iEntry network take the webforumz reigns....

Rob · November 21st, 2008, 04:38 AM

Hey guys,

As some of you know my personal life has got kinda crazy over the last 6 months... in fact its been one thing after another for 18 months. In the last 18 months I was living out of emergency b & b accommodation at one point, then got a house, now moving to a bigger house - all the while fighting a battle for sole residency of my children, dealing with family illness, a son with special behavioral needs and other nasties I cant mention.

It's fair to say that as the last 18 months have passed I have had less and less time for webforumz due to these and other personal and family issues to deal with and I simply cannot afford with time, or money to keep webforumz on any longer. I give massive credit to the staff especially WelshStew and SaltedM8 who were key in making sure the site carried on... I also thank AlexGeek, Frinkky, Ed, Marc, Jack Franklin, Clouded Vision, Crakafaza, D3niss Alex Rehm and all past (Jacob, Karinne) and present staff who I have not mentioned (I'd be here all day).

Most important, as has always been the case from day one is the caliber of members we retain -yes, thats you guys. A site is only as good as it's member base and to this day we have remained friendly and retained our family feel you all signed up for. I truly hope the atmosphere we all love about webforumz can be retained under the new ownership - I will certainly endeavor to work with the new owners to ensure this is the case for as long as I can.

Lots of people will vouch for me when I say I've been very careful in choosing a buyer for webforumz. The decision to give up the site was a very hard one to make and I agonised over the decision for months. I then agonised over the buyer and downright refused to sell to some people and rejected a good few offers. I wanted to ensure that whomever took control knows this niche, can give time (lots and lots of time), can grow the site and importantly turn it around and not let it die (the more I neglected the site, the more it suffered)

I am sad I had little time for this place and I feel bad but sometimes you have to prioritize time in ways that are not necessarily the most fun. Somethings in the end have to give when things get worse - this is just life.

The new owner is actually not a single person, they are a company which specialises in media aimed at IT professionals. Some of you may have heard of WebProNews, WebmasterFree, etc.... those were big sites even back when webforumz started and sites I personally looked up to. The company actually have lots of sites and around 6 million developers and designers in their network which can only benefit webforumz in positive ways. I am very pleased that iEntry have taken on webforumz and can now breathe a much awaited and comfortable sigh of relief.

It will be good that generous time will be put into the site because it really does need it and deserve it. I think these are the best guys to do it.

I'm gonna feel like your parents did when you graduated from college or uni.... Seeing webforumz listed up alongside those other sites is a real thrill for me and a touch nostalgic.

I will always root for webforumz because its been my web 'home' since I first started it. We've all put so much time in. I will be staying on in whatever capacity I can manage time wise - I will always be around here for as long as there is breath in me.

It's easy to be sad about this because if my circumstances were different it might not be happening but the more I think about this the more I see it as a positive step and I am actually now quite excited to see what new journeys webforumz will go on.

I hope that everyone can join with me in wishing iEntry the best of luck - I am sure you are all excited to see what future developments there will be to make webforumz even better!

For those who know me well, You've got my MSN (if not, pm me and ask)

Keep in touch purleeese!

Like I said, I'm still here, still around but in terms of the future for Webforumz, I now hand you over to iEntry with immediate effect.

God bless you all

Ed · November 21st, 2008, 04:51 PM

At the end of the day Rob, you'll be sorely missed. I think you needed to move on from WebForumz, as in some ways it was the thing you loved and in some ways I got the feeling that you felt it was a bit of a pain, because of your high level of commitment to us and the forum.

I certainly will be staying to see what happens and will gladly continue to help here once that's what iEntry are looking for. Thus far, I'm very impressed with their network of sites and hope they do the same for WebForumz. To be honest, I'm not too worried. I think they'll bring it back to the day when you had so much time on your hands, when WebForumz was at it's strongest.

Ed.

simonb · November 21st, 2008, 04:53 PM

Well Good Luck Rob see you around.

I hope that Ientry do a good job.

Rob · November 21st, 2008, 04:54 PM

wow ed, thats fantastic -you hit the nail on the head. not sure about the last sentance though but thanks all the same for the vote of confidence. anyway, I'm not really going anywhere....

Thats is to say you'll see me with about the same frequency ?(ie... sporadic)

welshstew · November 21st, 2008, 05:00 PM

Rob,

I know that you have agonized for some time over this decision, and the search for the new owner of WebForumz has been an arduous journey with many twists and turns. I now hope, alongside you, that WebForumz can grow into what we all hope it can become.

