ATS is forming into a Limited Liability Partnership

Well, how do I start this then...

AboveTopSecret.com has seen tremendous growth over the past couple years. The website is growing in a continued up-hill slope, encompassing hundreds of thousands of pages of information on our fantastic forums system and the main site's archive of information. We are receiving an ever increasing amount of visitors and catching the attention of mainstream media on a regular basis.

As a result of our many growing business developments, I am very honoured and pleased to say SkepticOverlord, Springer and myself are joining forces in the form of a Limited Liability Partnership. By sharing ownership of the ATS universe, we can more efficiently and effectively bring new concepts to the websites, and it makes business dealings far simpler not having to rely on staggered communication between numerous parties to come to decisions.

This new partnership is in no way destroying ATS or ripping us apart. I am still going to be here, I'll actually be here a whole lot more than ever! SkepticOverlord is still full of excellent community development concepts, of which he is continually working on to better our website and keep us top of the game in alternative news. Our good man Springer is out there in the business world spreading word of AboveTopSecret.com to the mainstream, very effectively making companies recognise our brand and what us as a community represent.

I will keep everyone updated as things progress, and look forward to taking ATS into another exciting year on the web, and further beyond!

So please welcome as my business partners, and soon-to-be co-owners of AboveTopSecret.com, SkepticOverlord and Springer.

how can you make this site more effective? it's already the best forum site in existence. there's nothing to improve.

Awesome!

Hopefully soon you'll go public and all of us can buy stock!

Originally posted by djohnsto77
Awesome!

Hopefully soon you'll go public and all of us can buy stock!

that would be pretty awsome...! getting my coin jar ...

Congratulations to SkepticOverlord and Springer, I’m sure they will continue to serve the site well and help take ATS to the next level.

What, are you guys making a movie?

Not to piss on anyone's parade, but I think I should mention something.

As a matter of principle you should never go into business with your friends.

I don't know if you guys all know each other in real life, but I thought I'd share this bit of suffered-for wisdom anyway.

Congratulations! I'm glad that it has grown to the extent that this is necessary/beneficial.
Even in the couple of years I've been here I've seen the board change and grow substantially and for the better to on the whole!

I bet you didn't think it was going to grow like this when you started did you?

Well done!!!

Congrats

*raises pint of strongbow*

To the future!!

Congratulations all around.

I hope for only good things for this website, and the three of you are certainly deserving of reaping the rewards of your efforts and hard work. This has been a fun and educational ride for me. I am looking forward to seeing what the future brings.



edit my spelling

[edit on 7-21-2005 by William One Sac]

If Ryan Reynolds is going to play the part of Simon, I wonder who will play the part of Springer and SO?..... hmmmm

seriously though, congratulations and best of luck to you three hardworking and well deserving gentlemen

I may be out of line to ask, but out of honest curiousity, what's the reasoning behind the formation of an actual business entity? What would be the benefits to doing so? Merely to reduce your liability for any of the actions of the members on this site, or would that even be an issue at all?

Again, I hope I'm not out of line in asking this, and if I am feel free to douse me with a pitcher of whatever you may be drinking in celebration.

Congrats of the new venture
I'm sure this will mean even bigger and better things for the ATS community...if that is possible!

Congrats on the LLP.

MCory1,

One major benefit of a LLP is that it protects the owners from being held personally liable if something goes wrong. Hence the 'limited' part. What it means is if the bills don't get paid, or Springer runs up the company credit card, Simon and SO won't be held personally responsible for the charges.

It also allows 'rights' to be assigned, such as voting and tax benefits.

Probably just to streamline the decision making process. This was mentioned in the announcement.

Nothing sinister, just a measure to reduce lag time between idea and implimentation.

Right Simon/Skeptic/Springer?

Ahhhhh! I just realized, this is the rise of the SSS!

Run away!

Originally posted by MCory1
I may be out of line to ask, but out of honest curiousity, what's the reasoning behind the formation of an actual business entity? What would be the benefits to doing so? Merely to reduce your liability for any of the actions of the members on this site, or would that even be an issue at all?

It's a matter of efficient management, the ability to make decisions, as Simon pointed out, without the burden of time zones differences, and staggered communication.

Liability of member actions is not an issue.

This partnership will bring 20+ years of WWW management/development experience and 20+ years of business ownership/development/management together for the sole purpose of effectively representing and managing AboveTopSecret.Com.

Another thing I feel it's important to point out, NOTHING will change from a "practical or user" standpoint, there will be no changes to the management team or philosophy. The same people that have been running things here are going to keep running things here.

Additionally, ATS has grown to a point that is no longer reasonable to think we won't be noticed. The three people who this partnership is made up of will NEVER let the essence of ATS be "sold out" or compromised in any way, that's important to us and hopefully to you as well.

Springer...

What! You're making this place better? I'll never be able to get any work done now.


Seriously, hats off to you guys for the great job you have done on leading and directing this site. The Internet would be boring without it.

Congratulations Guys.

But more appropriately congratulations ATS. I'm so proud of what you three have done for this community and I'm real grateful for the awesome playground and learning center you've supplied for us.

I guess this might be the first official "Board Business" thread that's ever been placed in this forum, huh?

lol

Keep up the good work!

Originally posted by Valhall
I guess this might be the first official "Board Business" thread that's ever been placed in this forum, huh?

Very true. Close anyway. Congratulations all!

Awesome!
Congreats to all, and keep up the good work!

Originally posted by Springer
It's a matter of efficient management, the ability to make decisions, as Simon pointed out, without the burden of time zones differences, and staggered communication.

Not to be dense--while I consider myself to have a bit of a business mind, I'm by no means educated in that direction--but in what ways will having a partnership change that?

I hope I don't come off as knocking the idea in any ways, I'm merely asking for my own education I guess you could say. At any rate, I'll offer my congratulations as well