Vertical Scope (The Borg) continues to assimilate more thriving forums

[The_Roadie]

I was just alerted to yet another thriving forum that was Borged by Rob Laidlaw and his evil Vertical Scope collective three weeks ago. Bass Barn - The Fishing Information Source (same owner sold out thebuckbarn.com as well)

34,000 members, and only three mods currently active. One admin (Philip) running around nuking threads, editing posts, and they just turned off the email-a-fellow-member function to try to keep the inmates from communicating the truth privately among each other. The former owner, Ron Redington, is listed as an admin, but I'm sure they'll remove his password soon unless he cowtows to the new masters. Unless they bought his silence and acquiescence with their tainted Toronto $$. Banning galore. So far, Ron seems to be editing posts in real time to prevent the name of the new forum from spreading.

The traditional jailbreak happened, and Vertical Scope looks like they are using the same playbook and sent the same sort of copyright-violation nastygram to them that they sent us about a how-to article post. The new forum had to change its proposed name.

The new forum will be (after 11/18) striperbassforum.com.

Vertical Scope's business model is full of greed and they are a destroyer of thriving communities. Shun them. Flee. Reject the monetization of your hobbies and sending profits north of the border. Unless you live in Canada already and don't care.

My search also showed up a few MORE in the same outdoorsy vein, the first one just Borged last Monday:

Minnesota Duck and Goose Hunting

Others:

2CoolFishing.com
ifish.net
noreast.com
PensacolaFishingForum.com
stripers247.com
Allcoast.com
TheBassBarn.com
WalleyeCentral.com
ColoradoFisherman.com
EastTennesseeFishing.com
ChicagolandFishing.com
AZBassZone.com
TidalFish.com
NYBass.com
IceFishingChat.com
TheBassHoles.com
Calbassin.com
FlyFishingForum.com
BowFishingCountry.com
NodakOutdoors.com

 

[The_Roadie]

Was given the name (bassbarnforum.com), and it has this banner at the top:

So Sunday night 11/17/13 you will not be able to access the site After 7pm Eastern Time . Monday morning, 11/18/13 Our name will be changed to striperbassforum.com

 

[The_Roadie]

I just joined over there and wrote them this attaboy:

From Admin - Page 6 - Striper Bass Forum

 

[jrSS]

That subtitle shit was FUNNY!!

 

[blazinlow89]

The vertical scope fist reaches pretty far. Been searching classifieds on other forums (Toyota, Nissan, other GM trucks etc) searching for a spare wheel (last one had some issues to say the least). About 2/3 of them are under the VS nameplate which is very disturbing to say the least.

Where is Capt. Picard when you need him?

 

[xtitan1]

As an economics major, I'm academically curious as to how the f-ck these guys are making money doing this lol. Are stupid banner ads really that profitable that VS is able to squeeze enough money out of the site as it dies to make a profit and go on to the next?

 

[Team Dougherty]

what happened to private email feature.

 

[rcam81]

I just joined over there and wrote them this attaboy:

From Admin - Page 6 - Striper Bass Forum

This link has been blocked.

 

[blazinlow89]

As an economics major, I'm academically curious as to how the f-ck these guys are making money doing this lol. Are stupid banner ads really that profitable that VS is able to squeeze enough money out of the site as it dies to make a profit and go on to the next?

It's easy to make money when you bloat the stats for the site. It's the same reason none of us really got banned. If they put us with the tag as longer with us then we are technically members of TV. They also bloat the visitor numbers. I have gone to.do some research and seen something like 800 active users and 4000 active guests. At 3 am mind you. By doing this they can sell advertising as per the number of visitors/active users.

The Borg is a very good comparison of what they do to forums.

 

[The_Roadie]

This link has been blocked.

Limited to members now. Sigh. Could be because I warned them about Vertical Scope lurkers looking for "disloyal" screen names for banning.

I can still see it, and I'll watch to see if it opens back up by Monday.

Vertical Scope still sucks donkey balls, and is a major source of ruination and decay among thriving enthusiast forums. They buy them, many communities wither. The remaining ones just aren't thinking it through.

 

[The_Roadie]

As an economics major, I'm academically curious as to how the f-ck these guys are making money doing this lol. Are stupid banner ads really that profitable that VS is able to squeeze enough money out of the site as it dies to make a profit and go on to the next?

Read this and the link in that post: http://gmtnation.com/f18/trailvoy-verticalscope-scamming-members-advertisers-1609/

Many of their advertisers are as stupid and greedy as VS. And much more gullible.

