Interesting Inquiry

[bszopi]

So, Ben and I received the following letter the other day out of the blue.

Hi,

My name is David Fischer and I work with a small 10 year old Canadian Based Internet media company called VerticalScope with a primary focus on the automotive forum marketplace. I am trying to reach the owner of 60DegreeV6.com, would that be you?

I think you have done a great job of building your community and I would like to discuss the possibility of a cash purchase.

Please treat this as a serious inquiry from a credible buyer. We are experienced in purchasing online communities and we know how important the site is to you. We are very flexible on any special terms and conditions you would like to include as part of a deal. We also understand the amount of time and energy you have put into the site over the last several years. If you're interested in selling for a great return on your investment, or if you just want to explore what might be involved, I am certainly interested in speaking with you. We are happy to go as fast or slow as you want through the process, but you should know that we are in a position to make a cash offer and close within a few days.

I would appreciate an email in the next day or two to let me know if you would like to pursue this opportunity. If there is someone else I should be contacting, please forward this message to them, or kindly send me their email address or phone number so I can get in touch.
Thanks in advance for your consideration.

David

David Fischer | Business Development Manager
VerticalScope Inc.

Honestly, we've received several of these over the years, and haven't paid much thought to any of it. I looked into their website, and they are definitely a credible buyer (check out the list of automotive websites they currently run: http://www.verticalscope.com/automotive/site-list.html). Anyway, Ben and I discussed it and went ahead and responded with just an inquiry. Neither of us have the time anymore that we used to, to get this site where it needs to be, so perhaps an outside source would help. We would obviously still be involved (well, as involved as we are already), so there would be a chance nothing would even change.

Of course, I'm kind of getting ahead of myself here. We haven't even heard back from them yet, so it may not even both worth our while (and honestly, this is how both of us feel - their offer will be pathetic). But, I just figured I'd put it out there for everyone's knowledge, as we do like to be upfront with everyone, as in the end, it is you guys who really make the site what it is. As always, thanks for your continued support!!

[SappySE107]

I can just imagine this site, with ad links made out of every word

[mfuller]

From the few minutes I've spent researching them, it seems like they tend to flood the site with advertising, jack up sponsorship rates, and the forum generally takes a turn for the worse. Plain and simple, they want to make money on their acquisitions (gasp!). Dontcha love capitalism?
Might want to do a Google search on them as there are plenty of opinions.
Founded in 1999 and based in Toronto.

[Kenova]

Adds can be a tricky subject. They can provide an income for the web site and it's owners making it a more worthwhile endeavor, but they can also make a mess of the web site.
The forums that have the adds in the middle of the threads are a royal pain and I generally avoid them. Some of the better forums I go to have the sponsors listed off to the side of the thread and are far less objectionable. It also makes it easier to find a sponsor company when the need arises.
I couldn't imagine how much work has gone into creating this forum, but the effort shows in the excellent quality of the web site.
You could very well be faced with a tough choice.

Ken

[unchained01]

Actually i quite like the site as it is right now Adding spam and phishing to the mix and its a recipe for downfall I have seen sites that want a monthly fee to be a member and i think thats what this will become And i researched them on google also

[pocket-rocket]

I don't think the site is bad at all the way it is. Like the other said, it would probably end up with ads all over and go down hill as far as the real hardcore base goes. I see no need to sell unless neither of you guys are starving- and if that were the case I would probably send you some grocery money

As far as the ads goes, firefox + adblock plus ftw, but still. You may think you would be in charge still, but no one but that company knows what their plans would be. Personally I would just treat it like the other offers, the site is fine the way it is and you guys are still doing fine with it.

[bszopi]

Obviously, some of you haven't visited the site logged out. :P We employ several of the ad types mentioned, because honestly, we need to pay the bills somehow. Of course, once you become a member, the ads go away. Like I said, we'll see what comes out of it.

Brad via Tapatalk

[pocket-rocket]

I hope it is a pathetically low amount. I mean, who better to run a 60v6 enthusiast site than 60v6 enthusiasts

Edit: And suddenly I see 104 guests and 3 people logged in, lol. Seems people are trying visiting the site logged out, lol.

[robertisaar]

I can just imagine this site, with ad links made out of every word

TRUTH.

Some of the better forums I go to have the sponsors listed off to the side of the thread and are far less objectionable. It also makes it easier to find a sponsor company when the need arises.

FTV6 comes to mind.

Obviously, some of you haven't visited the site logged out.

i try to avoid it when possible.



also: do you really want the same people that own/run 3800pro and turbobuicks to have anything to do with this site?

the only site in thst entire list that i frequent is gminsidenews, and it is a gigantic clusterfuck of fail.

[young gun]

I just don't want this site going anywhere bad I don't post much if at all lol but its full of information and very knowledgeable people

[unchained01]

X2. That's why I became a site supporter. Knowledge is invaluable Especially. With the experienced members backing it up It is worth it to me many times over.

[gectek]

The 2 guys that started LS1 Tech thought this was a good option as well, until the site became solely controlled by Internet Brands, a seemingly harmless company. They soon ran out the 2 originators of the site, screwed everything up, and the site is losing now in terms of view and people to the upstarts of the old owners and moderators.

The possibility of selling this site is scary, but I am sure there are other people are that would be willing to help out in some way, with the time constraints or the monetary side of things. No use in waiting on any sort of economic bailout lol.

[bszopi]

Well, its been an interesting couple of days. We received an incredible offer on Friday night, so Ben and I spent a lot of time discussing it yesterday. I also spent time discussing it with David, as he was quick to respond to emails and willing to discuss on a Saturday. To me, this shows just how interested they are in the site. Ben and I were pretty determined originally that it would take an amazing offer for us to even consider selling the site, and yet what was offered surpassed that by a lot. Needless to say, we will be starting to officially transfer of the site over to Vertical Scope next week.

In discussions with David, I will be involved in helping with the new layout, so as to make the experience better for everyone. They have some very interesting and creative ideas, and they also have some good inside leads, which will help in getting more information for articles and how-to's than we have ever been able to provide. This was one of the items which pushed it over the edge for Ben and I, as we have been wanting to do this for years, but we just weren't able to get it done.

Along with the members, I think WOT-Tech is going to benefit from this significantly. As a friend and backer of WOT-Tech, I offered Ben a larger percentage of the purchase as to help move WOT-Tech into a better position to offer parts to the community. All in all, we really do feel this is a positive move for the community as a whole. Hopefully you, the members, will also see the benefits in the coming months.

[walterdude]

What is the date?? Oh,,, April 1st!!! Think I'll check back on this tomorrow!!!
I would hate to see anything bad happen to this site.... Two of my favorite newsletters were taken over, LangaList and Tech Support Alert... It was going to be GREAT!!!! Haven't heard too much from Fred Langa at all. I think he tried to retire, but got hit with some of those surprises that Life throws at you... He's still there... Ian (Gizmo) Richards got out and returned to his own site, techsupportalert.com, but no newsletter... It was supposed to be GREAT ,but it's NOT!!!
Just my thoughts,,,,
Tom.....

[SappySE107]

i got a bigger percentage! WOOHOO! I should though, cause I rule, and Brad sucks at april fools jokes:P The inquiry was real, but we aren't selling the site.