>>69839chan started out as a forum before becoming an imageboard. The reasons we switched to a modified version of vichan in September was because it's easier to promote an imageboard without registration and have it be somewhat active than it is to promote a forum, have people make accounts and then continue using the site. Ironically 4chan getting killed just made more people find this site.
To be honest, though, I would personally rather run a forum than an imageboard. I don't dislike imageboards but I dislike the stigma around them (the avg normie sees all imageboards as 4chan's /pol/ rather than separate websites with different cultures and userbases) and the fact that maintaining one includes having to look at some really disgusting imagery against your will. Not to mention how toxic modern imageboard culture has become compared to 10 years ago with a lot of the big ones becoming essentially anonymous versions of Twitter/Reddit or doing raids with malicious intent rather than for lulz. I think we're lucky that we're a small board and the mods aren't incompetent like 4chan's jannies, otherwise I feel like 39chan would devolve into a similar sort of cesspool.
I'll continue managing this site for as long as I'm able to handle it, though. It's been fun so far despite everything and a lot of cool, creative things have come out of it like the Sena UTAU and some original songs.
