Well, I fear it's time.

it just doesn't feel right responding to, or creating, topics right now, when our beloved ATS lays dying.

There is no emotion, or inspiration, to engage topics now. It feels shallow, like reading the newspaper while sitting next to someone's bed in hospice. I can't find the emotion to get mad, or happy, or anything else and respond. I only find the harsh reality of one day soon ATS will be gone forever.

To the many friends I've made here, and to all those I have the deepest respect for, I thank you and wish you all well. As much as it hurts to say, our journey in life continues on beyond ATS. Online journeys and experiences are different from real life experiences because you can never say..."Remember when..." about an online experienc. No one will ever be able to understand those moments, not like the time you fell in the mud puddle at the family reunion. And, so they are gone.

For all the great things people here wrote, for all the awesome research, and for all the new ideas which made you think...I say a hearty THANK YOU!

It was a fun ride these past 7 years, and I'm sorry it wasn't longer. As many others did too, I shared a lot of stories which gave others a glimpse inside our lives. We are all unique. And I will miss you all.

Oh sure, there's lots of other places where we could go to meet up again, but it will never be the same. It will just be 'some other' place where the names are the same, but the place is nothing like the original. For this I feel bad.

I won't opine about our recent (failed) efforts to acquire ATS other than to say I'm sorry it didn't seem to work out. We tried.

To try to construct a list of the people I will miss would be a fruitless endeavor, as I'm sure I would leave someone out by accident. Instead, I will just say how much I will miss you all.

I'm afraid I don't have much to contribute anymore, simply because I find it hard to find those words in the face of what I know will happen here. So why get anyone spun up for good or bad, when the train is headed for the cliff. It doesn't seem to make any sense.

I wish you all the best. May our paths cross again sometime in the future, however doubtful it may be.

In the mean time...God's speed and God Bless!

Sincerely,

FCD

No...now
Don't be troubled....onward through the fog

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

It’s all about perspective..

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

What happened with the plan for a group of members taking over the site?

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Next month would have been my 11th year here.

For all the stories.

For all the the recipes.

For inspiring me, and in so doing, allowing me to create in words, art that will long outlive me, and for which I can be unashamedly proud.

We may have disagreed from time to time, but no truly great recipe is realized without at least a hint of “spice”, and you have made me a better cook.

“Write On”, FCD.

Bhadhidar

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Wasn't part of the discussion, but to be honest, I'd imagine that trying to take over this website would be a very difficult endeavor. First, you have the current revenue stream that the site has, so the minimum price would be 3X the yearly gross returns at a minimum.given the fact, they are probably making a dollar or more per person per day on advertising, depending on the visit rate, (2000 per day???) that's basically $2000 a day in advertising or roughly 730K a year or a value of 2.1 million. (Example)

Next, there is the cookie and tracking data that they can sell. Don't really know how much they sell that for, but hey with that, and click through, lets put it all at 3 million price for the site. (Example again)

Now lets talk about where the site currently resides, USA(Arizona) So if you don't live there, then you are only buying the domain (Assets) not the business that its actually built on. So lets say you form a LLC. Are all your partners in the USA? or do you have partners outside the USA. Ya, this can get really difficult to be honest. Not only that, even if you own the domain, given that this is a pretty popular site internationally, good luck getting all the protection for and via all nations in the world.

Anyway, ya this isn't just a site starting out, unless they are willing to walk away and just give it to someone, I really can't see someone to easily be able to take over the site. Even if given away free, it would be a mess and a headache. You still need a business plan, you still need a strategy. You still need to have an infrastructure plan, a data plan, a management structure, etc. There is a lot to it, and ya, if you were looking to bring in partners, it really sounds to me that it would wind up being a labor of love, vs a profitable business model. That's my 2 cents anyway. I think the current owners are probably stuck, cause no one would pay to take it over, what its really worth, and if they hand it over for free, chances are (If it were me) I'd want to see the plan to know they can succeed. (Otherwise why give it away, just to have someone else screw it up and destroy your name you built the last 20 years. Might as well just shut down.)

