MuscleGrowth.org is shutting down.

[Eliswansigurado]

Gosh, how sad.
Just wanted to say thanks, and I'll miss the site- i too first started coming here in my mid 20s and now am in my mid 30s. Its meant a lot to me, enjoying so many of the great authors on here, etc.
I wasn't actually aware of hassling conversations involving your decision to dis-allow underage stories but I understand that it was ultimately your decision to make and i regret if we all failed to respect that as a group.
anyway, thanks again

[cmiller]

Originally Posted by xboy

Just in case I have open now that>>>>


http://musclegrowth.myfastforum.org/index.php

it's new so it's a baby forum, IF you want to continue to close that @fleXodus maybe we can continue this "Journey" here?

Yea that's more like a temporary fix right there, you do need the necessary and secure architecture to host a forum like this and a free forum like that isn't the way.

No matter what I'm going to be putting up a new site. Whether or not I can secure the domain to keep this place like it never went away is another issue.

In the meantime I've already started setting up the new forum and will get back to you guys when it's somewhat ready.

[xboy]

Originally Posted by cmiller

Yea that's more like a temporary fix right there, you do need the necessary and secure architecture to host a forum like this and a free forum like that isn't the way.

No matter what I'm going to be putting up a new site. Whether or not I can secure the domain to keep this place like it never went away is another issue.

In the meantime I've already started setting up the new forum and will get back to you guys when it's somewhat ready.

Yes mayve can be a "bridge" for the next one...the mine , I mean, only temporaney...uh?

[cmiller]

Originally Posted by xboy

Yes mayve can be a "bridge" for the next one...the mine , I mean, only temporaney...uh?

Well my current plan is to have something up and running before this closes down. So it should be a seamless switch.

[xboy]

Originally Posted by cmiller

Well my current plan is to have something up and running before this closes down. So it should be a seamless switch.

GREAT!!! I love you!!

[EQQUS]

well thats a real shame. i've made some real friends here, and although im not much of an active poster, i have found lot of support here.
you have powerful reasons to do as you plan, just know that you have created something beautiful and good here, something probably bigger than most of us.

oh well, moving on.

[Frankly]

I never thought a website could have such an impact on me. But I remember the first day i found this site, skipping all my classes that day and reading as many stories as i could before my eyes and body were exhausted.

This site taught me i wasn't alone. It showed me there are thousands of other people into muscle growth and that I am not an oddity for my fetish. It gave me a sense of community, and belonging where i could learn from others, appreciate their amazing creativity, and explore my sexuality.

It is thanks to this site that i am out of the closet, as both gay and into muscle growth and i will be incredibly saddened to see it go.

Thank you flex for creating this forum and running it thanklessly for so long.

[Ragetiger]

Not sure, but there is Metabods that site has been around just as long and this forum. It doesn't allow artwork, images, videos, and the such (they had a legal scare over a morphed image). and any story submitted have to ensure that the characters are of legal age.

Hate to see this place go, but seems all great things do come to an end at somepoint.

I'll be keeping tabs here, so if a reddit does pop up I'll sub to that.

[bobtimbob]

This is extremely disappointing.

Originally Posted by fleXodus

Hi CMiller, this sounds great. If you'd like to set-up a new website, I can redirect traffic to yours. I won't be able to transfer the existing site database because of all the data attached to it (logins, private messages, etc). My hope is that authors will re-post their stories on the new site.

I do plan on keeping a backup copy of the forum database file and would like to make a downloadable story archive available in the future for sharing on whichever new forum that exists.

I appreciate all you've done flexodus, but can you please let us know in some more concrete terms what we can hope to have preserved? There's more than a decade of accumulated content here. For those few of us in the world with this particular niche interest, losing it would be tragic.

vBulletin is built on a MySQL database, it should be a fairly easy matter to dump the relevant tables for particular forums (i.e. the story forums) without compromising any data that wasn't publicly posted.

If we're not going to get this stuff exported in some official fashion then I'm going to have to write a scraper and pull as much of it as I can before it goes offline.

[wolfpunk]

Reading these news, I feel lucky that I had the habit of copying/pasting stories I liked. I thank everyone involved in providing this very useful site for free. I will continue to read/write this kind of material for years to come. This site changed my life for the better. Enjoying a realm of imagination on a regular basis has helped me to relieve stress and to cope with the harsh realities of life. Remember Einstein said that the imagination is more important than knowledge.

