lets keep our fingers crossed that forumotion will realize we do NEED this!!

i vote yes...we should be able to get backup

i vote yes for free!