Got an email this morning:
Plus - this link
Greetings:
First of all, I'd like to thank each and every one of you for your selfless contributions that make up FlyerTalk today. Nearly nine years ago when I launched FlyerTalk I spent days chatting with myself. Now, thanks to thousands of the great contributions posted daily, I can barely hear myself think amid all the chatter
Even during those quiet early days though, I had a belief that my dream of providing a place where fellow frequent flyers could exchange information about how to earn more miles and points and to travel with the greatest of ease would one day succeed. I hope you'd all agree that that has happened. In fact, FlyerTalk's success has far exceeded even my wildest expectations.
Of course, growth brings new challenges. Whereas in the past my time spent on FlyerTalk mostly centered around miles and points, today I find myself worrying more about topics that are much less fun for me, such as bandwidth, the latest technology improvements, and, of course, the growing and smarter bands of spammers that hinder us all. Part of those worries stem from the fact that I'm not an expert in any of those areas. I am, at heart and practice, a frequent flyer. And while we are truly blessed with the talents of Tim, Mikel, Joshua, Karen, Michelle, Janet and others, there's always a demand for more.
Anyway, a few months ago I was approached out of the blue to purchase FlyerTalk. After my initial shock, I uttered "No." Then "No" again and finally, "No" again. Throughout the process, three persistent thoughts fought for attention in my mind. FlyerTalk was "my baby" and was still a work in progress ... am I letting the members down by not being able to spend as much time with them as I would like ... how can I continue to allocate more time to FlyerTalk when my "regular" job running InsideFlyer, etc. is more than full-time to begin with?
And then the thought about the challenging future edged itself into the mix.
I measured everything that I have been able to give to FlyerTalk and came to the conclusion that this group was a very positive fit to continue the goals and aspirations I have for FlyerTalk, and have thus sold FlyerTalk to Internet Brands. It wasn't easy; there were plenty of sleepless nights followed by a few tears. But like a parent whose child is all grown up and heading off to school, I know FlyerTalk needs additional nurturing and support that are beyond my limits and talent - remember, I'm just the frequent flyer guy.
In introducing Internet Brands as the new owner, I am proud to have selected a buyer who shares my interests, who has a strong history, and who understands the nature of a community and was committed to supporting my continued long-term management of FlyerTalk.
While I know it is natural to suspect the worst -- the end of the good old days and all that -- I can assure you that over the next four years I will largely be doing what I have always done, and that this is hardly your business-as-usual sale.
If you have any questions about the past, present or future of FlyerTalk, I look forward to continuing my dialogue with you in the Only Randy Petersen forum -- http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=668402 -- where you can read and reply to some of the comments made by Internet Brands and myself. Also, beginning on Friday, I will be hosting LiveFlyer chats on FlyerTalk at 7 p.m. MST nightly over the next five days and invite you to stop by for a more interactive Q/A with me as I share my thoughts on how this is all going to work out -- http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/announce ... =383&a=182
This was a most difficult decision for me and nothing was more important to me than my pride in being an active member of FlyerTalk. And while I love reminiscing about how this little idea for a Web site I had nine years ago grew into what it has become, I also truly believe that FlyerTalk's best days are ahead.
Thank you all - you are FlyerTalk,
Randy
Plus - this link
