All good things must come to an end, right?
FlipQuiz started in March of 2014. I had tried to create a “Jeopardy for Teachers” some years before that, but it wasn’t something teachers could manage themselves. This was crucial for widespread adoption.
After having worked with Drupal for a few years, I decided to give this idea another try – at least for Lisa. I wanted to build something she could log into, edit, and play in the classroom. As I got closer to a working prototype, I began to wonder if it was something that I could make available to ALL teachers. I mean, the “login to create and edit content” functionality was already there, so why not open that up to others?
I started to build this product into something that looked great (at the time) and could handle other teacher logins and content. The first version looked something like this:
With Lisa’s help posting the link on Edmodo, it quickly became a hit! (At one point, it even had steady 100k+ per month user visits!) There were numerous social media posts talking about FlipQuiz, YouTube videos created by others showing people how to get started, and it made several “Educator Top 10” lists.
During this time, I really wanted it to succeed and heavily marketed it with email blasts, social posts/contests, swag, and a refreshed theme. Here are just a few of the goodies created over the years…
Then, in Summer 2018, (after some issues with the sustainability of the Drupal site) I decided to convert the site from Drupal to WordPress – with a URL update from FlipQuiz.me to FlipQuiz.com. Well, not really convert, but completely re-build. I thought it looked and worked really well, but having 2 sites (the Drupal one was rebranded FlipQuiz Classic and remained at FlipQuiz.me) proved to be confusing for most people. PRO benefits didn’t transfer from one to the other (for technical reasons) and boards didn’t transfer either.
I didn’t know it at the time, but this may have been the kiss of death without me realizing it.
The new site looked like this:
Fast forward to Summer 2019 and the site is coming to an end. For reasons due to time and the priority of my full-time job at Thrive, I just can’t support the site any more.
It’s bittersweet, but it’s time.
Without a doubt, this project (read: journey) has been one of the greatest learning experiences I’ve had in my career. Since 2014, I started a side project that I had full control over, started a business around it, learned how to market it through social media and email, learned how to talk to t-shirt and print companies to create marketing materials, figured out how to manage a complete site rebuild on 2 different platforms, and found out just how demanding customer support can be for this kind of thing.
FlipQuiz has been a great ride. Here are some of the things I’ve learned:
- Starting a business is fairly easy, maintaining it is hard.
- Business finances can be really hard – make sure you do it right from the start.
- It’s easy to get swept up emotionally in a project that’s doing well.
- It’s hard to commit time to a project that has plateaued.
- I should have called it quits before now, but obligation kept the site alive.
- There are real people on the other end of the screen that I am letting down.
- God has a plan for this, too.
If you’re reading this and you used FlipQuiz, thank you so much! You are why I didn’t want to give it up. I appreciate all of your emails, social posts, and encouraging words. Also, I’m sorry that I had to shut FlipQuiz down, but it was necessary.
Because all good things must come to an end.
38 Responses
This was a terrific classroom tool that I will miss….All the best!
Fabulous tool! I used this for 4 years and LOVED it — so did my students!!!
If there is ever a way — please make it come back!!!!!
Found it too late! So sorry – it was wonderful…never got a chance to use it.
Well, I really appreciate the work you invested and I wish the best of luck in the future. I’m a Florida local like you, but I live and work in Norway as an educator.
Your site was a breath of fresh air: unique but fulfilled a need that will be sorely missed.
I have learned a lot from your experience, so thanks for publishing this so we can all learn from what you have gone through.
I didn’t use many Flipquiz functions, but I enjoyed it a lot! It really helped me last school year and I hoped to use it now, but I understand.
Anyway, thank you for the opportunity! It was great.
Thank you for the great site! It was great while it lasted!
Oh no! I’ve been trying to log into Flipquiz for the last few days and wondering why nothing as come up. I’ve just stumbled across this after yet another attempt. I’m gutted! It would have been perfect revision strategy for my Sociology GCSE students. I loved the flexibility of question format in Flipquiz. I guess I’ll have to use Kahoot, but I don’t like being restricted to multiple choice questions. I’m not trying to guilt-trip you here – merely to communicate I much I will miss Flipquiz! I’m sorry it proved to be unsustainable. Ultimately our own health and happiness is priority, and I’m glad you felt able to let go of something which was proving detrimental. I wish you luck in all your future endeavours! Best wishes.
I loved and promoted FlipQuiz with all of my teachers. It was so easy to use and really eye catching. I’m so sad to hear about this.
Thanks for all you did for teachers!
My cohorts and I (fellow homeschool moms coop-ing together) loved FlipQuiz and utilized it frequently for classroom review. Thank you for the good years! You will be greatly missed!!
so sad to hear this. I loved this site and it helped my students…what will I do now?
I’m sad to see this go! I just went to look for my review for my first test and couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t working. However, I understand the stress it must have created and wish you all the best! You created an easy-to-use product that the kids all loved! Thank you so much!
I really enjoyed using it and creating boards other Language teachers could use as well. Thank you for using your skills to help provide such a great service to others. I’m very sorry to see it go but appreciate all of your efforts and time.
I’m so sorry to hear this. I used flipquiz for the past few years with a program I run with high school classes. They loved it. I was ready to send out the link for this year and discovered this. I don’t know what I’m going to use now.
