Who owns DSLRUsers?

[olrac]

This article discusses how XPMediaCenter.com was sold for $150,000 but the members are the ones who made it valuable.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/web/whos-the-boss/2007/10/15/1192300685861.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1


My question is this who owns DSLRUsers.com?
How would you feel if it was sold say to Nikon or Teds for that matter?

Let the discussions begin....

[Oz_Beachside]

i vote this thread be locked

[moz]

Ownership of a community resource like this is more fluid than british law can cope with, it's more in the sense of 'responsible for" than "wields absolute control over". I was around for the cyclery.com debacle, where some really useful mailing lists were sold and spammed, so the users left. Now their replacements are hosted by people who aren't like that (and know what happens if they become like that). So Gary could transfer legal ownership of the forum (or make up his own rules, or introduce spam or whatever), but whether he could transfer the userbase is an open question, it would depend on how we reacted to what he did. If he did it.

[gstark]

Carlo,
Please permit me to clarify a couple of things and perhaps answer a couple of the questions ...

Leigh and I are the owners of DSLRUsers in that between us we own the four domains that are used by this site, as well as the business name that is associated with these domains.

These forums are not a public place, but a private website, and members are here at the the invitation of Leigh and myself.

This site, the userbase, and the resources that we enjoy here aren't going anywhere, but I need to refer you to this thread which was unleashed on the forum on April 1 2005.

In unleashing this thread, Leigh had done a lot of work on redesigning the site so that it had a Maxwell's look and feel to it ...

And while we all had a great laugh about this, it was very quickly evident that the membership base was very happy with things as they were then ... which is pretty much as they remain today.

[gstark]

Oh yes ... one other point: I consider that our membership base to be the most valuable resource that this site has. Without all y'all, this site would not exist.

[olrac]

I agree wholeheartedly Gary.

The age article just made me start to think how I would feel if the owners of the domain (Yourself and Leigh) were to sell. The fourum would just not be the same.

[TonyH]

Sold to Teds.......

I'm sure Gary would never go down that track

Clearly the site is owned by Gary and Leigh we are visitors in their house in my opinion.

Just because you go to a party at someones house doesn't mean that you own a share of the house does it?

[Old Bob]

Or if I spend money and time at Woolworths, doesn't make me a share holder.

Bob

[Patrolman Pat]

The proceeds of any sale should be divided amongst the posters and divied up based on post count.

Just my 2c, which is probably what I'd earn for my measly number of posts.

[blacknstormy]

It would be far far far scarier if it were sold to.....
gasp.....
CANON !!!!

[MATT]

Gary should sell it.. Make a heap of cash.

Then we set up shop somewhere else.. Sounds like a plan to me..maybe.

Would someone want to buy it???



MATT

[Onyx]

Can we mention the unmentionable? Some period of time in the past, a promiment member of this forum left these forums under not so hospitable terms, and along with him took his loyal followers, which were a not inconsequential chunk of this forum's membership. Granted, there is considerable overlap between the users of the other forum and this one, but for some it was like choosing between rival rangs and some have tended to stick with either one side or the other.

I sure do miss some of the personalities of old, and occasionally I do get all nostalgic and think about the way things used to be... I'm not on that other site (I've barely got time for this one these days), and I guess if I were I might feel differently. But my point is, intangible assets such as this site are very difficult to value, and who benefits or loses from the sale of such is difficult to tell.

Heck, Amazon acquired DPReview recently - but nothing's changed as far as I can see. If some entity decided to offer the Starks a sizeable chuck of cash for ownership of the domain/site; but they were allowed to retain full creative control over its content, I don't see what harm it would do.

[blacknstormy]

I'm not sure how this thread came up - but it is Gary & Leigh's site - they are the ones you've put in the hard slog, pay to keep it going - the members are the fortunate ones who benefit ....
Long reign the Starks

edit - as far as I'm concerned, we already benefit from the site, and do not deserve to do so monetarily if it were to be sold !! It's like saying that if your favourite restaurant sold, you were entitled to some of the profit ! ??? ... don't think so