After all , Its the users that should dictate the future of the site, guided by fair and transparent options being offered, to avoid what had happened in the first place .
Sadly that isn't realistic. Customers can't dictate the future of a business; the owner of the business has to do what's best for him, not his employees or customers. (Note that MTGS isn't exactly a business and that you're not exactly a customer, it's just my analogy here)
Now I understand that this supposed deal was mentioned to staff long ago and Curse asked for it to be private, but was there not a possibility to have a user site-wise referendum stating that there may be a possibility of being sold, while this is not final, asking how users felt about it?
Nai said:
As for how we handled this, I'm not sure how many times (and in how many threads) I can reiterate that Curse asked us not to reveal the sale. I personally asked repeatedly as an admin. They simply weren't ready yet for the same reasons I've given: nothing was set in stone, decisions had not been made, so Curse wasn't ready to go public.
So no, to answer your point on making a referendum for the users, that was not allowed to be an option. If the show Mad Men has taught me anything, it's that you always have to comply with what the client's asking you to do.
About Frox: for nearly 10 years, Frox has been helping women look good and feel great in easy-fit, mix-and-match, and work-to-weekend with just a few pieces by helping them make the right choices when it comes to clothing and accessories.
After all , Its the users that should dictate the future of the site, guided by fair and transparent options being offered, to avoid what had happened in the first place .
In what business world is this remotely feasible? Yes, this is a forum frequented by the public at large, but owned privately. Therefore, the owner has the right to dictate how things are to be run.
I'll give you another example - I love Quizno's sandwiches. Absolutely love 'em! I had a Quizno's restaurant five minutes from the house. The owner sold the space to another company and now a Verizon store operates where Quizno's used to be. Did the owner of Quizno's have a duty to ask the public at large whether or not selling the space was the right move? After all, we, the public, were the ones who used the store.
The difference between the sale of MTGS to Curse and my Quizno's example? With a brick and mortar operation, it's a hell of a lot harder to find people to ***** to about the outcome. With MTGS, it's easy to find someone or a group of people to fire shots at because they are always around in this virtual world.
Russian Alara's got a point, I feel, although it's kind of door-closey-after-horsey-leavey. While, yes, mentioning a sale to Curse was forbidden, a general discussion about what the users might like to see if the owner perhaps maybe you know wanted to think about starting the basis of a tentative sale would have assuaged a lot of these problems.
Is there really a need for a "general discussion about a possible sale"? Let's be honest, if they asked us for our opinions, here's what they would get:
1) A bunch of users posting that the new ownership should keep everything they like about the site and change everything they don't like, and
2) A bunch of users speculating and digging to find out if there is a potential buyer.
The first provides nothing constructive to any sale discussion, because it would end up that the new owners should basically not change a thing. The second may lead to all sorts of potential for either the Curse deal to get spoiled or for other companies to start courting MTGS.
I'm of the opinion that Hannes had a short list of existing buyers whose offers he'd listen to, and Curse was one of them. When the deal came along, he wanted to negotiate with them, and such things must remain private.
Hannes doesn't owe us any sort of consideration in this matter, other than the consideration he takes - and it seems to be great. Doing anything more is more likely than not to simply be counterproductive.
If it wasn't for the leak, we'd still be blissfully unaware until the time was right... as it should have been. This is why I support the recent bans that started this thread, and believe that none of those bans should be rescinded. They acted against the interests of both the current site owner and the potentially future site owner, and interfered in their business dealings.
Never mess with a man's money and then expect him to hold his hand out in friendship, generosity, or even pity towards you. There are certain things that are only done out of blatant disrespect for the individuals involved, and this is definitely one of them.
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It really wouldn't matter. It's not our place to dictate whether or not the sale would happen or not. If Curse is willing to purchase the site and take the burden of constant costs to maintain the site, then it's his decision.
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Nai said:
So no, to answer your point on making a referendum for the users, that was not allowed to be an option. If the show Mad Men has taught me anything, it's that you always have to comply with what the client's asking you to do.
(Click to enter the Frox Experience)
About Frox: for nearly 10 years, Frox has been helping women look good and feel great in easy-fit, mix-and-match, and work-to-weekend with just a few pieces by helping them make the right choices when it comes to clothing and accessories.
In what business world is this remotely feasible? Yes, this is a forum frequented by the public at large, but owned privately. Therefore, the owner has the right to dictate how things are to be run.
I'll give you another example - I love Quizno's sandwiches. Absolutely love 'em! I had a Quizno's restaurant five minutes from the house. The owner sold the space to another company and now a Verizon store operates where Quizno's used to be. Did the owner of Quizno's have a duty to ask the public at large whether or not selling the space was the right move? After all, we, the public, were the ones who used the store.
The difference between the sale of MTGS to Curse and my Quizno's example? With a brick and mortar operation, it's a hell of a lot harder to find people to ***** to about the outcome. With MTGS, it's easy to find someone or a group of people to fire shots at because they are always around in this virtual world.
Ah, well, next time.
1) A bunch of users posting that the new ownership should keep everything they like about the site and change everything they don't like, and
2) A bunch of users speculating and digging to find out if there is a potential buyer.
The first provides nothing constructive to any sale discussion, because it would end up that the new owners should basically not change a thing. The second may lead to all sorts of potential for either the Curse deal to get spoiled or for other companies to start courting MTGS.
I'm of the opinion that Hannes had a short list of existing buyers whose offers he'd listen to, and Curse was one of them. When the deal came along, he wanted to negotiate with them, and such things must remain private.
Hannes doesn't owe us any sort of consideration in this matter, other than the consideration he takes - and it seems to be great. Doing anything more is more likely than not to simply be counterproductive.
If it wasn't for the leak, we'd still be blissfully unaware until the time was right... as it should have been. This is why I support the recent bans that started this thread, and believe that none of those bans should be rescinded. They acted against the interests of both the current site owner and the potentially future site owner, and interfered in their business dealings.
Never mess with a man's money and then expect him to hold his hand out in friendship, generosity, or even pity towards you. There are certain things that are only done out of blatant disrespect for the individuals involved, and this is definitely one of them.
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And if I've offended you, I'm sorry, but maybe you need to be offended. But here's my apology and one more thing...