For sale! Deskthority is looking for a new owner

[JP!]

I have one for it

and this --guys-- is how you brag.

Spoiler:

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[XMIT]

JP, we already have the Deskthority private plane. Not a jet but it will have to do.

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It's offline for some transponder work at the moment but XMIT Air is totally a thing.

(I'm quite serious. I'm an instrumented rated private pilot and this is the plane I partially own.)

[JP!]

(I'm quite serious. I'm an instrumented rated private pilot and this is the plane I partially own.)

That's a great start!

[Muirium]

How many beamsprings is that thing rated for? Just thinking of a handy little blockade runner…

[JP!]

How many beamsprings is that thing rated for? Just thinking of a handy little blockade runner…

Can't risk beamsprings in a single engine plane. We will need two engines and a larger cargo hold.

[XMIT]

1400 lbs useful load. It's a 1978 Piper Lance II, mostly stock except for some avionics updates. With my fat self in there and fuel let's call it about 800 lbs or 333 kilos.

I'd worry more about the plane than the Beamsprings. Seriously, this would be fine.

JP! if you're volunteering to buy me a Piper Seneca please let me know.

[ramnes]

Came here to read about Cindy's flooded warehouse only to find this thread? What's happening these days...

[photekq]

Really sad to hear about this webwit, but gosh. Thanks for keeping the responsibility for as long as you have, and for not passing the site over to just anyone.

On the plus side, really happy to see you're alive and well sixty and Mu! I hope everything's bless with both of you.

[Muirium]

Hey Photekq, likewise. Cookie's right about the vibe. It's like we're being assembled, to kick some ass or something.

[Jacobalbertus1]

I have one for it

and this --guys-- is how you brag.

and this guys was a joke

[Jacobalbertus1]

How many beamsprings is that thing rated for? Just thinking of a handy little blockade runner…

Can't risk beamsprings in a single engine plane. We will need two engines and a larger cargo hold.

yes we need more engineers

[NeK]

Well, good luck with the sale. Thanks for making a good place that attracted people that made such a nice community. I hope this will go on with the new owner too.

[Palatino]

"What would wow us?" our Webwit once wondered -
"A vault for the knowledge we've plundered!
Where we'd all click as one,
Come dust, damp or sun,
And swap keyboard ideas by the hundred."

To make all our strivings less torrid, he
Founded a site of best quality,
Put a beam on our face
And a spring in our pace -
So here's to ten years of Deskthority!

[elecplus]

Several years ago I was downsizing my warehouse and trying to figure out what to do with the 1000s of keyboards on hand. I found deskthority.net, requested permission to sell keyboards, and found a community of very patient and caring people. Thanks for being my extended family all these years! GL with sale Webwit! I really hope the warmth of the community continues.

[raoulduke-esq]

Isn't DT a non profit kinda thing? I don't see any ads or anything else that generates a revenue.
I feel like if someone is going to spend money buying it he will want deskthority to become a lucrative endeavour in return. Big changes ahead I suppose

I had the same question. Not sure how this forum would generate revenue, which makes "market value" hard to judge. As a forum filled with great information, passionate folks, and keyboards beyond 60% with MX clones it's full of emotional value, but how does one price that?

[Muirium]

All very true. There’s a general worry, I suppose, that a bad owner could wreck the joint with ads and paid content. But I’d worry more about plain old indifference. That’s when things are “sunset”, to use the Silicon Valley euphemism for killed.

[Archie]

Not sure how this forum would generate revenue,

The only method I know of is, to put annoying banners and similar ads - and I haven't seen them on DT till now...

[zrrion]

I for one can't wait for DT Gold™ accounts to give me a bluegold check mark next to my name.

[Polecat]

Not sure how this forum would generate revenue,

The only method I know of is, to put annoying banners and similar ads - and I haven't seen them on DT till now...

What about tracking and selling our personal info? We all know how well that has worked for Z.

[Archie]

I doubt it have any value, actually. Who/what is Z?

[Polecat]

Zuckerberg; surely someone here has heard of him?

