Checking on the status of the website

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

My understanding is that there is a Non Disclosure Agreement on the sale. You just told me so.

a reply to: SuperVision

So, why do you continue to play this game?

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

Why do you change the subject.

originally posted by: SuperVision
a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

Why do you change the subject.

What subject? Something about an NDA?

Three things:

1 - It's none of your business.

2 - No one else cares.

3 - See numbers 1 and 2

a reply to: SuperVision

So you can't disclose it?

The former owners can't, of which I am one. It's a contract thing.

The very short version of a very long story...

ATS became increasingly popular after 9/11/2001, so much so that it regularly exceeded the monthly bandwidth allotment of the original (cheap) hosting.

I proposed to fund (and perform) the upgrade to a dedicated server and acquire advertising as a test to see if the site could pay for itself. It worked. A small group formed a legal entity and obtained a low-six-figure investment for further expansion of services.

By 2009 ATS was regularly averaging 6+ million unique visitors a month, and Google invited me to their HQ to show their internal publisher support team how we were able to keep user-generated-content within their ad rules. I was full-time devoted to ATS. The advertising funded several ventures into book publishing, television concepts, video, podcasting, and radio... and a seven-server custom build provided by RackSpace.

In 2013, social media began "taking the air" out of sites like ATS, but we still had lots of potential, and a major site code and design update was completed with a sophisticated (at the time) mobile web app core.

By 2018, several factors impacted the online ad market -- mostly an overwhelming glut of inventory, driving down available ad revenue. I had to find alternative income, as ATS was quickly approaching a zero day were ads would not support hosting.

At that time, in partnership with tech people I knew at the Internet Advertising Bureau, I created some simple code that would detect when a visitor is blocking ads. Ad-blocking visitors (only logged-in members during the test) were presented with a humorous "WHY U BLOCK R MONEY?" images. Members revolted. Chaos ensued. Entitled people didn't give a shit about the years of blood sweat tears that went into making ATS into what it became, and keeping its heart pumping. So I said fvck it. That's when we looked for a buyer.

A fan of the site with a large stash of $$$ from mostly crypto investing stepped forward. After several conversations, it seemed a perfect fit.

His original tech person was good, and I helped him understand the architecture... old as it is/was. He apparently didn't work out.

Darko appeared. I tried to hep him. He got weird and banned me. So here we are.



Edit to add: the sale price was a distressed fire sale. At the close of the transaction, we were not able to keep paying for the reduced hosting fee I negotiated with our hosting provider.

originally posted by: lilzazz

originally posted by: lilzazz
Who owns the intellectual property held in the ATS servers? Copyrights?

Can O Worms....

Either no one knows the answer or it's being ignored. Oh, well

It's up for grabs now as far as I'm concerned; that's what it looks like....

Everybody must have forgotten their obligation to answer legal questions about your career transition to IP vulture.

It's part of the ToS. ATS has non-exclusive rights. The posters still retain their rights independently of what happens to ATS. Though I'm sure the people that post their creative writing here are eager for you to use their work for your own benefit, it would seem you still need their permission to do so.

I know your next question and the answer is yes, you do have my permission to use this post for the plot of your next script.

a reply to: TheSkepticGuy23

Thank you for explaining, appreciated.
Rainbows
Jane

Just so newcomers to the thread can see what we are watching and why ...
Status is the same ...

originally posted by: FlyersFan

UK Go Daddy

Website Builder

And the name status is HERE

originally posted by: TheSkepticGuy23
a reply to: SuperVision

So you can't disclose it?

The former owners can't, of which I am one. It's a contract thing.

I remember the good old years 2000/2001
What happened to the other posters?

a reply to: TheSkepticGuy23

The very short version of a very long story...

Thanks for sharing that.

It helps me understand what happened during that time and dispels all of the nonsense and rumors that were/are floating around about what happened.

I love the smell of truth in the morning. Smells like...victory.

originally posted by: yeahright
a reply to: CarlLaFong

No. We don't attribute to malice what can be explained by indifference.

Just asking questions out loud, here, not casting doubt on your answer...

Then why bother? Why take it on just to go MIA? I mean, I guess there could be a million reasons. Life happens.
But maybe I'm reading it wrong, but it seems as if some people here know who Darko is IRL and it seems he and his wife are MIA IRL not just here. Which is odd and curious in and of itself. I missed some of the drama around their departure and maybe there is no mystery or conspiracy at all but...just another weird brick in the wall.

a reply to: ksihkahe

Everybody must have forgotten their obligation to answer legal questions about your career transition to IP vulture.

Did you look at my imdb page to see all the carrion I've eaten?

a reply to: SideEyeEverything1

But maybe I'm reading it wrong, but it seems as if some people here know who Darko is IRL and it seems he and his wife are MIA IRL not just here.

It's a good idea not to obsess about "Darko." My understanding, soon after he took over and after a few conversations, is that he was simply employed by the new owner to run the site. For unknown reasons, he failed as an employee.