I am happy to announce that 6x6 World is under new ownership. Please join me in welcoming Outdoor Sports Inc. as the new owners of the forum. I am excited for the future of this site under their ownership and I feel that this will bring a positive change for our community.
Why?
The past 10 years have been a lot of fun for me and I have enjoyed developing the site and helping to mold it into what it is today. However, as life constantly changes, my priorities have shifted focus and unfortunately the site has fallen to the bottom of my list and been neglected for quite a while. This has affected the site in two ways that bother me:
1. One of my goals when we started was to stay at the forefront of technology. I feel like we did that for a while. We live tweeted some events 10 years ago when Twitter was in its infancy, we live streamed trail rides years ago when live streaming was tough, we hosted chats here on the forum on a weekly basis, I updated forum software as soon as it was available, etc. Gradually as my free time became less abundant, these features faded away and things became stale.
2. I have always tried to take care in moderating the site. I've made plenty of careless mistakes in the past but I have found myself being more and more rushed to moderate the site. Unfortunately that has led to me making even more mistakes and being short with people. A couple of months ago I got a PM from an (understandably) irate member asking why I merged his sale thread with another members thread. I had no idea I had even done it because I selected the wrong two threads to merge and didn't check my work when I was done because I was in a hurry. Another example: I get a handful of emails each week from people that have forgotten their passwords. Normally I would take the time to explain the process and let them know that they control their own passwords and then give them a link to the password reset form. I have found myself resorting to just replying with a link to the password reset form without any explanation to save time. These may seem like little things but they go a long way in setting the tone of the forum and keeping members happy and feeling welcome.
Who?
I have struggled with what to do with the site for the past few years. I’ve had people offer to purchase the site in the past but most did not have an interest in our hobby and were simply looking for websites with some advertising revenue. A year or so ago, I began communicating with a media company that was interested in the forum. We have talked quite a bit back and forth and I finally decided that they were the right fit for taking over and improving on what we have started here.
One thing that was important to me was to find someone that could understand the hobby, our site dynamics and what sets it apart. I didn’t want to lose the community feeling that we have here. I want someone that understands us and can only make this place better. Outdoor Sports Inc. has come to understand our inner workings and I feel like they value that as much as I do.
When?
So, when are these changes going to occur? The Outdoor Sports Inc. team has been moderating the forum for the past several weeks and things have been going smoothly. They will continue to do so and I will gradually take more of a passive role in the site.
What Changes?
So, what changes are going to take place with the new owners?
Software – Outdoor Sports Inc. plans to update the forum software and get us back on the leading edge of technology. They also want to look at gallery options that may allow for an easier way to upload, post and share photos. These changes will not occur immediately but are a long term goal.
Moderation – Outdoor Sports Inc. will be the sole moderators of the forum under the username Moderator. They intend to keep the same site rules but they are going to take a different approach than I did when it comes to moderation. Instead of being actively engaged and participating on the forum, their only purpose for visiting the site is going to be to moderate. This means they will be moving threads to the proper forums, deleting sold ads, answering site related questions, posting sponsor information, etc but they will not be participating in discussions about ATVs. I really liked this approach because I feel that it keeps them as more of a neutral 3rd party should any issues arise. They really want to just let the site continue to be what it is today and simply be there for technical support as needed.
Everything Else – Everything else is going to stay the same. Outdoor Sports Inc. likes what we have here and wants to keep what’s good about the forum in place.
Me?
What about me personally? Well, I'm not going anywhere. I'm still hanging around just like I have always been (to ArgoJim's dismay) I still want to attend rides and I still want to communicate with everyone just like I have been. This change just keeps me from having to worry about moderating or editing the forum. This way, when I have time to spend here, I can enjoy it freely and that is something I look forward to.
I do want to thank all of you for your support over the years. I hope you will join me in supporting Outdoor Sports Inc. and their vision for the site because I really do think they will bring a positive change for this community.
Thanks again,
Mike
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