My Last Thread - Carry On Wayward Sons (and Daughters)

originally posted by: rickymouse
Will any of the moderators be leaving?

No.


In fact, the new owner specifically asked if they'd stay on -- at least through Springer as we were exchanging ink.

a reply to: SkepticOverlord
Sir,
If this is truly your last thread I hope you read this.
For almost sixteen years I am grateful to have been part of this amazing community you created.
Your guidance and interaction made this a safe have for inquisitive souls.
you gave me a safe place in a world of turmoil.

No matter who this 'Haven' goes to, no matter how far apart we are spread, we will will be infinitely joined because of your vision.

I am so sorry and will miss you dearly. A great big WIS Hug your way. Know your are remembered with an abundance of love.

What WIS said^^^^^^

Thank you.

And Bless you in your journey forward.

Kat



After posting this, I realized I wanted to say. I hope you still visit.

You have a great sense of humor. And I always have enjoyed your threads.

originally posted by: SkepticOverlord
Today is a new beginning. A new shot of life. A new future.

You have the ball now. Make a difference. Carry on.

Thank you for bringing us here. Here I've learned about Bigfoot, Nessie, UFOs, consciousness, and more about Politics than I ever wanted to know.

And even though there are those here I've disagreed with...

I check ATS every day because this place is something Special, and you should be Proud of that.

Be well.

a reply to: SkepticOverlord

Thank you for all that you’ve given us.

a reply to: SkepticOverlord

Today is a new beginning. A new shot of life. A new future. 

Now more than ever, the unbalanced discourse in this country and across the world needs to be challenged. Free expression needs to continue and continue with a righteous vengeance. 

This website still attracts more than 300,000 unique visitors every month. That's quite a platform and foundation upon which to seize back the reasonable and valuable challenging of the canceling and opposing of thoughts and ideas one side finds grandstandingly offensive. 

You have the ball now. Make a difference. Carry on.

I personally am very grateful for this site and all it has to offer. I like the thinking man's perspective and even those that seem out of the boundary of game play for me. Which happens to be stories distributed by mainstream broadcasters of late...without such a wide spectrum of viewpoints and the member friendship courtesies, and the back and forth bickering for the sake of bickering, it is essential for any sane individual given today's market value of honest reporting.

I wish you love in your endeavors

a reply to: SkepticOverlord

My account shows me having joined in 2009, but I was lurking long before then (at least since 2001 and 9/11). It's always been a place I have enjoyed coming to, and still a website I frequent weekly.

Thank you for what you've done here and, if your intentions be benevolent, may you find success in all else that you do.

So long... and thanks for all the fish.

originally posted by: SkepticOverlord
As many of you know, ownership of this site has changed hands in an anticlimactic way. The transition generated no "wealth," we waited too long to let go. It came down to finding someone to carry on.

Back in 2003, we nearly lost ATS forever due to rising hosting costs. Simon and I arranged a partnership where I would take over the technology, pay for a new dedicated server, and see if we could generate enough revenue to grow.

By 2007 we attracted angel investors, had a major relaunch party that included celebrities, and was covered by CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and the New York Times. Soon after that, the Vice President of ABC Radio was personally selling our podcast (ATS MIX) as a new radio show to ABC affiliates across the country. A best-selling author wrote an entire book, expanding on the topics found here, and Grenada TV planned to begin production of a series hosted by a celebrity that had to bow out due to a starring role in Law & Order SVU. We came close to breaking out of the web.

By 2010 Google was inviting us to their headquarters to talk to their team about our content and ad strategy. We presented the same topics for the Interactive Advertising Bureau and went to Washington, DC, three times to lobby lawmakers for online free expression rights.

Your content made the New York Times' front page (twice), prompted a press release from the FBI naming ATS, and was directly responsible for the accelerated hardening of network security in government, banking, and military (because of the leak you exposed).

You exposed frauds, championed truth, and espoused skepticism toward anything an "official source" stated. For the most part, nearly any controversial alternative concept was embraced and studied. The goal, find that which has merit and toss aside that which doesn't.

But I won't deny my dark times. Some of which I've not shared. 2015 saw a rapid decline in our advertising revenue. As I struggled to find better sources of user-friendly ads, we showed "shaming" ad-like images in the spots ads would typically appear, but for those users blocking ads. The angry outcry and uproar from members was fierce. I felt betrayed. I had to reinvent myself and find a different way to make a living, as ATS could no longer do that.

Today is a new beginning. A new shot of life. A new future.

Now more than ever, the unbalanced discourse in this country and across the world needs to be challenged. Free expression needs to continue and continue with a righteous vengeance.

This website still attracts more than 300,000 unique visitors every month. That's quite a platform and foundation upon which to seize back the reasonable and valuable challenging of the canceling and opposing of thoughts and ideas one side finds grandstandingly offensive.

You have the ball now. Make a difference. Carry on.

That's all well and good, sounds nice but don't you feel bad about leaving it behind?

Until i'm shown others wise, aliens bought ATS.

But thank you for your service for and to the community.

a reply to: cenpuppie

Aliens didn't buy it. It was always a business and as is usually the case it's been established and sold on.

a reply to: SkepticOverlord

SkepticOverlord, I'm grateful to you and your leadership team for keeping AboveTopSecret.com open to such a wide variety of thoughts.

That you did not tell us how you felt in 2015 and why, is curious, considering how liked and respected you are by active ATS members. Even though you run a huge public forum, it's possible you were/are an extremely private individual?

Unless the new owner(s) are super wealthy and just want to keep AboveTopSecret.com going because of its uniqueness on the web, it's likely we'll miss the good-old Skeptic Overlord days of ownership relatively soon. But that's economics. I'll gladly pay an annual fee to be a member, if it comes to that.

Thanks to AboveTopSecret.com, I'm far wiser in several areas. If you had not provided this platform, that wouldn't be the case. Best of success in every aspect of your life going forward, SkepticOverlord.

Most appreciative, 👏

CareWeMust in Chicagoland

a reply to: RMFX1

One wonders about the business model of the new owners.

a reply to: SkepticOverlord

Not sure when I registered but I've lurked here almost every single day since September 11th, 2001. I've learned to not be a sheep and that's one of the most important things to ever happen to me so thank you.

Sad day today. hopefully happy days to come

for creating this irreplaceable forum that has enriched collective knowlege and all that implies.

for an unknown, uncertain future.

You're pretty cool ... for an authority figure.

a reply to: SkepticOverlord

Reading this timeline it is clear why ATS is different from Twitter, Facebook and the others.

You owners had more passion than money on your mind. You achieved a lot, it's just not as visible by todays standards about judging success.

a reply to: ThatDamnDuckAgain

Not really. ATS used to be a different space. I used to be afraid to post because I wasn't sure that I could meet the standard. It's not like that now. It's a joke and I don't blame the original owners for bailing.

a reply to: RMFX1

I was hesitant to post early on when I realized there are some actually crazy people on this site.

I got over it.

a reply to: Phage

But you're an example of how the mighty have fallen. Once revered, but now maligned.

a reply to: SkepticOverlord

Thanks for providing the subway walls and tenement halls.