User blog comment:RealKnockout/Will Fandom Die?/@comment-38078079-20191205113300

While Cheeseskates makes good points, I do think that financial success isn't the sole indicator of whether a site - or company - will survive long-term. . . after all, we've all experienced huge activity on certain sites, only for them to become obsolete or even ceased in their entirety. MySpace was rapidly replaced by Facebook. LiveJournal was replaced by Tumblr. FF.N was replaced by AO3.

I find that Fandom is currently the primary name and place for wikias, which is its main draw and the continuing reason why people use their services. If x person disagrees with their policies, but cannot afford their own server/site, where else can they go? There are likely alternatives, but I couldn't name any off the top of my head, and they likely don't appear as easily on Google or other search engines. It's this brand-recognition and market domination that I think keeps it profitable at present.

Personally, I have very mixed experiences with Fandom. I have a list of gripes as long as my arm, which will likely equal my list of compliments, and I find it's hugely inconsistent. . . I've spoke to some staff members who make me question how people are hired, and others whom I wonder aren't recognised with a promotion for how wonderful they have been. It's. . . difficult.

Just the other day I learned about "forking"; a user-base was so frustrated, they decided to leave Fandom and start their own site for their wikia, and I have every suspicion that it will be a success, as they seem to have planned this well and have it very thought out.

To me it feels "too many chefs", and too many projects. ..

I would like something more focused and streamlined, with a focus on wikias over what vastly seems to becoming a social media platform, and I have concerns, as do other members. I've befriended a few people via Fandom, who have many complaints, and the common complaint between them seems to be a concern about being censored or "getting on staff's bad side". They often are able to point to specific individuals, too, which is worrisome.

So. . . I'm uncertain. ..

Without the right kind of changes, I sense a mass migration the second a better alternative appears, but equally. . . many changes have been promised, which we have yet to see, and it is premature to judge when we've not seen the exact direction Fandom is headed.