[cmiller]

Originally Posted by bobtimbob

This is extremely disappointing.



I appreciate all you've done flexodus, but can you please let us know in some more concrete terms what we can hope to have preserved? There's more than a decade of accumulated content here. For those few of us in the world with this particular niche interest, losing it would be tragic.

vBulletin is built on a MySQL database, it should be a fairly easy matter to dump the relevant tables for particular forums (i.e. the story forums) without compromising any data that wasn't publicly posted.

If we're not going to get this stuff exported in some official fashion then I'm going to have to write a scraper and pull as much of it as I can before it goes offline.

I plan on using IP.Board to run the new site since I already have a license for it and they have a migration tool from vBulliten (which this site is running) to IP.Board it just depends what I get from him.

[dodoria21]

I'm sorry to see this site go. It helped me embrace my love of muscle and was a place I felt somewhat secure in sharing my own real life growing process without judgment.

I used the site solely to explore actually working out to grow bigger muscles, so I really didn't frequent the story board. I attempted a story of my own once, but lacked the time to really keep it going. As such, I remained oblivious to most the drama, and any drama I did stumble on I moved right past, cuz I'm the kind who just has no time for foolishness, and internet drama is pretty high on my list of foolish stuff. I do understand, though, that being the person running the forum and having no choice but to face all the drama can have its toll.

I'm just grateful this place did exist to help me when I needed it. If another forum arises, I'll most likely check it out.

Thanks again and this place will be missed

[Reeza]

Dear Flexodus,

I am so stunned I barely know what to say. I'm surprised at how emotional I'm getting about this.

Thank you for providing this site for us for all these years. This is the one and only website I have visited on a regular basis for as long as I've had access to the internet. It is the only site where I have ever posted a story.

I can't say that I blame you for your decision. I understand.

But does it need to happen so quickly? Couldn't you leave open some part of the forum that would allow members to communicate with each other until an alternative is available? There are 31,000 members! Please, please give the community you built enough time to relocate.

[js44]

Friends, I'm stunned to hear this. I haven't been the most active member on the forums but I've thoroughly enjoyed the stories written here and the frieindliness of the community. I'm sorry to hear the site is shutting down and hope we can find a way to migrate our stories and continue the community in one way or another.

Everyone I've worked with and read from seems mature, smart, very helpful, and has an interest in improving our fiction and supporting our athleticism. I really appreciate it. I admit I wasn't aware of the problem-members or their outcries, I hope we can be mature enough to understand the unfortunate circumstances flexodus had to incur and his decision. I for one, dude, thank you for your incredible support over the years.

I have all of my stories archived and would be happy to move/republish elsewhere.

CMiller, et al, I'm happy to try to help with a new site, migration, just let me know. I don't know how much help I can be, but I'll try my best.

Thanks again, 'flex, and to the friends here at the community. I hope to see you elsewhere soon...

[cmiller]

Originally Posted by Reeza

Dear Flexodus,

I am so stunned I barely know what to say. I'm surprised at how emotional I'm getting about this.

Thank you for providing this site for us for all these years. This is the one and only website I have visited on a regular basis for as long as I've had access to the internet. It is the only site where I have ever posted a story.

I can't say that I blame you for your decision. I understand.

But does it need to happen so quickly? Couldn't you leave open some part of the forum that would allow members to communicate with each other until an alternative is available? There are 31,000 members! Please, please give the community you built enough time to relocate.

I should have an alternative up by the end of tomorrow evening. And I believe the plan is that he's going to forward this domain to the new domain (which I've already registered something similar) so when people try to come here they'll be greeted with the new website and for about a month I'll have a notification about what happened to this website for people to know.

[demowolf]

So, in essence, your saying there is nothing anyone can do or say to keep this site going. Not even the offers or money and help in support and up keeping?

[tekuno]

Originally Posted by demowolf

So, in essence, your saying there is nothing anyone can do or say to keep this site going. Not even the offers or money and help in support and up keeping?

The problem wasn't the upkeep, it was the fact that certain users were posting underage stuff, certain other users wouldn't stop screaming about it, and a third group of users blamed Flexodus for taking steps to stop it.

In other words: people wouldn't graciously accept a free service with limitations, they had to yell and scream and insult the host. Do you blame him for shutting it down?