Well, this is disappointing. I loved the site. Maybe someone will come up with something similar? There is definitely a need for this type of platform.
You’ll be sorely missed.
It is pity! We loved flipquiz, I am a teacher from Argentina, the students, my mates and I played it several times a year with different topics, we have a project at school which is called General Knowledge Competition and we used the flipquiz board to play it.
Thanks a lot for you hard work!
It was very useful for us, the teachers!
xxxx,
Miss Dani
Awwww I went to use my quiz for my students this year for Driver Education and I read your message. I’m so sorry that you had to close-up shop. I loved your product and it really did help my students. Good luck in the future.
I used this for several years while I taught 6th grade History to prepare students for oncoming tests, they loved it! Sad to see this product off the market, it was great.
So sorry to see it go!!! I have been searching awhile for it and just stumbled on this. My heart breaks for me and you at the same time. I teach special ed and this was an amazing way to get ALL my students involved doing math. They would actually ask daily to do it and I could always find a board that aligned with the standard. Loved the trivia ones for rewards for working hard. Understand your dilemma- I’m going to hate breaking the sad news to my students. May God light your path and bless you as much as flip quiz blessed us.
It has been a great platform for use in class. Thank you for making it available while it lasted.
Hola, hello.
I am a teacher from Canary Islands, Spain. Suddenly, when I had decided to make a new flipquiz for my students, it was impossible to find the url of this resource. I didn´t understand what was hapenning. Another collegue realised the same problem, and we thought “what had happend with one of the best resources for our students?” Now, I´ve just found this article and the worst became real, FLIPQUIZ shut down. Is it not possible to try a best solution?. It has been a very bad new, overall when we just start a new course.
I used it 9 months into its life and it served my first four years as a full-time teacher and covered a variety of levels and subjects. Thank you so much. Please let us crowdfund or finacially contribute to this superior product to other alternatives.
Thank you for FlipQuiz. I loved using it with my middle schoolers. Now that FlipQuiz is gone, do you know a site I can use instead with similar capabilities?
I was going to use Flipquiz for a Final Exam review in Algebra – so sorry to see it go! Best wishes on your future endeavors!
I am so sorry to hear this, but I understand. My students really enjoyed using the program in class. It gave immediate feedback, and the competition aspect was perfect for the Junior High classroom. Thank you for all your hard work!
Thank you for all your work on this passion project! I’m sorry it had to come to and end. I like many other teachers am sad to see FlipQuiz come to end. I’ve been a teacher for 9 years and have been using FlipQuiz for almost all that time as a way to review before math and English exams. My students and I both loved it. I also taught other teachers about it in PDs and they were just an enthusiastic about using it. I only have one question, is my suspicion correct that all of my past flip quizzes are now lost? If that’s the case I understand. Either way, I appreciate you making such an awesome project available for so long. Wishing you well all the way from the American School of Bangkok!
Thank you for your hard work!
God loves you deeply! You are part of God’s great plan!
I’m struggling with some life issues and reading this gives some direction or comfort as I discern life’s direction.
Peace,
Mark
I used FlipQuiz to impart a yearly seminar on Gamification for teachers. FlipQuiz was, from all tools used, the one that created the most interesting moments, so it will be an important loss.
Congrats for your work, and know that I’m really sorry for the end of the platform (I realize I’m guilty, beceause I always used the free version).
Regards
Understand your journey had to end, but bitterly disappointed – one of the best tools I ever used for teacher training! Well done you for giving EdTech a bloody good nudge!
Most things that come to an end we do not always know why. Thank you for your story because I just knew that I was doing something wrong when the site no longer worked. Thank your for your dedication towards Flipquiz. It was great tool in my teacher toolkit.
Again thank you.
I’ve been using it for the past few years and its been super helpful in creating team engagement acxtivities 🙁 But have faith in God’s plan for u!
was a great tool! I definitely miss it. I hope you have success elsewhere.
Blessings.
Yes right, every good things come to end one end. Nice tool but with time new things also come. So we have to replace this with other tools like Factile. It is quite useful for those who are using Flipquiz earlier.
I miss it sorely! I did find https://www.playfactile.com/ as an alternative… but miss FlipQuiz!
Thanks for your blood, sweat, and tears!!!
That’s such a shame! For 3 years, we used FlipQuizzes in class and for whole-school quizzes – such a cool tool. Best of all, the children loved it!
Thank you for all your creativity and hard work.
Wishing you all the best.
So sad.
I used to work with. I made some quizzes for my students…
And now that I was trying to find them. What a bitter surprise.
My peers and I used Flipquiz at an Ivy League university as students. The site was an interactive and engaging way to give a presentation on a diversity of subject matters. I mean, who doesn’t love Jeopardy? Recently, I intended to create a board while on quarantine to play with my work colleagues during a zoom meeting as a fun way to keep us connected. I loved this and I am sorry to see it go, but I understand. Thank you for giving us this resource. Peace and light to you :-).
Every semester I used this with my students, I had two great Flipquizes we all loved! I just found this page and now I know why it hasn’t worked for a while. RIP and thank you for keeping it up as long as you did!