Greetings - My introduction....

[CSY Man]

Boy - Talk about a wandering thread. And all on the new owners first post. No respect

Aye, he'll understand, sailors have a short attention span and if the discussion is not on booze, boats, or bikini-girls, there is a waste of band-width....

[GordMay]

Like some others, I too greeted the news of Andy R’s “ascension to Gisle’s throne” with a certain foreboding and some trepidation. Although progressive change is good, it can be unsettling to those of us comfortable (as I have been) with the present.

The only change I’ve noted, to date, is a dramatic increase in new membership. The past several months had seen somewhere around 1.5 new members per day. Since Christmas, we’ve had about 4.5/day. This new blood can only be a very good thing, invigorating the board with fresh energy, and new ideas.

I look forward to the technical changes & improvements that Andy’s promised, and hope that my “virtual home” continues to flourish under his stewardship.

FWIW,
Gord

[CaptainK]

Welcome aboard Andy R.

Sorry that I did not greet you much sooner. But, I just came back from my Xmas trip out to California. Met a fellow cruiserforum member out there. And had a blast.

Yes. Change can look very scary for some folks. But, I know that you will help out in making very good changes to this forum. From what you described about yourself. I'd say this forum needed the change. Especially in the photo department?

Well, welcome aboard. And feel free to express any concerns or acknowledgeable thoughts. Cause this is where the TRUTH really is... on cruisersforum.com .

[Amphibian]

Hope we haven't scared off our new captain.

Guess the big question is: How to cover expenses?
After all, dear Gisle has paid out of his own pocket these years.

Apart from member fee the only way is ads, as far as I can see.
Myself, I'd rather fork out a few bucks than endure pop-ups etc, but this seems to be a tricky question everywhere. Why should some pay for posting useful info that visitors can enjoy for free?

Given Andy's vast experience from the web, I'm confident that he'll come up with something that his crew can live with. I've seen many forums with ads displayed in an unobtrusive way on top of page or at the sides.

As for keeping up with www and new software: Norwegians have this weird habit of migrating to the wilderness in their free time. Nowadays some build cabins to modern standard (like an urban house), while others enjoy the old standard (small with few amenities). Maybe sailors/cruisers belong to the latter kind?

Regards, Amphibian

[capt lar]

I, too, would rather kick in a few bucks to avoid being a "commercial" site. I do not want ads. None. Zero.
Unfortunately, this is a conversation that might have been productive prior to a sale, but this site never did belong to any of us and it now belongs to Andy.
My gut concern is how will a bunch of sailors with interests in boats mesh with an owner who's interests are business related. "Break-even" is not a business plan. I will wait and see. If it works - great ! If we are unhappy with the changes, we can always make Andy an offer or ship out. On one of the other boards, someone referred to managing a bunch like us as "herding cats". Great line.

Gisle made this a very special place. Hopefully it will continue.

Larry

[Amphibian]

capt lar:

The expression "herding cats" just about sums it up IMHO!

Most seaplane pilots are also very much like that.