Interesting Article on Car Forums

SXY_S2K · 10-17-2008, 10:43 AM

Written by an acquaintance of mine...
http://www.nicoclub.com/articles/forum-history.shtml
Slightly long, but interesting read.

lonestarbuzz · 10-17-2008, 11:27 AM

good read... thanks for posting.

anyone know who owns this site?

bobby2002S2K · 10-17-2008, 03:54 PM

lol, so we have no staff does that mean we are on the down hill of this site? No one knows any staff and you can not contact them.

JOECHY · 10-17-2008, 04:24 PM

Anyway. It was a good read. Never thought about what happens behind the scenes and how relative revenue can be to a forum. Funny how much the love for money changes things. Not too many people now days willing to do something for the community purely out of the goodness of their hearts.

Scooter · 10-17-2008, 11:41 PM

Nice article, well written. However, I think of this place as more of an enthusiast site because it has no staff, just volunteer moderators who obviously own the car. The fact that we're still online means that the google-relevent ads that show up on the top must be paying enough to justify the cost of our server space...

who.is shows us as being registered by godaddy.com and the owner is hidden by domainsbyproxy.com, BUT the domain server is carsdirect.com so I suspect they may own it.

SEVNT4 · 10-28-2008, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scooter

Nice article, well written. However, I think of this place as more of an enthusiast site because it has no staff, just volunteer moderators who obviously own the car. The fact that we're still online means that the google-relevent ads that show up on the top must be paying enough to justify the cost of our server space...

who.is shows us as being registered by godaddy.com and the owner is hidden by domainsbyproxy.com, BUT the domain server is carsdirect.com so I suspect they may own it.

CarsDirect is owned by Internet Brands. Just go to the IB site for a list of all of the companies they own. When I received an email a while back that Honda-Tech was now owned by IB, I was pretty surprised and realized that they're making a move into the forum world to buy up quite a bit of internet real estate. It isn't just the automotive vertical though that IB engages in. They do finance, real estate, etc (not just forums). The point being, there is consolidation in every industry. The fact that forums have gone from hobby to business is no surprise. The article suggests the "wasteland" effect. If IB is smart...and they are, they have or will hire experts within related industries and dedicated enthusiasts to manage these sites over the long run vs a run-of-the-mill project manager. At the end of the day, operations (profit or non) become costly in terms of money or sweat equity. Companies need to make money. IB has seen a relatively cheap way of growing their network. It is a business evolution, for better (or worse in some cases).

Scooter · 10-29-2008, 03:38 AM

74, welcome! You should post on the new members thread, you are obviously a great addition to our family and should let everyone get to know you (hint: pics)!

SEVNT4 · 10-29-2008, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scooter

74, welcome! You should post on the new members thread, you are obviously a great addition to our family and should let everyone get to know you (hint: pics)!

Thanks again for the welcome Scooter!

4406pack · 10-29-2008, 11:27 AM

+1, welcome to the site.

SEVNT4 · 10-29-2008, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4406pack

+1, welcome to the site.

Thanks

10-17-2008, 10:43 AM	#1 (permalink)
SXY_S2K Trqless Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Tempe, AZ Posts: 1,232	Interesting Article on Car Forums Written by an acquaintance of mine... http://www.nicoclub.com/articles/forum-history.shtml Slightly long, but interesting read. __________________ *Race time. Got to be serious, not stylish.* *www.facebook.com/kesmith3 http://www.carbon8mag.com/*

10-17-2008, 03:54 PM	#3 (permalink)
bobby2002S2K Wisdom begins in wonder. Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Lorton,VA Posts: 529	lol, so we have no staff does that mean we are on the down hill of this site? No one knows any staff and you can not contact them. __________________ I still cant get my foot off the floor and its been over a 2yrs now

10-29-2008, 11:27 AM	#9 (permalink)
4406pack cone destroyer Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: champaign, IL Posts: 568	+1, welcome to the site. __________________ Koni shocks, Tein lowering springs, Invidia exhaust, CR front and rear sway bars,Neuspeed X-brace, stock test pipe, goodridge ss brake lines, more to come.....

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10-17-2008, 04:24 PM	#4 (permalink)
JOECHY Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 568	Anyway. It was a good read. Never thought about what happens behind the scenes and how relative revenue can be to a forum. Funny how much the love for money changes things. Not too many people now days willing to do something for the community purely out of the goodness of their hearts.

10-17-2008, 11:41 PM	#5 (permalink)
Scooter Senior Newbie Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 1,587	Nice article, well written. However, I think of this place as more of an enthusiast site because it has no staff, just volunteer moderators who obviously own the car. The fact that we're still online means that the google-relevent ads that show up on the top must be paying enough to justify the cost of our server space... who.is shows us as being registered by godaddy.com and the owner is hidden by domainsbyproxy.com, BUT the domain server is carsdirect.com so I suspect they may own it.

10-29-2008, 03:38 AM	#7 (permalink)
Scooter Senior Newbie Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 1,587	74, welcome! You should post on the new members thread, you are obviously a great addition to our family and should let everyone get to know you (hint: pics)!