It's like Deja Vu all over again

[Duc Stamp]

http://www.cigarpass.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=49734

http://www.clubstogie.com/vb/showthread.php?t=187995  <-- link seems to be down now.

Dear Members,

Things are changing in the online cigar community, and I feel it’s necessary that I fill you in on what’s going on, and our stance on this recent development.

You may have noticed that five cigar forums were recently sold to a gentleman named Jon Caputo.

Jon purchased:
Club Stogie
Top 25 Cigar
Cigar Live
Cigar Review
Cigar Smokers

...about a week or so ago. This is quite an acquisition…

Jon approached me about a year ago and wanted to purchase CigarPass. I declined… A couple months ago he approached me again wanting to purchase CigarPass. Without going into too much detail on the offer, I will say it was enough money for a good down payment on a house (in California) plus money left over for a new car. His offer also included keeping me on board as a paid consultant. I doubt the offers he proposed to some of the other sites were as generous (surely it depends on the reputation, size, etc of the site he’s eyeing).

I started CigarPass in 2000; I have always had a very strong passion for cigars, which is why I decided to start CP long ago. CP has become one of the largest, most trafficked and most respected cigar communities around. I never had any intention of trying to make a quick buck with CP; I have made many very good friends because of CigarPass. That in itself is priceless, and I don’t want anything to change.

I don’t know Mr. Caputo other than the correspondence I have had with him over the past year, however he says that he is passionate about cigars, and wants to take the forums that he recently purchased to the next level. I will say that if Jon paid anywhere near what he offered me for CigarPass, he has a major investment in those five forums. Business is business, and it appears that his goal is to make money from those forums; most likely with advertising revenue, content purchased, etc.

We’ll have to wait and see how this transpires...should be quite interesting. My only thought is, if he is so passionate about cigars, why was he never been a member of any of the forums in the past? It’s about turning his purchases into revenue making entities. It seems people on the other forums have a lot of questions that are not being answered. As a member of a community, they’re entitled to answers. After all, it’s the members who make the community… When you think about it, one owner of multiple forums would most likely treat those forums as one, bundling them all together in a sense. If you get banned from one forum, do you get banned from the others as well? Are the rules now the same for all forums? Members of those communities have a lot of good questions – we’ll just have to wait and see how this plays out.

I did some research on Jon and his previous acquisitions, and I came across some unhappy people who had wished they never sold out. I’ve been participating in online communities for the past 15 years, and it’s rare that an acquisition of a community goes smooth. This acquisition is major, involving five cigar sites…

My loyalties have and always will be to this community and its members. CP is the largest privately owned cigar community around, and things aren’t about to change for us, you have my word. I have declined all offers, and will continue to do so. Passion is a strong word, and I think I’ve proven how passionate I really am about this community, and how much it means to me.

That’s all I know right now, we’ll have to wait and see how things transpire.

I wish the other forums a lot of success, however buy-outs rarely ever go smoothly for the members.

I will post more information as it becomes available.

I wanted to formerly announce the the sale of CS and T25C, as there have been some rumors floating around on other sites.

I share this news with mixed emotions. There is always the sense of letting your baby go, but in this case the overriding sense is one of excitement.

Club Stogie and Top25Cigar are going to have the opportunity to be a part of an online cigar experience created by someone that has internet experience and know how beyond any capabilities I could ever hope to have. More importantly, this person has a passion for cigars. Even more importantly I get to continue to be involved in the community, and less involved in the administration.

There are many reasons for this decision on my part. Of course you all know my new job has left me with little time to spend in the forums or writing for T25C. All my time has been used to administer the sites, and I have felt especially disconnected from Club Stogie. Additionally, I felt I had reached an end to my technical skills and abilities to take either site to the next level. Fighting off hackers, understanding the complexities of the sites as they grew, and the general programming of the sites was leaving me feeling a bit overwhelmed.

This wasn’t going to happen unless I could assure a few things. First, I wanted to continue to be involved. Second, I wanted the person taking over to be passionate about cigars. Third, I wanted them to recognize and respect the community aspect of both sites. Lastly, I wanted to see that they have worked on the web before, and understood what it took to provide the care and feeding of a large hobby site. All my concerns were met.

