Big Announcement...

[Scooby]

I am pleased to announce that MX6.com is in the process of becoming a member of the AutoForums.com network of auto
enthusiast forums.
AutoForums.com simply manages the business side of the site and takes a hands-off approach to the community itself. So while the server will change and we will get a new admin, the community will remain largely the same but better due to the professional support from the AutoForums staff.

What does this mean for you? Not much, really. All the moderators and admins will remain in their current positions.
There will be some minor policy changes regarding advertising, but AutoForums subscribes to a very similar philosophy on non-intrusive advertising for members. So there may be some more advertising, but nothing that pops up covering the page or requires you to click it away.
This change also means a professional staff backing the site which will result in more reliability and more assured future for the site and even support for merchandising and community events.
These are all things we have been wanting for a long time.

More details will be announced soon.

Feel free to ask questions. I will do my best to answer them.

Sean

[moebius]

Did they invite you/us? or did we/you seek them out? Are selling the mx6.com site, or just giving Panther37 a wee-little break?

Is this mostly just a relocation of the server/data?
OR is the software going to change?
How will the affect the old stuff, say, pre-2004) ?

Will this affect MazdaWorld.org at all?
Will old posts be affected at all? What about old user accounts/bans/old posts?
I'm just hungry for a few more details...

[Scooby]

Understandable. Autoforums.com partners with existing sites and provides technical, financial and business support. They have a hands-off philosophy to the site itself but do have to make some changes to integrate sites into their network. In our case they are taking over ownership of the site. It is no secret that I have been looking for someone capable to take over for a long time and they are, by far, a much better option than an individual who runs another site. The are a real business with programmers, marketing and sales people. So they have the resources to not only ensure the future of the site, but to help it grow and support features we could never accomplish (meets, merchandise, features on the site, etc.).

I think we have already seen most of the changes. Notice muchc change?

They did add some intellitext ads for guests (logged in members will not see these). These are really just designed to encourage people to register. There will also be a new style for the site, but the old style will still be available so each member will be able to choose which one they like the best in your CP.

The server will be changed. This is actually happening tomorrow and will result in about 15 minutes of down time (they are better at it than I ever was...LOL).
Software, moderators and admins will remain exactly the same. No old threads will be lost.
I am not sure how/why the changes to this site would affect MazdaWorld. We are not currently affiliated with them.
With changes like this, it is always possible that post count will be affected since this is meta data. Any time data changes or is reindexed, the meta data HAS to change.

I am not sure if post counts will be recalculated or not (sometimes reindexing is required), but no posts will be deleted, so it should not be too different than it is now.

Happy to answer any more questions.

[nate_v8]

When you say post counts could change does this mean that we lose privileges will be lost due to low post count? Like how I can't do anything on PT untill I get 25posts.

Scooby I just noticed your avatar, is that supposed to be a reference of a missing god? If so it is just a very artful interpretation of the idea.

[Fastest95PGT]

I think this is a good idea. It's essentially "hit by the bus insurance" for Scooby.

I don't need more spam in my e-mail. I expect they won't be sharing our e-mail addresses, correct?

Only downside is if the company who buys this goes out of business and shuts it down or sells it to some animal pr0n site. . . . well, I mean at least shutting it down would be bad.

[nate_v8]

Is there some way a back up of this site could be made with all the current information on it so that a few people could hold it, in the case that something like that would happen? That way some one could continue on with this site.

[Fastest95PGT]

How are sponsors going to be worked out? Any changes?

How about donations enabling additional features on the site.

[ragincanadian4]

Is this why there's a new administrator who has only 4 posts?

[Steve_Dos]

what about private msg? will they get lost in the transition???

[Scooby]

Originally Posted by nate_v8

When you say post counts could change does this mean that we lose privileges will be lost due to low post count? Like how I can't do anything on PT untill I get 25posts.

I suppose it is possible, but highly unlikely. The promotion system is set up to promote members when they reach certain levels, but not set up to demote them if they fall below those levels. Also the most likely posts to no longer count are very old ones that have already been deleted, but have not been deducted from post counts (since they have not been recalculated).

Scooby I just noticed your avatar, is that supposed to be a reference of a missing god? If so it is just a very artful interpretation of the idea.

Yep.

Originally Posted by Fastest95PGT

I don't need more spam in my e-mail. I expect they won't be sharing our e-mail addresses, correct?

Correct, same privacy policies apply as before. We have always reserved the right to contact you ourselves, so it has always been possible that we would send a newsletter from the site that may contain some advertising. But we would never sell or disclose your contact information to a third party.

Only downside is if the company who buys this goes out of business and shuts it down or sells it to some animal pr0n site. . . . well, I mean at least shutting it down would be bad.

Originally Posted by nate_v8

Is there some way a back up of this site could be made with all the current information on it so that a few people could hold it, in the case that something like that would happen? That way some one could continue on with this site.

True, but this company is more stable and has a more vested interest in the site than even I do. They have tons of sites running and can operate them much more efficiently than a single operation can. So, if anything, the future of the site is much more assured than it was before. Companies can always go under, but the sites would still retain value, so it is not like they would disappear. At the worst, they would be sold to another company. But again, I am speculating about what would happen if a very successful and viable company went out of business. These guys have been around for quite while and they have a significant management staff, so one of them being hit by a bus would not have the same effect as if I were hit by a bus (i.e., the site would continue).

Originally Posted by Fastest95PGT

How are sponsors going to be worked out? Any changes?

The banner advertising is remaining the same. So far the forum advertising is the same, but that is being looked at. No changes to the policies or rates are currently planned, but it has always been a possibility that they would change.

How about donations enabling additional features on the site.

Those will be re-enabled very soon. We are discussing a number of options on how to enhance this area too.

Originally Posted by ragincanadian4

Is this why there's a new administrator who has only 4 posts?

Yep, that is Dan from AutoForums. They need an admin account simply to manage the advertising systems and to provide programming support for the site (so if we decide we need a new plugin like iTrader, for example, they can do that for us). The management of the community and forums is still in our hands.

Originally Posted by Steve_Dos

what about private msg? will they get lost in the transition???

Nope, all messages, posts, threads, accounts will be maintained. Nothing is being lost at all.

[ragincanadian4]

So what's the point of donating anymore, I always donated because I was under the impression it went to you to help offset the cost of site maintenance and such, is there even a point to donating in the future (besides an avatar of course) since it will be run by a company that's making money off the ads?

[max626]

Interesting that you brought that up Matt i thought of the same thing while reading through this thread. Actually what brought me to this thread was that i noticed the google ads on top were larger then usally, but i wasnt logged in at the time so i guess thats why. I this brings new members to the site as well not just thoes 1-5post members but people who are really into these cars/motors ect

[Scooby]

That is a good question. We are currently discussing the options for subscriptions. Remember that part of it was to help offset costs, but some of the features (like image hosting) increased the cost significantly. So even if the paid subscriptions remain, they will be offering more for the money than we did before.

[KING6]

Are the rules/rates for advertising staying the same? (for mx6.com sponsors)

[SixSick6]

heh, I was just about to make a post about that new advertising. I realized that it only happened when I was logged out so I figured it was server related. Good thing they're hands off otherwise I'd probably be banned the first day they take over.