Footstompin worked very well when Elizabeth Thoumire was running it, despite being the software equivalent of something held together with string and duct tape. When her son Simon took it over, shut it down and replaced it with "handsupfortrad", it became solely a promotional vehicle for his own activities and understandably attracted almost no interest from anyone else.

The more durable forums have been those that don't centre around a single performer or group.