Error - 7 Year Testimonial
The beginning
I joined HackForums.net back in 2009, the forum had only been around for about 2 years at this time. I originally found HackForums while researching a way to program a cheat for a game from scratch, there were quite a few programming tutorials available and I did eventually find what I was looking for! The members were very helpful and knowledgeable. I continued to visit occasionally to expand my abilities with a computer, and to this day the site is still full of very useful information! Best of all? It's free!
Goals & My Future
Around the time I joined HF I was still in high school and was trying to figure out what to do with my life after I graduated. I was very interested in web design and marketing, so I began following guides in the webmaster section and eventually made a few of my own websites for practice. This was beyond helpful and was a huge impact on my life at the time, I was taking classes for web design at school and I learned more in 2 weeks on HackForums than I did the entire year at school! Once I was able to get a handle on developing sites I began doing small projects such as a web proxy and developed a few PHP scripts for my friends to use. These skills carried over and have stuck with me to this day. After I graduated from high school I had a few part time jobs, and while working at these places I applied the knowledge I acquired here to expand their businesses by developing social media profiles and websites for their companies. This eventually led me to work for a local start-up in the budding Cannabis industry in 2012, this is where I began to learn about marketing and how to make a profit from my work. I built a website for the local dispensary and helped integrate their inventory system into an online menu as well as ran social media pages and advertisements on nearly every single online community relating to their target audience I could find. Within a year of opening we made over 1 million dollars in profits after tax. Without the knowledge I gained from HackForums this would never have been possible for me to achieve.
Money Making
Other than being one of the best sites on the internet to learn new things, HackForums also provides another unique experience - a vast marketplace full of very interesting tools, guides, and software! When I first began my HackForums journey I never considered that I could actually make money just by being a part of a community, but after my first few years I realized the potential this site has when it comes to online monetizing. There's a huge selection of marketplace sections that you can choose from to sell various things. I've personally made a couple thousand dollars over the past few years, and it was a great experience. My favorite section would definitely have to be the Domains Marketplace. It really fits my adventure well, as I've been developing on the web for the past 5 years. It's a great place to purchase some high quality domain names that can't be found in other places. If you can find the right domain and a way to market it you could potentially make thousands of dollars!
Upgrades & Awards
One of my favorite features that is pretty unique is the ability to upgrade your account. These upgrades allow you to support the community and give back for the valuable knowledge, friendships, and entertainment available here. I upgraded my account back in 2011 to the L33T status so that I could give reputation feedback to other members and access the VIP section, which back when it was still around was a place full of exclusive methods and guides. To this day upgraded members still receive benefits such as extended private message space and enhanced features that regular members do not have access to. Upgrading your account proves you're serious about your time here and shows that you're committed to making this place fun and exciting!
Another great feature is the award system. If you are a high quality contributing member you can potentially get a thank you for your effort in the form of a profile award. These awards are fun and are given only by the owner of the website. You can also be gifted an award for donating to the site, as a thank you for being a supportive member of the community. It's a great way to personalize your profile too!
I've earned a few awards for advertising HackForums and being active on the sister forum SupportForums, and have also personally donated $100 to this site as a thank you for all of the things I've learned here, and I do not regret it at all, and in fact I plan to continue to support this community for years to come!
Impact On My Life
HackForums has had a huge influence on my life and the path it has taken. It truly has changed my goals and dreams for the better and I visit daily to continue to better myself. I will be forever grateful for what I have learned and experienced while being a part of this great community! I would like to give a huge thanks to Omniscient for doing such a great job and keeping this site a safe and fun environment for people to learn, you are awesome. 👍
I would definitely recommend this site to my friends and anyone looking to learn and be a part of a great community!