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DPChallenge Forums >> General Discussion >> Open Letter to Langdon
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Showing posts 526 - 550 of 604, (reverse)
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 03/05/2013 11:22:24 AM · #526
Originally posted by mike_311:
Originally posted by Skip:
Originally posted by mike_311:
now im curious, what happened?

nothing happened. he just got busy with his real life, which oddly enough is a software development company. dpc was never meant to be his main focus, regardless of how much potential it had/has. more here.


darn, urban legend...


Persistent legend too. It's been a story line for at least as long as I've been coming around.

I certainly understand the pressures of family life. I just think someone should make a run at buying the site. I'm wondering if anyone has made an offer and how it was received. If I were in the same shoes, I think I'd prefer to unload it rather than watch it drift away. And the number of entries per challenge are down. And there is a palpable sense the site isn't what it used to be and the site owner still doesn't seem to be engaged.

So, either buy it, or start a new one. I'd be happy to contribute to either cause, but I don't see how this site improves without access to the controls.
 03/05/2013 11:37:28 AM · #527
michael - as you have no way of knowing since the posts have since been hidden (in this very thread) there has been a substantial offer made to purchase the site which apparently was unsuccessful.
 03/05/2013 11:46:34 AM · #528
Originally posted by myqyl:
... It ain't broke.


Many disagree with that assessment.

03/05/2013 11:49:02 AM · #529
I would be curious to know what the annual income for DPC is.
 03/05/2013 11:58:39 AM · #530
Originally posted by Yandrosxx:
Originally posted by mike_311:
Originally posted by Skip:
Originally posted by mike_311:
now im curious, what happened?

nothing happened. he just got busy with his real life, which oddly enough is a software development company. dpc was never meant to be his main focus, regardless of how much potential it had/has. more here.


darn, urban legend...


Persistent legend too. It's been a story line for at least as long as I've been coming around.

I certainly understand the pressures of family life. I just think someone should make a run at buying the site. I'm wondering if anyone has made an offer and how it was received. If I were in the same shoes, I think I'd prefer to unload it rather than watch it drift away. And the number of entries per challenge are down. And there is a palpable sense the site isn't what it used to be and the site owner still doesn't seem to be engaged.

So, either buy it, or start a new one. I'd be happy to contribute to either cause, but I don't see how this site improves without access to the controls.


I started here in 2002, so from my perspective entries are up 200% or so. Average entries were 40 to 50 if I recall... The site actually is very close to what it use to be and Langdon seems to be amazingly consistant in the light hand that keeps this place what it is. What has changed from what I see is that some people wish the site WASN'T the way it use to be (and still is). Some folks dream of a different site which is bigger, flashier, and more crowded. I never saw that here and would likely be inclined to leave if I did.

Actually I'm wrong... Now that I think about the fact that some folks want to see a different site here is not actually all that new either. There have always been folks looking for greener grass. Me? I like a little crab grass now and then... If this site ever does become the flashy glitzy thing some are looking for, I hope Langdon keeps this up as well, maybe even returning more to it's roots where it wasn't a photoshop contest but a photography contest.

This is a nice little cozy corner of the internet and it'd be a shame to lose it.
 03/05/2013 11:59:18 AM · #531
Originally posted by gcoulson:
I would be curious to know what the annual income for DPC is.


Might be more than we expect. They hang out with the big shots in Washington DC. :)

Message edited by author 2013-03-05 12:02:47.
 03/05/2013 12:01:34 PM · #532
Originally posted by gcoulson:
I would be curious to know what the annual income for DPC is.


(# paying members * $25) + AdSense Revenue - Hosting & Company admin costs.

ETA: That's closer to 'profit' actually. The income is Adsense + membership fees + prints. - Besides, aren't company annual returns publicly available in the US - Or is it just balance sheet summaries?

Message edited by author 2013-03-05 12:03:21.
 03/05/2013 12:05:42 PM · #533
The Whining Tax is pretty steep though. Might be taking a loss to be honest.
 03/05/2013 12:12:21 PM · #534
Originally posted by JH:
Besides, aren't company annual returns publicly available in the US - Or is it just balance sheet summaries?


