Ardvark directorys has closes its doors

[Hospitality_king]

Rememmber this from the old days - it no longer updated tis results no more and no more submits neither.

Many have now bitten the dust, some cool front runners used to exist to serve, now no more, t sad day for the old web.

 

[Clinton]

I spoke with the owner when it was a thriving forum & directory and discussed possibly buying the whole operation, but he turned me down because he figured he could make a lot more money if he held on to it for another year or two.

I knew then that it wouldn't happen and that it would end up just dying a slow death. Very sad.

 

[SEO ProjectSuite]

That is a circle of life.

 

[Hospitality_king]

I spoke with the owner when it was a thriving forum & directory and discussed possibly buying the whole operation, but he turned me down because he figured he could make a lot more money if he held on to it for another year or two.

Interseting - how would u have built the 3 sites up - just curious... cos its all empty and no content. How wud you charge for customers?

 

[Clinton]

I had that conversation before the forum started going downhill, when @Kay was admin and it was a thriving site.

I've owned "communities" before, including large forums like knoppix.net. I know how to monetise them.

How wud you charge for customers?

If I told you how to make money from these sites... I'd have to kill you.

Just kidding, of course!

 

[Hospitality_king]

If I told you how to make money from these sites... I'd have to kill you.

Na I meant the 3 directories - but funny you mentioned putting in an offer for Ardvark, cos we also looked at the idea of buying the forum, as we already running our own form and wanted the extra content to boost ours.

We decided against it as it was full of spam members and didn't look much passion to drive new members. Just out of interest - whart figure did he want for the forum?

When we looked at the forum as acquisition - it had 19k members, and we already had 15k ourselves so decided aginst the purchase - we didnt enquire what he wanted for it though.

At the time he was running deal that if you posted to threads, you'd get free advertising in the directories - that how we know about this. But didn't know the directory side was over.

 

[selenagomez1]

It sounds sad since I have seen many good directories shutting their door gradually for the past few years. Is that the circle of life, when something goes up the its maximum, then it will automatically go down sooner or later?

 

[Clinton]

@Hospitality_king , I didn't say I put in an offer.

And, sorry, but I couldn't possibly share my private discussion with the owner and what his price aspirations were at the time.

 

[Hospitality_king]

I didn't say I put in an offer.

That's fine cos I didn't ask about any offer. A price enquiry is one way of getting a figure

I can always contact him to find out, just thought asing u wud save me some time is all.

k cheers

 

[Clinton]

That's fine cos I didn't ask about any offer.

No, but you seem to have assumed that I made one: "funny you mentioned putting in an offer for Ardvark".

I just wanted to clear that misunderstanding. It was never my practice to make offers in the early stages of any enquiry. I attempt to gauge whether the seller has realistic price expectations before I even go into an analysis of the accounts and the operation.

 

[Hospitality_king]

It just you said

and discussed possibly buying the whole operation, but he turned me down

so it was an enquiry bout buying and no figure was discussed? Yet surely a price was obviously disucussed cos everyting needed to be weigh up and he wud want to know the possibility of getting that figure to know to refuse it there and then. So we have a price, but no offer depite your interest?

Sp he turned you down, point blank without even knowing if youd match his figure? Weird.... ok whatever... that's life I spose.

I attempt to gauge whether the seller has realistic price expectations

I'm sure he knows the rough value of the operation himself and will refuse any low offers immediately, as would anyone with a sizeable, upsscalable, established site/s. I mean you wudnt take a bad price deal yrself right? I know I wudnt, and price wud come up in comms very early on i th talks

Sometimes person feelings stop a sale... Hes turned into a blog idea anyway and he still owns a upsscalable forum that be worth more in few years time. gud luc to It. But something scared him off to make him come to quick decision, yet no offer was made? wow - seems a pointless conversation, not worth both side being involved or to pick up the phone or email

Me guess that business way of doing things such days.. Fair nough mate!

 

[Clinton]

It just you said
so it was an enquiry bout buying and no figure was discussed?

Yes, that's right.

Yet surely a price was obviously disucussed

No a price wasn't discussed. It's a crude, blunt and ineffectual strategy to go in talking numbers!

...he wud want to know the possibility of getting that figure to know to refuse it there and then.

That's not how it works ... at all.

But let's leave it at that. I don't want to go into a long explanation on how initial discussions develop in a typical acquisition scenario. I believe I made a detailed post about that on my forums some while ago (but I'm not sure whether it was in the public or in the private (VIP) areas).