Transparency On The Future of ATS

originally posted by: AtomicKangaroo

Yep, but they keep on ignoring it. Then wonder why things have turned out this way.
*insert Picard facepalm image here*

Sadly seen too many businesses go under from ignoring what people say they want, instead going with 'this is what we think you want' as if we are clueless about what we're looking for.

most video game devs do the same - makes new game suggestions forum. proceeds to ignore forum for years. offers game for free 3 months after release.

that's sad to hear. i have lifted adblocker specific to ats since day one i'm back. i'd suggest gofundme for the time being perhaps? until a more firm solution is found of course. i've seen an art community owner who managed to raise about 900 dollars of his 6k goal. then again, their website is focusing on digital art but still. instead of the paid membership system suggested a few posts back, we could restrict certain sections to donators only. a patreon account as an external affiliate would be also worth a try.

a reply to: JBurns

I'm not one who agrees easily. I have a line in the sand and almost always, your stand is on that other side.

Yet, here we are agreeing that ATS needs to exist.

This place has been a haven for my odd mind. I'm interested in everything and ATS serves that need like no other site I've ever seen.

Losing ATS will forever shape my views of the world. I won't have that unfair and unbalanced view of the world that is what ATS is, completely bonkers.

I learn from the unbalanced, the sane, the totally whacked out jobs.....I learn from you all. And that is the joy that is ATS.

Fourteen years I've been here, and I've learned. How to debate, how to argue, how to agree.......

Losing ATS will be devastating. This place may be imperfect, but aren't we all? ATS is a reflection of all of us and I'm willing to put up a few bucks if needed to help the cause.

May never be a site like this. I sure hope you guys can make this happen.

a reply to: SkepticOverlord

I really hope ATS stays, been a member for quite awhile and to be honest, it's where I get most of my news.

originally posted by: IAMTAT
THIS has ATS valued at $ 10,182
www.getwebprice.org...

☝☝☝☝☝☝☝☝☝☝☝☝☝☝☝

a reply to: Snarl

Buying ATS is like buying a mobile home. The price and value are excellent, it's that space rent that'll get you!

a reply to: face23785

Secret Projects is fun but the mods are nazis. Reddit is ass as well. I love the UFO and aircraft projects forums but I don't know man. Aircraft Projects is absolutely a hidden gem.

I originally came here because someone in a comment section mentioned ATS when I was researching what was happening at the Sunspot observatory. I've stayed FOR the politics. Let me say that again....after quite a while lurking, I was willing to link to an account that would give away my identity (which is bull crap) to get an ATS account so that I can keep up on current events, news, and politics here. Sure, I enjoy reading about UFO's, Bigfoot, and 9/11. But that's not what keeps me coming here every day. I value the fact that, being an "old school" forum, I can hear opinions and commentary by a more mature audience....people who own businesses, have raised families, have/had successful careers, military careers, that have actually been through some life, have some actual perspective, and are less driven by "feels". I don't really get the people who talk about the old ATS, the way it used to be. Sure, you can morn that it's "not like the old days", but when the top topics are all current events and politics that should tell you what people are coming here for TODAY. As was said above, the current state of the world at this time is the BIGGEST conspiracy going. There is a war on free speech....and free, critical thinking. Maybe this has become ATS's calling. I would gladly pay a monthly subscription to keep this site open for free speech.

I don't see why the site can't be divided into a current events/political section and a section for traditional conspiracy topics. I completely understand the desire to have things in one's life that you can enjoy without including current events and politics in them constantly as well.

Wow . . . didn't expect this.

I have to say that I owe this site and its Metaphysics/Philosophy community a lot as it made an enormous difference on my own research [and ultimately my books and educational ventures] concerning the development of a full and comprehensive ToE [Theory of Everything] that focuses primarily on the existential emergences and processes that provide energy, mass, and material structure with stability and progressive consistency; basically, the nature of prephysics and the establishment of the constants that allow and require our universe to be what it's become and behave as it does. Without this site, there's no way that I would've learned what I learned or progressed in the manner and direction I did.

This'll be a loss, that's for sure.

When so much here became tribalistic, I was concerned. After all, that sort of thing always ends up with one tribe winning out in the end; inevitably canceling out the basic attraction that a debate/idea exchange site like this offers. It ends up feeling like an unwelcome space for those with dissenting views, eventually becoming a social-intellectual equivalent to generations of familial inbreeding; the long-term survival increasingly threatened as that successful tribe strengthens its hold on the space. Right, left . . . didn't matter which tribe emerged triumphant. It was that triumph itself that doomed this wonderful space.