I'm pretty sure that's only for publicly traded companies.
 03/05/2013 12:14:58 PM · #535
Originally posted by Yandrosxx:
I certainly understand the pressures of family life. I just think someone should make a run at buying the site. I'm wondering if anyone has made an offer and how it was received. If I were in the same shoes, I think I'd prefer to unload it rather than watch it drift away. And the number of entries per challenge are down. And there is a palpable sense the site isn't what it used to be and the site owner still doesn't seem to be engaged.

So, either buy it, or start a new one. I'd be happy to contribute to either cause, but I don't see how this site improves without access to the controls.


Sigh...

I hear 1x is now a challenge site with all the bells and whistles. Try that.

@ bohemka, LOL!!!!!
 03/05/2013 02:50:40 PM · #536
Questioning does not equal whining;
Constructive criticism does not equal whining;
Searching for progress does not equal whining;
Searching for solutions does not equal whining.
03/05/2013 02:50:52 PM · #537
Sigh.
 03/05/2013 02:54:19 PM · #538
Originally posted by Yandrosxx:
Questioning does not equal whining;
Constructive criticism does not equal whining;
Searching for progress does not equal whining;
Searching for solutions does not equal whining.


if they agree with you its not whining, if they don't it is.
 03/05/2013 03:02:43 PM · #539
Call it what you wish, Yandrosxx, it's just that we've been having that EXACT conversation, word for word, for years.
 03/05/2013 03:05:50 PM · #540
it would be funny to look back at the forum discussions from say 5 yrs ago.
 03/05/2013 03:22:09 PM · #541
Originally posted by mike_311:
it would be funny to look back at the forum discussions from say 5 yrs ago.

Here are a couple of threads from the General Discussion section from March 5, 2005:

Is the website screwed up?

The Pope

This is what the bottom of the front page looked; note there were only two challenges/week (inluding "Light on White"!!!), fewer than we routinely have open now ...
03/05/2013 04:05:05 PM · #542
Originally posted by GeneralE:

This is what the bottom of the front page looked; note there were only two challenges/week (inluding "Light on White"!!!), fewer than we routinely have open now ...


And this is circular to the debate of fewer entries in challenges.
By having fewer challenges people entered something as there was more time per challenge, but less options to cherry pick your forte out of (many will say that's still not possible, to which i say shut up, i'm in the middle of a point) ; people wanted more challenges and got them, as such people found it harder to put the time into every challenge and so they chose to enter what they like/can. there's nothing wrong with that. if i HAD to submit to every challenge every week i'd have a lot lower average score and i wouldn't have renewed my membership.
This site isn't perfect, no site is; but we're here, we have fun and those who are focused on ribbons will do their thing while those of us having fun will do ours.
Thanks for sharing the blast from the past General, it's nice to see how things Have improved here.
 03/05/2013 04:49:25 PM · #543
Fair enough, but regardless of how many times its been discussed, it still warrants discussion at least amongst those who perceive it to be a problem.
Solutions to problems are more often a function of timing as opposed to method anyway. Maybe this is the time, maybe its not.

I understand that some don't believe its a problem.

This thread, however, was posted so suggestions to perceived problems could be put forward. I think the lack of oversight, direct involvement is a problem. Not in the sense that it detracts from the site. I enjoy the site when I can break away from other things. Rather, I believe the site could be improved significantly and that progress is hindered because its apparent to me for whatever reason the owner isn't willing to make the additional investment in time or dollars.

All I wanted to know was; Has anyone approached the owner with an offer? If so how was it received? Thanks for the partial answer.

If buying the site isn't an option, then only two remain, build a new one, or risk watching it fritter away through slow attrition.

Maybe it lingers for years. I doubt that, but I suppose its possible.

03/05/2013 04:49:32 PM · #544
Originally posted by RyanW:
... if i HAD to submit to every challenge every week i'd have a lot lower average score ...