I look forward to introducing you all to the new owner of the sites, Jon Caputo. As Jon and I get our ducks in a row, you will be seeing him around. I have also committed to Jon that I would continue to act as a mod and admin for at least another year. I hope it is longer than that.

I hope this news is taken in a positive light, as I am excited about the next steps for our community. Of course I am also looking forward to transferring much of the admin responsibilities of both sites to Jon and his team. (-:

Cheers...

[MrFryMoto]

well crap
wish i had known about those before they went all VS

[Duc Stamp]

well crap
wish i had known about those before they went all VS

The first one there didn't sell.  I haven't been a member there, so I can't vouch for how cool it is, but it seems like a good place.

The second one just got sold and I am a member there.  It sucks, but we'll see how it ends up. Needless to say, after what happened to TOB, I'm not optimistic.

[MrFryMoto]

The first one there didn't sell.  I haven't been a member there, so I can't vouch for how cool it is, but it seems like a good place.

The second one just got sold and I am a member there.  It sucks, but we'll see how it ends up. Needless to say, after what happened to TOB, I'm not optimistic.

perhaps it's time to start your own?

CigarsWorldwide.com?
Cigarforum.com?
 

[Duc Stamp]

hmmm... how do I register domain names?  Is godaddy for idiots?  Can I still take the website and put it on  my own server if I register with godaddy?

[mitt]

hmmm... how do I register domain names?  Is godaddy for idiots?  Can I still take the website and put it on  my own server if I register with godaddy?

It is so easy, even ducpainter can do it 

Honestly, it would be hard not to sell a forum, if the offer was for 10's of thousands of dollars like claimed above.  But, we can't really do that here, since there are 6 Flounders who never agree on anything 

mitt

[Duc Stamp]

It is so easy, even ducpainter can do it 

Honestly, it would be hard not to sell a forum, if the offer was for 10's of thousands of dollars like claimed above.  But, we can't really do that here, since there are 6 Flounders who never agree on anything 

mitt

So godaddy is OK to use?  I'm just concerned about them raising my rates assuming the site is needed and gets popular.

[ducpainter]

So godaddy is OK to use?  I'm just concerned about them raising my rates assuming the site is needed and gets popular.

We...

like them...

if you have any questions about the plans...

ask away.

We've been experienced.

It's not about them raising rates.

It's more about the limitations of each tier of service.

It is so easy, even ducpainter can do it 

Honestly, it would be hard not to sell a forum, if the offer was for 10's of thousands of dollars like claimed above.  But, we can't really do that here, since there are 6 Flounders who never agree on anything 

mitt

...and that is a good thing.

[Duc Stamp]

We...

like them...

if you have any questions about the plans...

ask away.

We've been experienced.

It's not about them raising rates.

It's more about the limitations of each tier of service.
...and that is a good thing.

Thanks guys.  Hopefully it won't be needed, but I want to be prepared.

I'll ask away if anything starts happening.  Of course, I could always call that flounder attorney of yours.   

[ducpainter]

Thanks guys.  Hopefully it won't be needed, but I want to be prepared.

I'll ask away if anything starts happening.  Of course, I could always call that flounder attorney of yours.   

Shylock...

can only give you details of the costs.   

[Duc Stamp]

Hmmm... I've got a few ideas of some of the costs (vbulletin, server, internet connection, electricity, etc.), but dicussing the costs over a beer with a flounder will only work for the local flounder.

It would be rad to have a beer with all the flounders though.

[Duc Stamp]

Happy ending!

www.cigarasylum.com 

I didn't even have to set anything up.  All the mods from the other site set something up and resigned.

BTW, if you go there, my name is Sauer Grapes there.

[MrFryMoto]

Happy ending!

www.cigarasylum.com 

I didn't even have to set anything up.  All the mods from the other site set something up and resigned.

BTW, if you go there, my name is Sauer Grapes there.

signed up! 

[bigiain]

But, we can't really do that here, since there are 6 Flounders who never agree on anything   

...and that is a good thing.

No it's not!

 

big