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***IMPORTANT BCA Announcement*** Please read

17K views 75 replies 36 participants last post by  MrJackyTang 
#1 ·
IMPORTANT BCA Announcement

Dear Valued BC Aquaria Members,

I would like to bring to your attention that Shawn and I will be stepping down as owners for BC Aquaria and will be transferring the website to VerticalScope Inc, effective immediately . I know this may come to a shock to most of you, but due to both of our hectic schedules we saw it in community's best interest to find a suitable representitive to carry forth the BC Aquaria name. Vertical Scope has a desired interest in maintaining this sites integrity and is one of the biggest website forums companies on the internet to date. With their vast forums experience we're confident that BC Aquaria will be able to achieve bigger and newer heights than ever before.

I would like to take the time to introduce our new Administrator, YUNG (Username Yungster). He will be handling all major decisions on behalf of BC Aquaria. Shawn and I will remain on board to help him with the transition. So please give him a warm welcome and some time to get familiar with everyone.

Shawn and I would like to thank all the dedicated moderators, the amazing members, and of course the sponsors that helped us make BC Aquaria what it is today over the last 10+ years.... A thriving aquarium community! We wish everyone the best and I'm certain you will still see us on here. We have made many great friends for life on this forum and hope to continue doing so for years to come. Again, from the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU ALL.

Kind Regards,

Clarence AKA BCAquaria
Shawn AKA Nicklfire
 
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#35 ·
From what I read the reaction is mixed. A lot of the disgruntled were boat rockers who were no longer tolerated or admins who thought they were personally owed for their time. Some communities thrive others dwindle regardless of owners. The advertisements and sponsorship fee complaints are also relative to what they were prior to ownership change. For all we know bca already is close to their business model. We already have adverts its just a matter if it being tuned to their portfolio rather than generic like we've had

Sent from my SGH-I897 using Xparent Green Tapatalk 2
 
#45 ·
my only "beef" with other forums is the lack of local content , im on mfk, and viaquaria but neither of them have the same vibe as bca, and that is why im active on here and mfk sends me emails saying you havent posted in weeks please take the time to reply to some posts or post new threads of your own lol

for as controversial and my presence may be here i do absorb alot of info on here that i do value and when i can i regurgitate what help i can back on the forum so "leaving" for some of us is a harder pill to swallow granted there are other forums but none of them are like this one , and now this coming up is unsettling for some of us because i dont wanna have to find a new place to post mfk while it is massive doesnt have the same family exp for me, and while at times this family may have its moments, and issues arise and little beefs and bologna that do come up i truely feel that bca is a family ... and while we may not always agree I dont wanna see anything happen to this site at all ,
 
#42 ·
i guess we will have to wait and see but im sure this conglomerate has its advertisers and once you hand over the keys to your car ... it aint your car no more and if the new owner wants to paint it pink ... then there is nothing you can do but watch as the new owner violates your ride.... all im saying and again i said earlier maybe im being a negative nancy but i hope this site remains unchanged largely ,
 
#43 ·
Was this domain "sold"? And if so, was it offered to any moderators or members before it was let go?
Some of you are having doubts already, why not just "wait and see" before we decide?
I would like to think a forum is made up of the people in it and we make it run as well as what we contribute.
 
#44 ·
It could be a good thing. Most of our sponsors are great sponsors . The best thing to do is make sure all sponsors remain happy so they don't bail.
Selective selecting of sponsors is what's needed. Good track records and happy customers. Good feedback. And a level playing field to keep stores wanting to be part of the forum.
Deals are great but to a point.
Banners and google Adsense like there is now brings revenue. As long as not overpowering.
Also more people with search engines etc helps make it more informative
We shall see. There's always a bit of change but maybe just behind the scenes . Ie. seo etc. there's an iPhone app now out for aquarium advice forum. It has a lot of info and it has regional sections. I like it. Fors are changing as a lot of stores and sellers are networking via Facebook etc. it's like a web if hobbyists and trades people all joined. A lot more participation by big farms and breeders etc . Less politics.
anyhow thanks Clarence for starting it and thanks Sean for all the hardwork.
 
#46 ·
Please, let's not jump to any conclusions. I know change is sometimes difficult for people to accept but I hope everyone approaches what has happened with an open mind and are willing to let the new ownership have a chance to show what they are all about. The Mod team is staying intact as far as I can tell, and Clarence and Shawn will probably be more active on the board as well. So I would hope that everyone stays and gives the transition a chance.

Anthony
 
#47 ·
I have to agree, we got the boat rockers out... Hold on, why am I saying 'boat rockers', we all know its one person and one person is not very representative of the hundreds and thousands of the remaining BCA usership. Before this thread gets completely hijacked I want to say I'm glad the old owners made a choice they're happy with and I wish the new owners all the best :)
 
#48 ·
Thank you Very much !

And also thank you Anthony, i could not have said it any better then myself.

Nothing worse then taking over a business of any type.. online or brick and being burned at the stake before you show what you got. I really would ask that everyone not jump to any conclusions. Nothing has been said or revealed to anyone to break a sweat over. As previously stated i'll be around still and so will clarence and so will the mod team.. so nothing "really" has changed other then we have a new admin.