I can attest to the validity of this theory ... and note that there are still some bugs in the renewal process ... ;-)

03/05/2013 05:33:21 PM · #545
Originally posted by Yandrosxx:
All I wanted to know was; Has anyone approached the owner with an offer? If so how was it received? Thanks for the partial answer.


Yes. I believe several offers were made by several different parties. I know of one, definitely. It was not sold.
 03/05/2013 05:40:24 PM · #546
Originally posted by tanguera:
Originally posted by Yandrosxx:
All I wanted to know was; Has anyone approached the owner with an offer? If so how was it received? Thanks for the partial answer.


Yes. I believe several offers were made by several different parties. I know of one, definitely. It was not sold.


That suggests to me, he earns a reasonable profit and expects to continue to earn one going forward that would outweigh the value of accepting an offer to purchase.

Would love to know how much was offered and how much the income stream is. Any idea what the current active paid membership is?

Also, anyone explored the mechanics of building another site? If so, what stopped the inquiry? Was there some insurmountable problem?
 03/05/2013 05:53:11 PM · #547
Originally posted by Yandrosxx:
Originally posted by tanguera:
Originally posted by Yandrosxx:
All I wanted to know was; Has anyone approached the owner with an offer? If so how was it received? Thanks for the partial answer.


Yes. I believe several offers were made by several different parties. I know of one, definitely. It was not sold.


That suggests to me, he earns a reasonable profit and expects to continue to earn one going forward that would outweigh the value of accepting an offer to purchase.

Would love to know how much was offered and how much the income stream is. Any idea what the current active paid membership is?

Also, anyone explored the mechanics of building another site? If so, what stopped the inquiry? Was there some insurmountable problem?


Last time I did the math, I came up with something like 40k a year profit.

It's probably slightly lower now, but I can't see him selling for less than $120,000, and I suspect that's probably still less than he wants.

There are parallel sites, PWO contests is probably the closest, modeled after DPC mostly.
 03/05/2013 06:53:22 PM · #548
Originally posted by tanguera:
Originally posted by Yandrosxx:
All I wanted to know was; Has anyone approached the owner with an offer? If so how was it received? Thanks for the partial answer.


Yes. I believe several offers were made by several different parties. I know of one, definitely. It was not sold.


AND let me say AGAIN,,,,,,,,,,,,,, NOTHING IS GOING TO CHANGE IN THE NEAR FUTURE,,,,,,,,,,,,, IF you had read ANY of the previous 20 pages YOU would have SEEN this. Negotiations are still on the table.

So MAKE this SITE what you want it to be, put whatever you want back into it, take what you want, give back what you want. But the ONLY people that are going to make ANY difference right now is YOU all. Cus NOTHING is going to CHANGE for right now. Period, End of Story, Finite, Final, End Off, Dead Zombie like.
 03/05/2013 07:44:04 PM · #549
you wouldn't happen to still be on that crazy diet would you?
 03/05/2013 07:57:56 PM · #550
Originally posted by Yandrosxx:

Also, anyone explored the mechanics of building another site? If so, what stopped the inquiry? Was there some insurmountable problem?


Yes, I believe it's this one. Or maybe that one.

Regardless, there are parts of both sides' arguments here that are correct. There will always be attrition, no matter how utterly, amazingly excellent the site is. People join, they get excited, they participate, they get tired and disillusioned, they quit. It's the cycle of internet life. Part of a site owner's job is to market the site so that enough new people join so that the attrition isn't a problem. Part of that marketing effort is keeping the look and feel modern and up to date. Another part is advertising and promotion. Neither of those things really seems to be happening.

On the other hand, has anyone here ever gone to the discussion forums on, say, dpreview.com? Oh. My. God. What a bunch of whiners and argumentative jerks. The forums on this site are so much better. Friendly, for the most part, and full of practical, useful answers to questions, as well as squirrels, badgers, and alligators. Not a bunch of fanbois and gear whores.
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