This video does indeed say it all, and this was created way before trailvoy fell to the Borg.

[video=youtube;FV7bSXSkOI8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FV7bSXSkOI8[/video]

 

[Mark20]

It was good to see that -- within a couple of weeks -- the community voted with its "feet" and moved away. Kudos to Don for taking the time to set up the new site. I've search the web a little for opinions on VS and the site's they take over. I've found both car and non-car forums and the comments are basically the same. Site changed and not in a good way.

The only real way to put VS in its place is to get the advertisers to drop them but that is easier said than done. Though VS' fraud on the user stats gives the advertisers a perfect reason.

 

[The_Roadie]

The VS lackey .... I mean admin ..... admitted he not only isn't a fishing enthusiast, but he lives in downtown Toronto and doesn't even FRICKIN' OWN A CAR. So VS is throwing useless non-enthusiast Gen-Xers at their new acquisitions? I guess we knew that. Nobody with a whit of honesty would claim they can do justice by their forums when they're monitoring 50-60 at a time like they were prison security camera monitors.

VS HQ:

View attachment 31347.jpg]

 

[xtitan1]

I read that link which had some good info and I've already seen the intro post linked in that as well. I still don't understand how they're earning revenue. Advertisers don't pay based on how many users or hits your website has. They pay per x amount of clicks or in some cases only if an actual sale can be tracked back to the ad. Unless of course VS were somehow faking actual clicks and traffic to the advertiser's site, but I highly doubt that. First, they'd be committing fraud, and second, the strategy of buying up active forums would be totally unnecessary and a drain on the profit they could get from a totally dead forum with fake activity and no pissed off user base to "out" them.

So I'm not sure how they are getting much ad revenue if they kill off the sites they advertise on even if the active user count is faked since as I said, advertisers pay per clicks. Doing anything to alienate your visitors is the opposite of what you want if you are trying to make a business on ad revenue.

 

[Team Dougherty]

OH NO! The transfer did not go so well.

Striper Bass Forums

 

[The_Roadie]

...Advertisers don't pay based on how many users or hits your website has. ...

I thought that, but I really hope to talk to a professional in the industry someday. Isn't there still a section of the business that pays on ad "impressions"?

I know .... I should engage VS in a discussion as if I was a potential advertiser. Or wait until they approach GMTN or ORTB with a buyout offer. Har!

OH NO! The transfer did not go so well.

Sad, but preventable. The backup should have also been kept on the host's server for FTP access.

 

[xtitan1]

I thought that, but I really hope to talk to a professional in the industry someday. Isn't there still a section of the business that pays on ad "impressions"?

I know .... I should engage VS in a discussion as if I was a potential advertiser. Or wait until they approach GMTN or ORTB with a buyout offer. Har!

Sad, but preventable. The backup should have also been kept on the host's server for FTP access.

I'm so confused how this could happen. I've owned a couple of websites including one that I installed and maintained vBulletin on. How does one manage to lose the local versions AND the live versions AND any backups (although it sounds like they weren't backup up, but my question still stands)?

As for the alternative ad payment scheme, you might be right as I'm not nearly well informed enough in that area to know either way.

 

[The_Roadie]

I'm so confused how this could happen. I've owned a couple of websites including one that I installed and maintained vBulletin on. How does one manage to lose the local versions AND the live versions AND any backups (although it sounds like they weren't backup up, but my question still stands)?

A traditional problem with enthusiast-owned sites without professional IT admins, or experienced amateurs who worry about stuff like backups.

Could have happened to GMTN if jman (who has the technical chops) wasn't starting up the jailbreak site, and it was like .....me.

 

[Instrumental]

I spend some time on Popupexplorer.com and it was recently sold to VS. The owner was between letting it go completely and selling it, so I guess a rock and a hard place. Haven't seen much change yet, there were already ads (I don't mind ads, gotta pay the bills). It's a relatively small forum, not much policing needed.

Time will tell.

 

[blazinlow89]

I spend some time on Popupexplorer.com and it was recently sold to VS. The owner was between letting it go completely and selling it, so I guess a rock and a hard place. Haven't seen much change yet, there were already ads (I don't mind ads, gotta pay the bills). It's a relatively small forum, not much policing needed.

Time will tell.