[mewletter]

Originally Posted by cmiller

I should have an alternative up by the end of tomorrow evening. And I believe the plan is that he's going to forward this domain to the new domain (which I've already registered something similar) so when people try to come here they'll be greeted with the new website and for about a month I'll have a notification about what happened to this website for people to know.

Do we have to re-register on this new domain again? Will the old posts & threads be transferred to there as well?

[cmiller]

Originally Posted by mewletter

Do we have to re-register on this new domain again? Will the old posts & threads be transferred to there as well?

That all depends if I can get anything from him. If I can get a database dump then I can import everything to the new site and keep users intact. But since it doesn't sound like he wants to do that (for security reasons) more than likely you'll have to resignup.

Resinging up shouldn't be too difficult, it'll also allow me to streamline the registration process and add certain profile features, such as what you're mainly looking for on the site.

I won't enforce any 'real name' policies because I know people sometimes come here to be anonymous and I'm going to respect that.

But I think also starting new might help get things better organized.

But, I don't know yet since I haven't heard back yet if I can get a database dump.

[textline]

I've made a subreddit:

http://www.reddit.com/r/musclegrowth/

[icywolfy]

Well, stories and pictures of underage persons involved in sexual acts have been the subject to lawsuits, as well as FBI investigations.

It's illegal to offer things outright to those in the state of Florida; and many countries, depicting any sexual act or obscene act containing underage individuals can get you into significant legal issues and liability.

Either way, many, many, many sites have had to deal with it. And it's just one of those topics you need to censor; or face undue burden that generally isn't worth the time, expense, and risk to defend.

It's a shame that Flexodus is shutting down the site, but some people just don't have the backbone to run a community site. Countless have failed; and many more will in the future. This is nothing new, but it's a shame.

This was an awesome site, and I wish it would stick around. But, c'est la vie.

[cmiller]

Originally Posted by icywolfy

Well, stories and pictures of underage persons involved in sexual acts have been the subject to lawsuits, as well as FBI investigations.

It's illegal to offer things outright to those in the state of Florida; and many countries, depicting any sexual act or obscene act containing underage individuals can get you into significant legal issues and liability.

Either way, many, many, many sites have had to deal with it. And it's just one of those topics you need to censor; or face undue burden that generally isn't worth the time, expense, and risk to defend.

It's a shame that Flexodus is shutting down the site, but some people just don't have the backbone to run a community site. Countless have failed; and many more will in the future. This is nothing new, but it's a shame.

This was an awesome site, and I wish it would stick around. But, c'est la vie.

After more than 10+ years of running community boards I hope to do this right because I love this board and I don't want to see it go.

So don't get too discouraged as of yet.

[Proteus]

Thanks for offering a place where I could explore my sexuality. I think I must have been 13-14 when I first started lurking (I'm now 24) and this site served as safe space for me to figure out what was going on with me. I didn't fully accept that I was attracted to men until the end of high school, but in that tense period where I recognized same-sex attraction but didn't want to fully acknowledge it, I was able to get quite a bit of joy from reading stories.

My vote is for the subreddit, but wherever most of us end up flocking to is probably where I'll go. However, I will only feel comfortable joining a community if it adheres by rules such as those that seemed to bother people here (no under 18 stuff).

In the meantime, I have a deviantart (here) and submit finished stories under the name "Proteus" to metabods. I'd suggest others consider them as viable temporary havens for their stories.

Thanks for so much,
Proteus

[cmiller]

Originally Posted by Proteus

Thanks for offering a place where I could explore my sexuality. I think I must have been 13-14 when I first started lurking (I'm now 24) and this site served as safe space for me to figure out what was going on with me. I didn't fully accept that I was attracted to men until the end of high school, but in that tense period where I recognized same-sex attraction but didn't want to fully acknowledge it, I was able to get quite a bit of joy from reading stories.

My vote is for the subreddit, but wherever most of us end up flocking to is probably where I'll go. However, I will only feel comfortable joining a community if it adheres by rules such as those that seemed to bother people here (no under 18 stuff).

In the meantime, I have a deviantart (here) and submit finished stories under the name "Proteus" to metabods. I'd suggest others consider them as viable temporary havens for their stories.