I want to say a huge thank you to all your help and guidence over the years, and to the other members who have helped me in this forum along the way.

I look forward to the new direction that we are going to be taking with the new owners, and cannot wait to see what new and exciting ideas they bring to our little forum.

So, it would seem that we are going to be getting pretty busy around here; with the forum being able to reach many more IT professionals and web builders and designers. I know that the current staff will welcome them and continue to pass on their extensive knowledge, their wisdom and their wit; helping to keep this community buzzing.

As Rob mentioned, this forum is, and always always be, about its community members. You made us what we are and will continue to push us forward.

Thank you for stopping by, and see you around the forums.

frinkky · November 21st, 2008, 05:04 PM

I sincerely hope you mange to get things back on an even keel in due course. I realise this decision can't have been easy and therefore the reasons must be immense.

I also hope that once you have things resolved (or near enough) you find another project to work on. Your efforts in building webforumz have not gone unnoticed and you have helped many people develop their skills and knowledge, therefore it would be a shame to not put your expertise to good use in the future.

I think I speak for everyone by saying that if there is anyway directly or indirectly I, or we, can help you out with anything, you need only ask.

All the best to you and your family.

Regards

Jon

Rob · November 21st, 2008, 05:08 PM

hey jon and stew... thank you very much and very kind words.

I will certainly still keep in touch via msn as you know - you might wanna block me now.. lol

I do have some projects in mind, but they're not forum related or designer/developer focused - wont be working on them for a while to come given all thats going on but will let everyone know when the crazy mayhem is subsiding after the move, etc

I got the house movers coming tomorrow at 10am and stil have half the house to pack... lol

Marc · November 21st, 2008, 05:17 PM

Hi have to echo the sentiments of Stew and Jon - I dont know what else to say!

I do hope that things get better for you and your family.

As for the new owners, I welcome you to the forums and eagerly await Webforumz new direction.

Once again, thanks for giving me the chance on the Webfourmz staff team - I'm extremely grateful and I've learned a lot from you in the SEO field. Keep in touch.

Cheers
Marc

Dubbs · November 21st, 2008, 05:21 PM

Hello everyone, I'm Derald, and an employee at iEntry. We are looking forward to the future of Webforumz. As Rob highlighted, we do run some WebProNews, WebMasterFree, and other IT related sites. We also have experience with large forums. We currently have at about 5 forums which have over 20,000 members, and are growing everyday.

Just to answer some questions you all may have. iEntry is located in Lexington, KY, in the US. We specialize in business to business advertising, and marketing. Our flagship website is WebProNews.com, which reports on SEO and Internet related news.

All of the current staff is encouraged to stay on, and help out. Everyone who is on the staff will keep their same title and status. So you don't have to worry about any changes.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask them here. If I don't have an answer I am for sure one of my co-worker can answer your questions.

Rob · November 21st, 2008, 05:47 PM

Hi Dubbs...

Welcome to Webforumz!

I guess you will be inheriting my custom code.... hehehe - am here to decypher if needed.

Jack Franklin · November 21st, 2008, 06:32 PM

Welcome to the new. And I can ditto what everyone else has said Rob.

Jack Franklin · December 10th, 2008, 05:12 PM

How wrong we were, eh guys?

saltedm8 · December 11th, 2008, 03:41 PM

definitely wrong

Quote:

So you don't have to worry about any changes

what a load of crap !!!

AnsUK · December 11th, 2008, 03:59 PM

Rob I’m so very sorry to hear about your troubles, I truly had no idea but then again why would I

I can only wish you the very best and sincerely hope that things improve for you.
I am, as I’m sure everyone else is here because of what you personally brought us which is a friendly and unpretentious community full of experts in their respective fields offering their spare time to help those in need and it is the work you've personally put in that makes this place what it is, so thank you for everything you've done and I hope the new year brings you everything you've dreamed of

To the new owners: Whatever you do and wherever you envision taking this community I sincerely hope you keep it the great community that Rob has made. Welcome

Merry Christmas

benbramz · December 11th, 2008, 05:33 PM

Good luck Rob and Ientry

benbramz · December 11th, 2008, 05:38 PM

Bitter? Either way - its happned, get over it.

sypher · December 11th, 2008, 11:05 PM

:o random email ftw

Horath · December 30th, 2008, 10:06 AM

I got an email saying these iEntry guys were hitlers...lol. Apparently not.