It was more than just ads, when they post ads in the the forums as if they are from another member it gets annoying though. They also changed the terms of use for the website which basically said whatever is posted belongs to us. My biggest issue was them reading and deleting my PM's, the audacity to spy on members personal messages just threw me over the edge. Then the entire "no longer with us" lie and numerous member (including myself) put in miserable user state. Finally the relentless spam that no one deals with. Keep in mind its been over a year since the jail break and the site is nothing like it once was.

We understand that ads help keep the forums alive, GMT has ad space but nothing like I have seen on VS owned forums.

 

[The_Roadie]

It's a relatively small forum, not much policing needed.

31,000 members and only 357,000 posts? But only 4 users active in the last 15 minutes? And he still got an offer from VS for a buy-out? Inconceivable.

Looks like RV/trailers are the next industry to have their forums destroyed by VS.

Another forum dies:
Announcement: NewBrunswickHunting.com acquired by VerticalScope Inc. - Site Stuff - New Brunswick Hunting

What's industry's next? Craft beer forums? Sewing and quilting forums?

The future as seen by Vertical Scope is that EVERY meeting place for hobby and craft enthusiasts will be turned into their corporate ad/ant farm. The monetization of EVERYTHING!

 

[Team Dougherty]

31,000 members and only 357,000 posts? But only 4 users active in the last 15 minutes? And he still got an offer from VS for a buy-out? Inconceivable.

Looks like RV/trailers are the next industry to have their forums destroyed by VS.

Another forum dies:
Announcement: NewBrunswickHunting.com acquired by VerticalScope Inc. - Site Stuff - New Brunswick Hunting

What's industry's next? Craft beer forums? Sewing and quilting forums?

The future as seen by Vertical Scope is that EVERY meeting place for hobby and craft enthusiasts will be turned into their corporate ad/ant farm. The monetization of EVERYTHING!

they must tell the owner to use the same response.

VerticalScope Aquires The Bass Barn

 

[donr]

Was given the name (bassbarnforum.com), and it has this banner at the top:

So Sunday night 11/17/13 you will not be able to access the site After 7pm Eastern Time . Monday morning, 11/18/13 Our name will be changed to striperbassforum.com

We went through the name change and all is good. What I think is funny is they paid me for the old domain so I made a little money off of it, lol.

 

[donr]

they must tell the owner to use the same response.

VerticalScope Aquires The Bass Barn

I don't believe those posting under those names are the old owners. Why would you buy a forum from someone and keep the old owner as an Admin? make no sense...

 

[ssmedt]

I know we all hate VS but is anyone a member of a Madison Ross Media Group forum? I joined a Buick forum for the new GS i got my wife and this site has more adds then any site i know

 

[The_Roadie]

Haven't heard of them. Just VS and Internet Brands.

 

[donr]

VS tried to buy another site........

Funny thing though, it is a site I built...lol. The owner told them to pound sand.

Email to CSO

http://www.carolinaskiffowner.com/s...about-selling-CSO-.......&p=177985#post177985

I tried to Hyperlink but I guess Its doesn't work here

 

[The_Roadie]

Would have been a bit more useful if he'd strung them along and gotten a $ figure.

Notice VS lied about being "small"? In their corner of the forum universe, they're the 900 pound gorilla.

 

[xtitan1]

I like the part where they claim their whole company has a fresh focus on small boating communities. They just bought two fishing websites in the past week.

 

[The_Roadie]

Seems to work for me. Linky-link

You just have to highlight the text you want to add a link to, then hit the icon of the world with a chain link to the lower right. Then paste in your link to the pop-up box.

 

[donr]

Thanks Roadie, I am used to typing it in....

 

[TollKeeper]

I am on another forum owned by VS, DooTalk.com for Ski-Doo snowmobiles. This forum is actually dysfunctional in comparison to some of the other forums owned by them. Simple buttons are missing, threads ignored... But the ads for Polaris are everywhere.

 

[donr]

Go on the Bass Barn and a lot of members are getting a lot of spam emails in the Personal email accounts.

Warning

Advertisers

 

[Mark20]

I spend some time on Popupexplorer.com and it was recently sold to VS. The owner was between letting it go completely and selling it, so I guess a rock and a hard place. Haven't seen much change yet, there were already ads (I don't mind ads, gotta pay the bills). It's a relatively small forum, not much policing needed.

Time will tell.

I used to be very active on PopupExplorer. The forum has drifted in recent years and I think the owner's focus itself has shifted. With VS at the helm, I can forget about going back there and probably the sister sites.

 

[IllogicTC]

This link has been blocked.

Yeah, I wanted to read it. But I did find this interesting question. Wonder if it was ever answered.