Thanks for so much,
Proteus

A forum like the one I'm putting up offers the best catalogue and response potential for material like what is posted here.

And I do agree with you, rules on the new site are going to mirror what's already here. No under 18 stuff and general guidelines.

I don't want to overload with rules but there will be some to keep it legal and keep it safe. Plus you'll be able to directly upload and embed images inline so everyone can see them without having to be linked off somewhere.

[omelissokomos]

Thanks for the past 11 years Flex, and I totally understand your reasons for moving on.

Even though I haven't been active in the forums for the past few years, this site has remained a significant part of my own thanks to the updates of several authors, and I hope to continue get updates from whatever site or sites come up in the aftermath.

That being said, for those who wish to archive their stories on my site, please send me an e-mail to [email protected].

[Xyggurat]

This is a typical and unfortunate situation of the cure being worse than the problem.

You took a correct stance against what effectively amounts to textual child pornography, and while there will be defenders who--either to protect their own interests in the aforementioned or out of a misguided desire for tolerance--flared up for a bit, I don't think anyone feels that shutting down the forum is an optimal solution.

As long-time writer and supporter of this forum, I'll throw my vote in among those asking you to reconsider.

-X-

[raven79]

Hello O, I have always wanted to thank you for linking my blog to your page. It has done wonders for my views.

I will be waiting anxiously cmiller for your new page because I don't want to end my postings.

[cmiller]

Originally Posted by raven79

Hello O, I have always wanted to thank you for linking my blog to your page. It has done wonders for my views.

I will be waiting anxiously cmiller for your new page because I don't want to end my postings.

I can tell you that the site is completely installed and I'm just configuring settings and adding forum areas to mirror those here.

So I could have it up within maybe an hour or two. I'm just not ready for public traffic yet before I get crucial info in there.

[Freaker!!]

What policy changes? What policies? What problems? Can't see any at Post Muscle Growth Sories. Can that stay? Probably not. Bon Voyage Don Quixote!

To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go
To right the unrightable wrong
To love pure and chaste from afar
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star

This is my quest
To follow that star
No matter how hopeless
No matter how far

To fight for the right
Without question or pause
To be willing to march into Hell
For a heavenly cause

And I know if I'll only be true
To this glorious quest
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm
When I'm laid to my rest

[Rey Draco]

Wow, can't believe this is happening. I've only been here for a bit over a year, but it feels like more. I know I haven't really contributed to the community in terms of stuff like stories or morphs, but I think that comes from me having no time to write good stuff.

I will miss this place and everyone I met here, even if the site gets moved, not everyone will come along at first. I've been through site closures before and they always hit hard.

I don't know the details or such of what happened, but it was flex's decision for rules. Another site I go on recently instituted a rule of no fanfiction to prevent google from directing people to the site looking for stuff and wind up going to a vastly different site. I do agree with the whole minors in stories limit and such and can see why he would stop having them as it can lead to legal matters and such and if something ever did happen, we'd all be put under scrutiny for being members, even if we never went to those forums.

Anyway, thanks for such a wonderful site flex. I wish you only the best of luck in the future and same goes for every person on this site, whether you met me or not, or liked me or not.

[Xenophon]

Originally Posted by fleXodus

Hi CMiller, this sounds great. If you'd like to set-up a new website, I can redirect traffic to yours. I won't be able to transfer the existing site database because of all the data attached to it (logins, private messages, etc). My hope is that authors will re-post their stories on the new site.

I do plan on keeping a backup copy of the forum database file and would like to make a downloadable story archive available in the future for sharing on whichever new forum that exists.

FleXodus, thank you for creating and running this forum. It has been a great run! Thanks again!

[Ragetiger]

Originally Posted by cmiller

I can tell you that the site is completely installed and I'm just configuring settings and adding forum areas to mirror those here.

So I could have it up within maybe an hour or two. I'm just not ready for public traffic yet before I get crucial info in there.

Very nice, I'll make sure to sign up once it's up and running.

[rosco]

Like so many things in today's society, a small vocal negative minority seems to be able to rule the situation! So sorry that flexodus has been the target of these nasty, negative comments. As one of the casual visitors and silent majority I can understand the decision to remove the cause of the angst. Cmiller your "life-saving" offer is so appreciated. I hope all the members will get behind and support you to keep this amazing site operating. Best wishes to flex and the future of musclegrowth.org!