[hellothere]

Isn't DT a non profit kinda thing? I don't see any ads or anything else that generates a revenue.
I feel like if someone is going to spend money buying it he will want deskthority to become a lucrative endeavour in return. Big changes ahead I suppose

I had the same question. Not sure how this forum would generate revenue, which makes "market value" hard to judge. As a forum filled with great information, passionate folks, and keyboards beyond 60% with MX clones it's full of emotional value, but how does one price that?

I've had the same problem regarding getting some ROI, but ...

1. I've said no to blinky, flash-equivalent banners.
2. I get payment up front.
3. I make sure that my advertisers are selling something that I use or would want others to use.

No, I don't make lots of money. Enough for server space, forum software, and some other essentials. However, I also don't make a big push to advertise.

I could easily see people advertising group buys, here. Companies that have keyboards that were well-reviewed here (e.g. Steel Series Apex Pro, Wooting) might want to advertise. I could even see people with really high priced keyboards (e.g. beam springs, Dasher) wanting to take out a short-term ad. You've also got accessories (e.g. Sprit Alps springs, lubricants), full-build kits, and artisans. You could also sell things like a custom theme or user-defined titles for small donations. Some people really go for that. Or charge a couple bucks to put something up for sale.

Also remember that there is a thing called uBlock Origin . I haven't had very many ad problems in the past several years since I installed that.

[webwit]

Relax, there's plenty of interest, and none of them is stupid - they want DT for its vibe and what it is and don't want to ruin that, and know exactly what would break it.

[hellothere]

Cool. I'm really happy that you're in a place where you can take a while to "screen" offers, webwit.

[Archie]

Also remember that there is a thing called uBlock Origin . I haven't had very many ad problems in the past several years since I installed that.

Adblockers are good thing of course: in fact, I use them all the time. But anyway, presence of ads is a matter of overall site perception. Being an owner of other forums, I believe "ads-free territory" is a crucial property of hobbist's community...

[hellothere]

Also remember that there is a thing called uBlock Origin . I haven't had very many ad problems in the past several years since I installed that.

Adblockers are good thing of course: in fact, I use them all the time. But anyway, presence of ads is a matter of overall site perception. Being an owner of other forums, I believe "ads-free territory" is a crucial property of hobbist's community...

I was told that a forum I used to work for now had ads everywhere. I visited and didn't see anything odd. Then I turned off my ad blocker. Ow. My eyes. So, I do grant that point, Archie. Of course, you can also monetize that: you don't want ads? No problem! Become a full member for $10 a month/week/year and we'll allow you to use the theme that doesn't have ads!

As another monetization thing, I'd buy a wall calendar that features some of the nice keyboards posted here. Even some pointing devices would be cool. I really like the glowy XKeys/CST trackballs.

[Burton]

Hi all. Deskthority was founded in Januari 2011, so it's been 10 years I've been pulling this baby. The last couple of years have been much easier, since Matt3o became the main administrator. Still, I'm finding myself no longer putting in the desired effort I'd expect from an owner, it's just the natural way of things just like many of you have experienced with the keyboard hobby itself where the curve of engagement goes up and then down.

So I've decided to look for a new owner, to do a better job, and matt3o is also helping, and for his efforts will get part of the proceeds. The good news is, we're really looking for a good new owner, and are not desperate to sell to less respected parties because we quickly need money or something like that. If no good new owner is found or if no reasonably price close to market value is offered, probably nothing will happen. I will not rule from the grave, but I expect the new owner(s) to be a good custodian of the forum, and similarly of the open source wiki. There's a lot of content in both which has been provided for enthousiasts by volunteers, and I expect the new owner(s) to understand this geek culture and respect that and not mess that up.

If you're interested please PM me and matt3o with your questions or offers!

This is rather sad, because I have already witnessed how a worthy resource passed into new hands and changed dramatically. True, it was a blog, not a forum. On the forum, the role of the community is still greater. But the policy of the new owners may be such that the regular visitors of the forum will simply scatter.

[Jack/>]

very sorry . even though I was young here, I like this forum - I wish you all the best.

[Keybug]

Just wanted to chime in here and express my gratitude for the fun I had on and with this site over the last four years or so. Very much appreciated and here's hoping the owner change will preserve this great ressource and community for future generations!

[Sup]

Thanks for the service