Hello Everyone,
Someone of you won't know the background of how SciroccoNet came to be so let me briefly explain this before I let you know what is happening now.
The site was incepted by a lovely chap called Tony. Tony ran it up until I took it over from him around a year and a half ago. Up until then I had been involved as a Moderator and was involved in redesigning the look and feel of the site to bring it up to date. Anyway, Tony asked me to take the site off his hands as he had decided that he wasn't going to buy a Scirocco anymore (he had been holding out for the release of the R but when it was launched decided that it priced to highly). Tony felt that the best thing for the site would be to pass the torch to someone who had a passion for the subject matter and who could further develop it.
Since taking it over I've completely revamped the look and feel to what it is today and implemented a number of features such as the Dubkorps medals system and the "Like" button. Since taking the site from Tony my priorities have vastly changed. I became a father (my son is now 10 months old) and my lease on the car is approaching an end in April next year (I might keep it but more than likely I will cease to become a Scirocco owner). These two situations contribute to a diminished amount of time and effort for the site. Although I still regularly post, there is a lot of work to be done to take the site to the next level and increase its popularity on the world wide web.
I am not the man for the job.
I now find myself much in the same position as Tony was when he passed the site to me. With all that in mind I've been thinking about what's now best for the community. It's going to take someone with a lot of resources to push it to the next level and so I have decided to pass that torch on to another who has the ability to make that happen.
That other is Steve Dawson. Steve owns a small outfit called tyreforums.com and has lots of experience and expertise in running forums. Steve will add SciroccoNet to Tyreforums existing portfolio of online properties and has the skills, back up and resources to take the forum forward.
WHAT THIS MEANS NOW
Not much will change in the short term, other than the forum will be migrated to Tyreforums stable servers and I will go from being an Admin to a normal member of the site. The existing moderating and regional rep team will continue in their roles for as long as they want them and the site will pretty much remain the same. Steve will be concentrating on the development of the site and leave the community to pretty much run itself with the help of the aforementioned team.
WHAT THIS MEANS IN THE LONG TERM
In the long run it should mean a professionally managed forum, with greater opportunities for sponsorship involvement and discounts, not to mention better exposure and popularity across the internet for the site. All this should continue to increase our membership, resulting in a vibrant community and increase our exposure across the web.
It will be strange taking my hands off the reins but I need to admit to the fact that I am not the person to realise SciroccoNet's full potential. With this move, I no longer need to worry about the welfare of the forum and our community even as my own priorities shift. I look forward to seeing where Steve can take us.
Thanks,
Derek
Someone of you won't know the background of how SciroccoNet came to be so let me briefly explain this before I let you know what is happening now.
The site was incepted by a lovely chap called Tony. Tony ran it up until I took it over from him around a year and a half ago. Up until then I had been involved as a Moderator and was involved in redesigning the look and feel of the site to bring it up to date. Anyway, Tony asked me to take the site off his hands as he had decided that he wasn't going to buy a Scirocco anymore (he had been holding out for the release of the R but when it was launched decided that it priced to highly). Tony felt that the best thing for the site would be to pass the torch to someone who had a passion for the subject matter and who could further develop it.
Since taking it over I've completely revamped the look and feel to what it is today and implemented a number of features such as the Dubkorps medals system and the "Like" button. Since taking the site from Tony my priorities have vastly changed. I became a father (my son is now 10 months old) and my lease on the car is approaching an end in April next year (I might keep it but more than likely I will cease to become a Scirocco owner). These two situations contribute to a diminished amount of time and effort for the site. Although I still regularly post, there is a lot of work to be done to take the site to the next level and increase its popularity on the world wide web.
I am not the man for the job.
I now find myself much in the same position as Tony was when he passed the site to me. With all that in mind I've been thinking about what's now best for the community. It's going to take someone with a lot of resources to push it to the next level and so I have decided to pass that torch on to another who has the ability to make that happen.
That other is Steve Dawson. Steve owns a small outfit called tyreforums.com and has lots of experience and expertise in running forums. Steve will add SciroccoNet to Tyreforums existing portfolio of online properties and has the skills, back up and resources to take the forum forward.
WHAT THIS MEANS NOW
Not much will change in the short term, other than the forum will be migrated to Tyreforums stable servers and I will go from being an Admin to a normal member of the site. The existing moderating and regional rep team will continue in their roles for as long as they want them and the site will pretty much remain the same. Steve will be concentrating on the development of the site and leave the community to pretty much run itself with the help of the aforementioned team.
WHAT THIS MEANS IN THE LONG TERM
In the long run it should mean a professionally managed forum, with greater opportunities for sponsorship involvement and discounts, not to mention better exposure and popularity across the internet for the site. All this should continue to increase our membership, resulting in a vibrant community and increase our exposure across the web.
It will be strange taking my hands off the reins but I need to admit to the fact that I am not the person to realise SciroccoNet's full potential. With this move, I no longer need to worry about the welfare of the forum and our community even as my own priorities shift. I look forward to seeing where Steve can take us.
Thanks,
Derek