Camain

Are you in?

Can we get some interest in this?

We gotta get this sparked

a reply to: MRinder

Well, despite all the expressed interest, when it came down to it, only a select number of members even showed up to discuss it. Less still to actually do it.

Given time being of the essence, I felt it was not successful.

I guess there's still hope, but I have stepped back. I was only trying to get the ball rolling, but it didn't seem like it was meant to be. Everyone has an opinion online, but when it comes time to put the gloves on and grab a shovel, well, expressed interest wanes pretty quickly and people suddenly have other, more important, things to do. (Just being honest). Our list started with (6), and expanded to (50) or more. Less than half a dozen responded.

And, like Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) said..."A man's got to know his limitations".

Best answer I have.

Thanks.

a reply to: caterpillage

You know where I am.

I'm always in, but again, I can't do it alone. (or with 2-3 people)

You know where to find me.

We still have some time to discuss things, if the discussions are good, maybe others will join and there will be more advertisers that will advertise here.

I will keep posting till the end....what else better do I have to do anyway. I spent some time today roofing at my granddaughters house, I may not be able to go onto the roof, but I did work off the ladder. I did help with wintergaurd and d-edge too and taught my son-in-law and granddaughters husband some stuff about roofing. life needs to go on, I just wish I could be up on the roof working with them, teaching them how to do it faster...and more efficiently.

a reply to: mamabeth

Same for me.

07/01/2009

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

I can't afford to do much, the wife and I are on social security and the money we have saved will be needed if one of us die to pay bills because one social security check will drop off. The survivor will have enough money to last maybe eight years more in the house, the heat and lights will not go down if only one person is living here. Helping here does not fit into our budget. If I do win the lotto I will consider buying the site if it is still here, but don't get your hopes us, because our budget does not allow much money for gambling.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Why has the efforts failed, FCD?

It was Father’s Day. Many commitments.

Patience has never been my virtue either.

a reply to: NightSkyeB4Dawn

I signed up on July 17,2009.I heard about this website and I knew
my son was a member here.I checked the place out to make sure
he wasn't posting anything that would have the FBI knocking on my
front door looking for him.His name is SGT.Chas,he hasn't posted
for a long time.

This is a sad thread to read, and I don't know what to say, except thank you for trying. I'm sorry that it didn't work out. I've enjoyed your posts, as well as many others here. Thank you to you, and all of the others here, for all of the threads, that were fascinating, and interesting to read through.

As I have said in several threads, I'm interested in helping to get this going, either by donations, investing, or subscriptions. I don't know why there hasn't been something done, so that all of us, that want to donate, could do that. I never got a message, and I don't think I have the posts that I need to send a message.

I wish you, and all the others here, all the best now, and into the future. I hope this site will continue, as I know it's needed, with this year. There needs to be transparency with this site, and we all need to work together, if we want this site to continue. It should be a labor of love. It's not always about money.

a reply to: KKLOCO

Holiday? What's that? There are no holidays in my world. No vacations either.

You go out and do what needs to be done, every day, rain or shine.

I was working this weekend, and I worked on this project this weekend.

Like you, I'm not patient either. What is this 'patience' thing you talk of? If there's a fire, I'm going to go put it out, and I'm going to do it right now. It's just how I am.

a reply to: AislingKanoni

Well, you're welcome to join the group. I will send you a PM.

I'm not throwing in the towel, but with this post I was really just saying it doesn't feel right to participate in the fray at the moment. That's all.

FCD, you're clearly pissed people stepped up but couldn't carry forth after finding out details not being said out here on the forum.
If you don't know why people backed out, try asking -- for me, a backing out would have to deal with time commitments, and extent of expected contribution money of course. I could spare some, but it'd tighten the grocery budget to obscenity. And in the case of large sums expected, the due bills don't pay themselves out of thin air.

Just be glad people felt confident enough to step up even that far, man.

a reply to: Nyiah

Yes.