I went through all these checks when making a new site, in 2013.

I went, I made it, all the time I was seeking for a co-administrator, I didn't find a reliable one (yes, a few said they wanted to run the site with me... but without actually doing anything more than, in a couple of occasions, create a character and writing 2-3 posts with it - but the others hadn't even finished their characters, not to say about taking part in worldbuilding or anything else). In the meanwhile I wrote all the documentation needed, I had it ready to be opened... And it never opened because I have never found a co-administrator to run it with. Not even members. I would have been fine with a membership of 3-4 reliable people; this kind of site, how I had thought it, would have been doing well as long as there were 3-4 people willing to write a Viking story together. 

I made a plan of action, I stuck to it, my ongoing site had never suffered because of this. I told my members that I was opening it, I would have loved them to come to the other site too, but it didn't happen. So... my Viking site never opened. And I am still wondering about something else, related - if it never opened, I can't say it died; so is it a failure or not, for me as administrator?

1 hour ago, Elena said:

I went through all these checks when making a new site, in 2013. . . And it never opened because I have never found a co-administrator to run it with. . .  And I am still wondering about something else, related - if it never opened, I can't say it died; so is it a failure or not, for me as administrator?

It's a learning experience. Personally, I believe we learn more from our failures than we do our successes, and therefore failure is nothing to be ashamed or scared of. On that note, you already know the cause of your failure. If you were to reconsider opening up another site, that is where I would begin. Why did not having a co-administrator stop you? Why do you need a co-administrator? If you can't rely on one, then adjust the workload to something more manageable for just yourself.

I do not think the SITE was a failure since it was not open yet. But if it was opened, then died, it would have been a failure.

I need a co-administrator because it is a collaborative story. Everything should be shared. Otherwise, I would have written it all alone. Which I did, to my Viking story. I mean, the characters I made for the site were here too, and it got published last year, look at me giving authographs!

I have always had staff on "Before the Mast" too, and when they are all absent and I am all alone, I resent it the most. Not necessarily for the WORK part, as for the advice part. Or, well, if being active and writing awesome stories is work, then yes, for a part of the work... (As for the need for a co-administrator, I can only write. I can't photoshop, I can't code, I always need somebody with technical skills by my side. The Viking site was skinned, coded, arranged by my former BtM co-administrator who was into all these, while I wrote all the documentation. But without her it would have remained on the Invisionfree basic skin and with no banner.)

6 minutes ago, Elena said:

I need a co-administrator because it is a collaborative story. Everything should be shared. Otherwise, I would have written it all alone. Which I did, to my Viking story. . . I have always had staff on "Before the Mast" too, and when they are all absent and I am all alone, I resent it the most. Not necessarily for the WORK part, as for the advice part. Or, well, if being active and writing awesome stories is work, then yes, for a part of the work... (As for the need for a co-administrator, I can only write. I can't photoshop, I can't code, I always need somebody with technical skills by my side.)

What I understand from your response is that you feel that you are not sharing the story with anyone if you do not have a co-administrator. What makes you feel as though having a co-administrator validates the sharing experience instead of just having members, for example?

There are also many free services out there- premade themes and graphics shops. You also are in possession of a great amount of willpower- enough to write and publish a book! What is stopping you from using premades and visiting graphics shops, or even learning to code or make graphics on your own?

I think the part with why having a co-administrator matters should be a separate subject in a thread

As for using premades - I don't know what to do with them (as concerns coding. For graphics, yes, I can see it.) As for learning to code and to photoshop - I don't find it interesting. It would just take from my time for writing, and I wouldn't do something good. I am of the principle of letting everyone do what they like doing and what they do best - some people like coding and doing graphics. I do like writing, plotting, researching. 

I feel another, vital question to consider is whether or not you have the time to dedicate to the sites. Not only how much you need to dedicate, but whether or not you will be satisfied giving both sites the attention you feel they deserve and whether or not you would be okay with one being put on the backburner and potentially suffering for it because another needs focus.

Can you manage multiple sites (presumably on your own) while still having time to work, sleep, have a social life off the computer, pursue other interests, eat, and take care of yourself? 

Sites are needy creatures.