Thanks for the years of providing a free space for so many unexpected frames of reference and points of perspective. My little AutoGenesism ToE would not have had a shot at emerging and developing as it has without the brilliant and brilliantly offbeat notions I encountered on this site. I'll always be grateful for the years I spent soaking up the wide variety of insights posted here and having my own views so aggressively and effectively vetted during that pivotal period of time. Like I said, this will be a loss.

a reply to: JourneyAbout

There is a war on free speech....and free, critical thinking. Maybe this has become ATS's calling.

ATS started as just a conspiracy site, when other sites became more and more restrictive, people retreated to ATS to actually express their opinions more freely on non-conspiracy subjects like current events.
Look at what became of Facebook/Reddit and Youtube in the last 5 years.
I think the lack of censorship is what is driving some to this site more into world and American politics instead of conspiracy, we started for the conspiracy topics and stayed for the uncensored ability to express ourselves about current events
And now it's gotten to the point it dominants ATS, for better or worse. So many sites are left wing echo chambers, if it seems this is a right wing echo chamber it's because all these members got culture cancelled from other forums, I know I did. It caused the independents and centrists to gravitate to a place they could still post freely and that is ATS.

And that is the true value of ATS that should not be lost.

a reply to: SkepticOverlord

this sucks as there are some great people here for the most part and dispite the flack given to the moderators they have done a great job making this site great.

if ats doesnt sell or the cia cuts ats budget ;-) and it goes away , will you allow users to post information to an alternative site? or consider open source it?

originally posted by: AScrubWhoDied
But theres really no way that a move to AWS should cost anywhere near the numbers you've been given.

It's not so "easy." There's a great deal of "bare-metal" specific code developed over the years. Many things, like the flash-based image uploading need to be completely recoded.

a reply to: SkepticOverlord

Hey Bossman, I may have missed it but is there and absolute drop dead number you need right now to keep things going and update the site? There's so many threads on trying to raise funds, it would be good to know if there's a realistic chance to help.

Hey SO and well-intentioned ATS'ers..... we need some organization if we are serious about making a Member Purchase Buyout happen. We need a committee of serious investors who can sign Confidentiality Agreements with SO and enter into a discussion about what it would take to make a purchase.

THEN we need to to discuss a business plan. We need to agree on how the business (assuming not-for-profit, but that is a business decision among investors) would need to look. Paying Membership? If so, how much? What is the value and functionality that people are paying for? What do T's and C's look like? This is especially important with Section 230 reform coming. What about merchandise? Paid Seminars? Lots of potential options here....many ideas to discuss for business development.

THEN we would also need to discuss upgrades and migration. How much would they cost? Who would do them? The whole site will need a technical inventory & review from end to end. This, itself, takes time and money. What do we do in the meantime? There are answers to all these questions, but someone needs to document them.

My suggestion is for those individuals who want to become a serious investor on a buyout need to start another thread for the purposes of collaborating so their "work" doesn't get lost in this thread. Maybe from there, you can use Teams, Skype, Zoom, or even a free conference site (google it) to have your first business meeting to discuss the MUTUAL confidentiality agreements and what the Boys want/need for the buyout.

Sorry I can't read 38 pages.

What's the price ATS is selling for?

I am an interested investor...

And yes I made it start raining money so just throw a price out and I'll think it over....

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus
Hey Bossman, I may have missed it but is there and absolute drop dead number you need right now to keep things going and update the site?

No. As previously stated, no one is able to devote the time.

a reply to: SkepticOverlord

Gotcha. How about for just an outright member purchase? Roughly if you can't or don't want to get into specifics.


ETA: I see you just answered that.

originally posted by: muzzleflash
What's the price ATS is selling for?

We're not going to discuss that in public. Email admin -at- theabovenetwork -dot- com to engage in a discussion.

I've been on and off ATS for at least 12 years. It's been fascinating to see how ATS has evolved. ATS drew me in with the paranormal threads, then eventually it became very political.

I've enjoyed what ATS has had to offer over the years. Met some cool people here. But all good things must come to an end. It's sad to see and think about, but that's life.

So, so long and thanks for all the fish.

originally posted by: SkepticOverlord

originally posted by: AScrubWhoDied
But theres really no way that a move to AWS should cost anywhere near the numbers you've been given.

It's not so "easy." There's a great deal of "bare-metal" specific code developed over the years. Many things, like the flash-based image uploading need to be completely recoded.

...and, from what I've read here, that would cost approx. $100K.

Is that correct?