r/MontagneParfums • u/scodraran • 3h ago
Discussion A little clarification about ScentAlert and why I’m putting it on hold
Hey everyone,
After my last post, I noticed some people got the wrong impression about what’s happening with ScentAlert. I wanted to clear a few things up and explain what actually led to my decision.
First of all, nobody forced me to shut down the site, and this isn’t about any personal issues. I’m doing fine, and I really appreciate everyone who reached out with concern.
The situation is a little different.
For almost two years, I’ve been building, running, and maintaining ScentAlert on my own. The tool has always been completely free to use, and I’ve been responsible for the infrastructure, expenses, updates, bug fixes, and everything else that comes with keeping it running.
I never expected anything in return when I started. I genuinely enjoyed building something useful for this community, and seeing people use it made the effort worthwhile.
A while ago, I released a major update with several new features and added an optional tip button for anyone who wanted to support the project. Nothing was locked behind a paywall, and donations were never required.
When I shared the update here, the post was removed because of the external link and the mention of donations.
I understood the reasoning behind the rules, even if I was disappointed.
Then something happened that I honestly didn’t expect. Members of this community started speaking up in support of ScentAlert, questioning why a free community tool couldn’t be shared.
Shortly afterward, I was contacted by a moderator who explained the situation and offered to help cover the project’s ongoing costs so the tool could remain available to everyone.
We discussed the infrastructure, maintenance, and what would be needed to get ScentAlert approved again. Eventually, we even agreed on a potential arrangement.
At one point, I was told everything would be ready the following Monday. I was even sent an invitation to join the moderation team.
But shortly after that, I was told there had been disagreements within the mod team, the invitation was withdrawn, and things needed to be discussed further.
I completely understood that. These things happen.
Unfortunately, that was pretty much where communication ended.
I followed up multiple times over the following weeks, hoping to get some clarity about whether we could move forward. But I never received a final answer, and nothing came of the arrangement we had discussed.
Meanwhile, ScentAlert still hasn’t been whitelisted, and I’m still unable to share its new link here.
And to be clear, I’m not saying the moderators owe me money or that they’re obligated to promote my project. They don’t.
But after nearly two years of putting my own time and resources into something for the community, getting so close to finding a solution and then being left without an answer was honestly discouraging.
That’s what ultimately made me decide to step back.
It’s not just about the money. It’s about the time, effort, ongoing responsibility, and the uncertainty of continuing to maintain a community tool that I can’t even properly share with the community it was built for.
I still love this project, and I’m incredibly grateful for everyone who has used it, supported it, or simply said something kind about it.
But for now, I’ve decided to pause active development and maintenance indefinitely. This is my own decision, and I genuinely hope it’s only temporary.
I don’t want this post to turn into another argument or a personal attack against anyone. I just wanted to be transparent about what happened, especially since some people were worried that I had been forced to take the site down.
Thank you again for everything. The support this community has shown ScentAlert over the past two years means more to me than you probably realize.
Hopefully, this isn’t the end of the project.
