The next decade...
It's been almost 11 years since I started a website dedicated to
Ibanez JEM guitars. Over time it has turned into a significant, worldwide community. All of you reading know the sense of family atmosphere and overall good spirit that is found here.. a rarity nowadays online. For this you all should be proud
As the single creator and "owner" of jemsite (ie. responsible for everything), it should be no surprise that what once was a small hobby site has grown to require the daily, continual participation of a part-time job. Our great community makes this job worthwhile, but nonetheless it requires attention & dedication to run, let alone flourish. Unfortunately it is a job which I no longer have the time to give the proper attention.
With this in mind I have an announcement to make that will benefit this community over what I hope is another decade and more.
In the next few days my role in jemsite.com will change from sole owner to minor partner. The rules and policies will remain the same. Our goals and mission remain the same. Our privacy policies will remain the same. We won't be having evilbay spammer links everywhere
The new owners run web communities as a full time job so they bring to the table the ability to keep the site technically cutting edge in a way that we'd all like, but which I could not do myself. They can steer traffic & bolster the community without intrusion while generating the revenue required to allow this to happen.
My specific role at jemsite will remain in helping mangage the site & guide the forum as I've done here. I will administer the helpers, moderators, etc. I will be freed of dealing with servers, websites, security, vBulletin updates, techincal stuff or anything site related that ironically limits my actual participation here. All of that muckety muck stuff ultimately was a detraction from jemsite.
Jemsite.com will be transfered from my existing dedicated server to a new host in a few days. There will be a couple hours of downtime here or there while the transfer occurs. The forum database and site will be 100% intact (most would not even be aware of a change). Advanced notice will be given as this is among the final steps in my transferring jemsite.com to a new primary owner.
The new owners want & need my personal participation here. They will not come in with a wrecking ball and turn things inside out. That would NOT be in the best interest of anyone. It will be excited to see what the future brings to jemsite. While it's somewhat natural to fear change & the uknown, in this case I believe it should be embraced. I would have not have taken this path if I did not believe it would benefit the site I created & it's members now and in the future.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to post or PM. The specific arrangements & terms are under legal non-disclosure so please refrain from that discussion.
... glen
