I'm getting too old for this shit.

[JamusActimus]

I think you should take a break that's for sure.
1 week,one month, three month I don't know take as much time as you need to refocus on yourself and come back (or not that option is open too).
I understand your dread regarding your future and I know how much it hurts to reach a certain age and see that you didn't achieve what you imagined you would.
Take time to think about and don't compare yourself to other peoples only yourself.

As for money I think you will end up finding a way to metise the site and users here will be mostly okay with your actions.
As for lolcows, I feel that in general politic are really toxic for everyone and make bad thoughts invade your mind. Then while it is clear that some cow have passed their prime there is still some good cows out there. I think too that we have a problem with "pseudo cows" that do stupid shit and to be talked to on the internet and have the farm react to me they are not real cows.

Lastly I just wanna say that this site is the only one where I feel that the staff and owner are on my side and have my back. I am not just a nuisance that can make you lose add revenue but something else.


Take care and have a break Joshua

 

[Petronella]

I would have agreed with your first paragraph at an earlier time. I remember a discussion in the Gab thread about how the only people who use Gab are people who get banned on twitter, who are usually Nazis and other right wing extremists. Kiwi farms feels like it has been becoming the same way, where you’ll get an assload of downvotes for taking any sort of pro-transgender or anti-racism position, among other more progressive topics.

I think that the defense of free speech is an admirable goal, but just because of how the internet works, a lot of people who get banned elsewhere just come here to shit everything up. And I can’t think of any solutions to that.

Very good points. I feel like over time, as you said, we've become where edgelords go to lick their wounds, and I don't doubt a lot of their shitting up the forum is a good part of what inspired the "KF is a Nazi forum dedicated to hunting trans women for sport" narrative.
Which all ties back into part of why Null is so tired of this shit.

 

[Tealeaf]

There’s a crazy world out there.

Honestly and sincerely I will respect whatever choice you take, Null. You’re not in debt to me or the community.

Consider selling shares of Lolcow LLC (or a new company in charge of the forum) to a number of people interested in the continuity of it. This brings confidence that the forum continues existing on its own momentum, both financially and by additional pairs of hands to do the maintenance it needs. Which means much less burden for you.

If some of these people are willing to stand on the Kiwi Soapbox and join you in being public representatives of the company with all the public implications it carries, that means you could fully step back and do your own thing.

This is in no way a silver bullet that guarantees anything goes right, but hopefully gives some food for thought.

 

[Spamy the Bot]

DSP outlasts another one of his contemporaries yet again!!

DSP is the last man standing. *snorts*

If that is the case, it might be time to hide the General Discussion forums, at least A&H and Happenings, force them to produce relevant content first. Or say fuck it and delete those two.

Its a shame that the site has taken on an intellectually lazy userbase.

Put the political area behind a paywall. lol jk

 

[Diabeetus]

The very people who helped make the site and define its culture are now gone and will never come back because what they left was not what they joined in the first place.

Josh, they left because you treated them like shit. The moderators who deleted their accounts saw how you handled the hack as a window of opportunity for them to quit moderating a website owned by someone who barely took their perspectives into account. It was like when Flamenco quit co-hosting the Killstream because "Zoom (pedophile, liar) was harassing him on Discord", that was just his excuse so he could stop dealing with Ethan Ralph's alcoholic, obese ass without causing drama and further trouble for both of them, because that's what being honest about his situation would've done.

I wish I didn't know what you did to Cricket. I wish I was completely unaware of what you did to Pandas Galore. Ignorance is bliss, and I had the most fun using this website back when I had the slightest modicum of respect for the person responsible for it's continued existence. I know that's nothing coming from Diabeetus, the retard who has only been on here for only two years and made a handful of lolcow threads which are mostly shitty, but I can guarantee that other, more senior and respected users of this website hold the exact same sentiments as I do behind closed doors.

The current state of the Kiwi Farms reminds me of Ratatouille, a Pixar film about rats. @champthom is like the late Auguste Gusteau, and you're like Skinner, Gusteau's former sous-chef and the guy who he trusted to manage the restaurant in his absence. The staff holds clear resentment for Skinner and all the bad decisions he has made while in control, but they stay around anyway, because what Gusteau left behind means a lot to quite a few people.

Please take a break, Null. Give your power to someone who gives a fuck about lolcows and would put up with the constant bullshit that comes with running this place. Once you come back, please start listening to your staff. Take their suggestions into account. It is the only way the people on your own website will honestly respect you without feeling like they need to suck your dick because you're the owner of the Kiwi Forums. I think you can improve things, despite what the previous three paragraphs on this post may suggest. I only wish for the best.

That's my piece. Please don't restrict me from posting or updating my account because of my criticism, because for the record, I would totally play Overwatch with you.

 

[Golly]

No lolcow site should ever impede your ability to have a family. If that's the case, then shifting management is absolutely a good move.

