WoWoWoWoWo...Whoa!!! "This Website is "For Sale"!!!! (SALE PENDING)

originally posted by: OtherSideOfTheCoin
I stand by those comments I wasn’t denying it just find it kind of cool that some of you seem to care so much about what I write that you remember it like that.

Funny though because I don’t remember a single post or thread you have ever made.

So you’re a narcissist.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

I see your title has been updated by S.O.

originally posted by: eletheia
Would it be possible for someone who knows 3/4 other sites to PM everyone collectively then those who want to have a source for other sites?
...

As far as I know, the system doesn't allow multiple messaging, as a safeguard against spammers. You can't even message two people without a short interval between them.

Never post here but been a member for 17 years and been on this site for 20..2020 strikes again

Anyone buying this site is going to lose their shirt.
Forums have been on the way out for years. Hard to find a single forum that has a substantial number of recent posts, much less posts worth reading.
The business model has gone extinct. You can blame Facebook, Twitter, et al, but not really. Those are just representative of the newer business models.

In a few years, the only place you'll find forums is the internet archive.
It's depressing, sure. But there aren't many blacksmiths around either.


Harte

a reply to: Harte

Anyone buying this site is going to lose their shirt.

Tax write off. Never made sense to me but it sounds awesome.

Forums have been on the way out for years.

Every since everyone started using "devices" rather than real computers. That and MyFace and things like that.

a reply to: Harte

Yeah I would be curious to know how a new owner plans on making this profitable.

Seems like Mama Cass ain't singing yet.

Let's hope that these prospective new owners have a business model that ensures the sites viability whilst maintaining its core values and principles.

And while I have no desire to see politics excluded from the subjects discussed on ATS I personally would like to see it take a less prominent role.

I'm sure they'll have their own ideas on how the site will move forwards - the site needs new members and fresh ideas.

I've come here for years, mainly as a lurker. At one point, this site was my favorite place to come look for news that hasn't hit MSM, have a few laughs at some threads, and really enjoy most of the aviation oriented content from Zaph. This past year though, it has become an echo chamber for nonsense and harder to find good content. Maybe the owners know this and want to dump it as quickly as possible before it becomes a liability.

I've really enjoyed it, and some of the insight I've gained over the years.

GoDaddy seems to think it's worth $3432 btw

GoDaddy Appraisal

I could buy it this second @ $3500.

originally posted by: neo96
I could buy it this second @ $3500.

Haha same.

I would think the owners are asking for more than that though.

originally posted by: OtherSideOfTheCoin
a reply to: Harte

Yeah I would be curious to know how a new owner plans on making this profitable.

I can't imagine they do. Are there even any forums in the world making any money?

Even the mighty Reddit, with 430m unique visitors every month - many of them in prime advertising demographic - fails to make any money. You could drop the whole of ATS into reddit and they would barely notice.

I suspect the ATS owners are doing the equivalent of selling a grand old house that's now a money pit. They want someone wealthy and passionate about the place, who can afford to give an overhaul but keep all the period features in place. Rather than tearing it down and selling off the land for a carpark.

a reply to: FatherLukeDuke

They start with ad blocking detection software.

And make people white list the site.

Step one in to profit.

originally posted by: neo96
a reply to: FatherLukeDuke

They start with ad blocking detection software.

And make people white list the site.

Step one in to profit.

I bet the owners have a very clear numbers on what happens when you ban ad-blockers. Get ready for the already small number of regular visitors to get much smaller. Then watch a death spiral.

I think people say stuff like "go in the cloud", "ban ad blockers", "sell merch" like these things never occurred to the the very experienced professionals who run this place. It's not like they won't have studied this stuff long and hard, talked to specialists and crunched the numbers.

Anyway, it sounds like they might have found a wealth patron who can take the place one, losses and all.

A large part of what is valuable here is factual but embarrassing information on certain parties. You might be surprised what some will pay to stifle narratives and remove their existence.

I disagree that forums are on their way out. There are too many posters on the big sites and places like ATS allow person-to-person interchange and developing relationships in the more traditional (yet digital) manner. I love the thought there are so many I know here and value their opinions. That is something that will never go completely out of style. Human relationships are still of critical importance to us all and that is why I think ATS will always have a future.

originally posted by: Asktheanimals
A large part of what is valuable here is factual but embarrassing information on certain parties. You might be surprised what some will pay to stifle narratives and remove their existence.

I doubt many of those "certain parties" are even aware ATS exists these days.

I disagree that forums are on their way out. There are too many posters on the big sites and places like ATS allow person-to-person interchange and developing relationships in the more traditional (yet digital) manner. I love the thought there are so many I know here and value their opinions. That is something that will never go completely out of style. Human relationships are still of critical importance to us all and that is why I think ATS will always have a future.

I agree that the relationship stuff - you just don't get that on Reddit etc.


However this isn't about whether people like sites like this, it's whether you can run them without making a large financial loss.

originally posted by: neo96
a reply to: FatherLukeDuke

They start with ad blocking detection software.

And make people white list the site.

Step one in to profit.

For as long as the site is rendered in the clients browser theres really no way to stop people from blocking or disabling ads in some form or another.

Forums (most of them anyway) are struggling because they are competing with other platforms that allow sub groups within the platform, you can have a gaming subgroup, mechanic sub group etc...
whereas forums youre pretty limited to the topics the administrators provide.

Wrong thread.

Tell me, why exactly didn't anyone put up a go fund me and just see what we could muster? If we failed it's one step to refund all monies. If enough to purchase could run like a small town co-op where a thread let's members introduce PC skills and we vote for four or ten idk how that would work but let them have access to the guts, do volunteer monitoring and all policies democratically done by timed vote...I hear these machines called Dominion are gonna be going at auction for pennies on dollar this year we could have live voting too....too bad all spread out. Voting by forum would be hard to fraud up on anside note slash passing thought....if it's members at x post count and higher only elligible. But worst case was after buying it we mismanage and it becomes too unuseful and we default on next payment required if storage d'expansion required or we edit massively and cut all fluff that ain't stuff likely to be searched in the futue

a reply to: Asktheanimals

The owners tried to start something with the AMA questions but that fizzled out , and the vast computer geeks here knowledge and coding base was not used to its full extent , which would have easy fixed the bad features on this site ,ditto with migrating to a cheaper platform and asking the members for some help for servers etc ,

Maybe a pay to play would be fair 1$ for 100 replies ? or a monthly membership fee and as i pointed out years ago a swap shop for computer stuff, books etc between members with the site getting 10-15% .

Other places seem to manage ok with nowhere near the membership of this place , maybe some young blood injected in for ideas and a halt to all the needless banning s my sin bin thread ended up in the waste bin !

Long story short the expenses need to be cut by a factor of 10 at least , and we have the members here that could accomplish that with their know how and expertise , make the place buzz again with monthly competitions .


But great news that a buyer is in the pipeline