If anyone thought this was a easy decision for either of us.. it was not, it was very difficult but there was alot of pro's and con's that went into this decision which i wont get into because it's more personal. We are overall happy about the outcome and want everyone to know that we would not have done this if we felt bca would be lead into a bad direction. i did my due diligence and like any business you find good/bad reviews.. but keep in mind some of these forums you are dealing with 100's of thousands of members on a board... where as here we only have 6,000. You have alot more feathers to russel on other boards.

I just ask that everyone give them a chance and again.. im sure you wont see too many changes and it will be business as usual around here.

Speaking of which.. i got some Black Beard Algae on my hairgrass..(sigh)..... didn't i have a BBA Fighting thread i created around here years ago... lol
 
#55 ·
Just so you guys know.. Yungster has a pretty funny sense of humor. In our staff private forum he said he would bring some technical experience, 24/7 support... and he is a BETTER LOOKING ADMIN....

does he know who he's messing with.... ??

 

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#56 ·
Just so you guys know.. Yungster has a pretty funny sense of humor. In our staff private forum he said he would bring some technical experience, 24/7 support... and he is a BETTER LOOKING ADMIN.... ]
We need a pic :D
 
#61 ·
I understand everyones concerns. But BCAquaria is just that B.C. Aquaria. Shawn was based out of Calgary for a few years and that didn't cause the site to lose it's localness, while I was in and out of California at the same time. It's not about where the forum owner lives. It's the internet, it's about how fast someone can address problems. Ultimately YOU the members and mods run the forum. My attendance has been spotty due to my own issues hence my sub 400 posts in almost 3 years. So obviously this forum has been able to take care of itself even when I'm gone for months at a time. Now we have a dedicated admin and tech team to address any issues on the spot.

It's still the same group of people running/modding the site with an addition to another Admin. I'm sure Yung will have a few words to say shortly. :)
 
#64 ·
Morning everyone,

Thanks again for the warm welcome. I'm going to do my best to address some of the questions/comments posted:

1. Verticalscope is based out of Toronto. As such, so am I.

2. I don't currently own any fish. I use to but in my current living situation, it's not practical.

3. I am not just a techie. My function here will be to work with the moderators to ensure this site is a well-oiled machine. It's not my way or the highway.

4. Yes, if you Google hard enough, you will find bad things written about VS. I did that when I first got here. :) That said, it's in the past (check the dates of the stuff written). We've made mistakes in the past but the best part about it is that we learned from them and I have personally seen VS become way way more involved in what the community wants. That doesn't mean we're an endless supply of resources at everyone's beck and call but I sincerely mean it when I say we listen and for the most part, we implement what is given to us in feedback from the moderators, from the community. There will always been things that we have to take a stand on and say "no" but I can't predict what those will be.

5. Are we a for profit company? Yes.

6. Are we planning major changes to the site? Nope. Not that I'm aware of. Then again, there may be things that you guys have been hoping for but there wasn't the resources to make it happen before (to no one's fault)... that might be a plus depending on how you view it. :)

7. Are we going to spam this site with ads? I would encourage you guys to look around our Petguide.com sites we manage. I would say that 95% of them haven't been changed in terms of the look with the exception of a fresh update (i.e. new skin) every now and then. Even then, those don't happen unless the moderators and/or community members ask for it. There were some sites that we've updated over the year that had to be just because they looked like they were designed during the web explosion in the late 90's. As for ads, again, I would encourage you to look around our other sites as a logged in user and judge for yourself. From what I've seen, it's really not that much different than what you guys have here.

8. Sponsors

I'm loving that this site has local sponsors. I can't speak to how the whole sales and marketing part works because that's not my area. I will say this: On many of our dog sites, the communities are very against breeders advertising. As a result, we ensure that breeders cannot advertise at all. We also run Google ads and sometimes, these sneaky deaky breeders slip through the cracks. When that happens, we make sure to block any links requested by the community. I'm telling you this because if you see an ad here that goes against the values of this community, I'm one PM away from having it blocked.

Additionally, I would ask for a little patience to allow myself to get to know the community and to know the moderators. This will help me provide feedback to the S&M team and give them a profile of what kind of sponsors they should target for this community.


9. Finally, I am a Leafs fan. This alone should win me lots of sympathy votes. :) I'm hoping that Brian Burke doesn't get suckered into taking on Luongo's albatross of a contract.

If I missed anything, ask away. We have nothing to hide. Not even my good looks. :)
 
#65 ·
Well, Surprise indeed!!

Thank you both Clarence and Shawn for this wonderful place we call BCA!! You really did a helluva thing!! ;)

and, Welcome Yungster, I hope things go well for you here!

cheers
 
#73 ·
Life is all about change and change is good.

Think about it this way:
You do water changes in your tank; your fish will get stressed a bit during that time, but overall they are happier after the water change. We are the fish in this case :p

Welcome to the forum Yung.
 
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