I joined this forum in early 2013, the first or second day it was made, after receiving an email that the Cwckiforums would continue on after all. At that point, the forum had only existed for a brief period and was already suffering from constant take downs and drama. We were only a tiny disaster community who wanted to quietly poke fun at the more fascinating weirdos of the internet. I was anticipating having to site hop many times after this, but that didn't happen. I don't even think Null owned the boards yet at this point- it was Champthom, then Alan Pardew for a brief window. Anyway, my point is that when Null took over full site management, no one dreamed he would stick it out for this long.

Where Null has taken Kiwi since then is practically unfathomable. There were many times when under old management, it would be understandable to move, or even cease operations entirely. Instead the site just kept growing and Null kept digging his heels in harder to keep Kiwi existing. That's either admirable or insane. Null has gone well above and beyond any original expectations for the site and owes nothing to Cwckiforums.

If Kiwi stays up for ages, fine. If Kiwi were to go down, I'll probably hop on another email list looking for the next place to talk about internet weirdos. Either way, thank you, Joshua Moon.

 

[Pickle Inspector]

I'd recommend taking a break and doing the stuff you enjoy for a while.

This, but preferably something outside of the internet, even better if it involves going outside and meeting new people (Which may be difficult as long as the lockdown continues).

 

[AnnLurker]

Get a real job like every other normie you cuck. Living a normal life like a lawn mowing boomer is your only path to happiness.
As far as the dumb Trump shit, I'd be more worried if the other internet is over predictions were ever true. The sky never ends up falling.

 

[Heinrich Maneuver]

This place is the one place I trust for somewhat unbiased news coverage and discussion- wu flu, riots, etc. Would be sad to see it go, but do what you must. Godspeed space janny

 

[Kari Kamiya]

I won't lie, I actually started lurking thanks to Brexit, so there's a bit of a political motive to my coming here more because everywhere else is fucking crazy and everyone's so angry and yet here's a place where everyone's free to speak their piece. But I only found my way here because of OPL and so I did indeed stay for the lolcows and learning more about why it is the Internet is so beloved and holds sentimental value in shaping culture. It's literally its own little subculture, a digital world of adventure and wonder and horrors and weird side-attractions, and I love it. I love this place for being one of, if not the most diverse community I've ever seen. It's surprisingly sane despite the oddities, got to talk to some folks here whose time and conversations (no matter how brief) I enjoy.

That's why I'll miss this place should it ever disappear for any reason, but I recognize people come and go, got a taste of it because of last year's compromise. It's admirable what you've done for this site and the direction you've taken it, and if you're going to retire, hopefully you know and trust who to pass the torch along to and have been making those preparations. I'm not versed at all in web hosting and development and the like so I just have to take your word for it it's a heavy burden to keep this place afloat, but you have a good admin and legal team (or at least Kiwis of Law) to assist. Without them, sounds like you'd have been shipped away in a straitjacket long ago.

I'm in full support of you wanting to continue your love quest, and I hope you find your Mrs. Moon soon. When you do (my big fat hopeless romantic optimism is showing again ), when that happy day comes can we get some wedding bells and confetti and rice on the front page so we can celebrate your happiness with you? Or the kiwi logo wearing a tux, whichever's simpler. Go get 'er! Be the beacon of hope for single Kiwis everywhere!

 

[Kacho]

You're in desperate need of finding a big tiddie slav hunny to play with your dick. I told you that a week or two ago and you got very defensive and imagined I was attacking you. I see now I hit a raw nerve. I was serious though. You really need to get off the internet, get out of the house, and find someone to jyuck your jimmy, brother. You're in the part of the world where women on average have the biggest tiddies, so instead of sitting inside and continuing to become this bitter pessimistic doomer sperg queen you've become recently, why don't you go out there and find some to play with for fuck's sake. You could be out there finding your own Yulia Nova to impregnate instead of worrying about people saying things you don't like online.

 

[RomanesEuntDomus]

I've joined this site a million years ago to check up on sporadical Chris Chan updates. They were so few and far in between, that it was more sensible to check out the shitposting in one of the like 12 sub-boards this forum had at the time...

Nowadays, I just read up on Dobson a little, keep tabs on maybe two or three lolcows from time to time and spend most of my time in the offtopic-area.
Most threads move too quickly to really keep track or have been split up into a dozen threads about differen aspects with pretty much the same result.

I enjoy the political shitposting from time to time, but boards that become mainly political in nature (such as A&H) are a shitheap that are only worthy to shitpost in most of the time. Every thread -and I mean EVERY. THREAD- in those boards is "Look what happened in [country A] Lol, what cucks, I am proud to live in [country B], where such a thing will never happen!" (accompanied with a million positive autism-skittles), thread right below that is "Look what happened in [country B] Lol, what cucks, I am proud to live in [country A], where such a thing will never happen!". Chances are, it's about refugees doing refugee things or some stupid political endeavour that will buttfuck free speech one way or the other. Every country is engaging in this shit, yet the board is national tribalism based around shittalking political decsisions by people who are unable to see that their nations are just as much stuck in that swamp as anyone else, yet pretend that isn't the case.

It's tiresome, boring and it has become very homogenous in what opinions are in line with the board-approved line of thought.
If I was into that kind of shit, I would be posting on Reddit, tbh.

I think I mainly hang out in niche-media/hobby threads, cause those still have a feeling of community like what we used to have back when this was still the CWC-Forums.
Man, I miss some of the shitposters of yesteryear.

Be that as it may, I hope that maybe some aspects of this forum (like the offtopic area) might be salvageable and live on, but if this site ever goes tits up, I want to tell you guys, it was an honor shitposting with you.

 

[Ear]

So the increased woman-centric-ness of the site was actually a ploy to find Null a mate?

In all seriousness, sometimes you have got to be selfish & prioritise your own happiness. I wish you all the best, whatever you choose to do.

 

[Andrejborg]

i think specifically on the free speech part most folks really do appreciate it and just haven't noticed the creeping and increasing restriction so for the most part they still take it for granted ones its gone however.....

 

[The Sourdough Region]

Definitely take a break, it's been long overdue for you.
The farms have become a bit of a beacon of hope for me in these troubling times. Your commitment to freedom of speech has been great, and I feel that the fact that this site is successful means that it is not a dying ideal.

Whatever happens in the end, people are going to remember this site. Because of the twists and turns that it has taken, it has become more than a lolcow forum. It's become a place where people come to express their views without fear of ostracization. A place that criminals, egomaniacs, and politicians fear. In a world distorted by political dogma and extremism, it holds power by maintaining a standard for the truth.

 

[Lawn Chair]

It's clear that you've lost your spark and I agree that you need time away. You need to put yourself first for once and figure out what will be most fulfilling for you going forward.
Take care of yourself

 

[Overlined Lips]

So the site has gotten a little too big and you decide to simp out before hitting 30. You haven't even began to experience the shit life has in store for you. Oh, and having a wife and kids won't fix your problems. Never seek a partner to escape your problems. That is a recipe for a failed marriage/relationship.

 

[Twinkie]

Learn the language of wherever you want to end up. You've said in the past that you don't think you need to do this and that English works everywhere but I disagree, especially if you're saying what you really want out of life is to start a family.

It would be better for you now, and also serve you in the future. Even if it's a bilingual household with your wife making the effort to teach the children the native language, you don't want them to feel like you did growing up as if they don't belong where they live. Or like they can't completely connect with you. Imagine speaking an entire language one of your parents can't understand?

So if you're wanting to move towards stability, and are dead set on staying out there in some slav country I think it's a worthy investment of your time to learn the language.

 

[Barbarella]

I don’t remember when I joined, maybe 4 years? It’s not important though. The site has changed a bit but not that much in my view. And I’m guessing it’s because I have never been to any political sections of the site. I stay in lolcows and the girl sections pretty exclusively. Politics never makes a site better, (anything better) unless that’s the sole reason for the site. Drama, people leaving, cries of the sites not as fun as it used to be-all normal. Seen it before. Things change, it doesn’t mean they have to be worse.

I had a friend who ran a pretty big forum that I modded, and he only allowed political discussion for special events,like an election. He’d put it up for a few months surrounding the event with notices that on X date it’d be gone, he’d then nuke it. Some who came for the politics stayed for the fun, others didn’t but it worked well. People understood it wasn’t a political site. I know we like to archive our cows, but political archiving isn’t necessary.

Like others have said, I agree its time for you to take a break. You might want to figure out how can you get a regular amount out of it? Paid membership? Having the same money coming in every month would be easier.

Then take a few months, don’t think about it much unless an idea comes. Go find your woman. The answer will be clear when your break is over. If you decide to close it, announce it, give us a little time to find a new place, then move on.

Also, don’t be too certain your skills would not be wanted in the job market just because of the farms reputation. You are articulate and intelligent and would be able to talk about your strengths as well as the problems, with eloquence. Somebody will hire you.

Finally, a family is a wonderful goal. We don’t know each other but listening to podcasts, reading your writing, it’s clear you are a smart guy with a refreshing perspective and will always be able keep your family cared for. I hope you have someone in mind. No feeder jokes.

It feels like a crossroads and maybe it is. That’s okay, your 20s are about experimenting and your 30s will be figuring it out and settling into it and your 40s is when you know and can spread your wings. What ever it is you decide Josh, this whole community supports you.

I know you didn’t want an essay in return so I’m sorry. Just had the feels: Been there before and came out the other side, as you will too.

 

[Cheese-Loving Citizen]

Damn, that sucks you're going through this whole thing. I enjoy watching your podcasts, sometimes as background noise and sometimes I'd actually watch them. And despite my still very short time on this site, I've been having some fun. Fuck, I'd say this forum is one of the first things I check whenever I wake up in the morning or when I'm bored.

Like others have said, it'd be best if you took a break. Log off, unwind, ignore the constant poltical shit flinging, see the world and all that shit.

And if ever you decide to finally shut it all down and start a family, perhaps sell the site to someone else, someone you trust who won't burn it all to the ground. I know everything will eventually die, Kiwi Farms included, but the hopeful in me would like to see this forum last for just a few more years, if not longer.

But whatever you wish to do is up to you. Just know that people appreciate you for providing them a place where they can freely laugh at delusional trannies, fat people and alcoholic fuck-ups.