Insim under new management!

[BoogerNabbingCrust]

Well said eledhel, and Bravo Paden!

[Quorneater]

There is something I have never really understood.  What do unpaid moderators and admins do it for, unless it is because they like the site owner a lot and want to help them keep the site running?  Why do so many people work as moderators for sites where they say they don't like the owner, or don't approve of all the rules, yet they still work, unrewarded, at enforcing them?   I know the answer you often hear is that the person likes helping users, but they could help the other users without being moderators.   The only thing that moderators can do that non-staff helpful people cannot, is delete posts and reprimand users.

This is not aimed at any individual BTW!

[Piratey]

I'm sure he'll be firing up his diamond hot tub in his ivory tower soon. I never really go in InSim, but I feel sad that such poison has corrupted that place in such a small space of time.

I find it suspicious at how someone buys a website two weeks before server costs are due with no ready guarantee or even money set aside to cover them. That's either poor business sense or a lie. Probably both. Also, why leave the gravy train? I know K&E had RL issues, but it seems unusual for people to deceive others like that and then just "suddenly" decide they don't want to anymore. And here are some select quotes...

The advertising revenue is consistent, but it's not large enough to finance the site by itself.

This is very fishy, if we're going by the financial information we've seen. The costs are supposedly $500 (per month) and they apparently make $2000 in advertising alone every month. Someone is definitely lying here.

The donation model that the site follows is critical to its my success.

Donation totals from month to month have varied dramatically. "I want lots of monies every month, damnit!"

Over 400,000 people have become site members in the past 3.5 years. That's a sizeable pool, and if only 1% were to became monthly subscribers, it would provide sufficient financing to not only pay for the larger server we need but also to bring in professional developers to add various kinds of functionality to the website over time!

Huh? The Sims 2 is coming to an end. He mentioned that development of InSim is soon coming to an end. Why the hell does he expect that community to grow much more beyond what it is now. Plus the whole idea of "voluntary subscriptions" is doomed to failure. Why on earth, especially in these financial times, would you want to such a vast unnecessary expense every month when you can do it for free. Sure, no ads, but that's why adblockers were invented. His ultimate aim is to charge people for continuing to be a part of a community they love. Emotional blackmail.

Plus there's the obvious fact he's a businessman who doesn't even play the game and has no understanding of how it, or the community, works. He's not interested in merely keeping it going. All he wants is cold, hard cash, and will subject that site to anything and everything until he gets it. Bye, bye InSim.

He's an out and out conman. They all are. I feel like bringing up the Oblivion post again. We should do what the Oblivion community does to anyone who marches on up and demands their weight in gold: Point and laugh him out the door.

ETA: You make a good point about moderators Quorneater. That's exactly the reason why the SimMasters had a mass exodus over the weekend. EA gave them the cold shoulder.

[Yarp]

There is something I have never really understood.  What do unpaid moderators and admins do it for, unless it is because they like the site owner a lot and want to help them keep the site running?  Why do so many people work as moderators for sites where they say they don't like the owner, or don't approve of all the rules, yet they still work, unrewarded, at enforcing them?   I know the answer you often hear is that the person likes helping users, but they could help the other users without being moderators.   The only thing that moderators can do that non-staff helpful people cannot, is delete posts and reprimand users.

This is not aimed at any individual BTW!

Most moderators on there liked Kathy and the site. They enjoyed helping people. Right now they are in limbo. The old owners left without so much as a wave and the new owner hasn't even personally addressed them outside of an email that he cut and pasted onto the forum the next day. No direction, no real introduction and no compassion. Most of the people who are staying on are doing so because they have a soft spot for inSIM and they are in a holding pattern. Most likely they are hoping something will be resolved.

I am at odds with Delphy taking over InSIM. While it would be nice if he did so and didn't change it into MTS2 I am hesitant about how it would work. MTS2 has pop ads that I get on every other page and other ads all around. Besides that I was under the impression that Delphy was phasing out MTS2. Why buy a site if you are not interested in continuing the current site? Not to sound snarky... hopefully he's had a change of heart.

[Anouk]

Time for me to go as well, have asked Corinne to smash the delete button on my section there.
If anyone is interrested in moving their stuff to Noukiesims2 they are more than welcome.

[Quorneater]

I don't mind ads really, as long as they are for stuff I can buy, not all American things.  And as long as none of them have spiders suddenly running across your screen, like one that TSR used to have.  That put me off logging in there for ages.

[Anyerfillag]

I would love it if he came back to the site after Thanksgiving to find the place deserted, tumbleweeds blowing past and nothing that will bring him the profit he so obviously wants

[Piratey]

I don't mind ads really, as long as they are for stuff I can buy, not all American things.  And as long as none of them have spiders suddenly running across your screen, like one that TSR used to have.  That put me off logging in there for ages.

I think there are a lot of other things that will put you off even entering their url. For eternity.

I too would like to see Walt return to find a ghost town. Sadly I don't think it will happen quite that quickly, but certainly soon enough at this rate.

[SoggyFox]

Let me grab copies of my things and then I think go ahead and delete my section as well.  Considering Kathy had asked if I minded her deleting it a while back, this is almost ironic. [ I didn't mind, not sure why its even still there.]

fake edit - I've nabbed my things.  So push the button.

[nixy]

I gave Walt the benefit of the doubt - obviously, he's a tool, but was he a duped tool? I think that he was - at least as far as the nature of the site he bought is concerned. Of course, those of us who gave money to InSim because of its dire and urgent need for big cash infusions are even bigger dupes.

I know I'm being elitist, but seriously: website using a 16-color palette plus random point sizes of Arial = clueless at doing intarwebz. Maybe I'm wrong about that, but he's a bottom feeder at best. His life's work seems to entail doing all the things online that most of us simply filter out with a couple of browser plugins. Of course, if I ever need to participate in a marketing scam, engage the pointless assistance of a cellular service middleman, or need someone to write me bad fiction about spirit guide hijinx, I know I can count on Walt. Some might not consider it relevant, but I am not comfortable with the attitudes expressed on the various slightly paranoid and god-flavored Libertarian rant sites that he runs, if only because it makes him seem like an even poorer fit for a diverse and talkative gaming community.

As for the Insimenator, based on what people are saying about M&G, it probably requires a final update. Assuming that Eric does do that, what else would he need to do during his promised year of continued work on the mod? I don't use the Insimenator any more, but the only upgrades I recall always happened shortly after the release of a new EP (or not so shortly, depending on whether or not E & K were around). With no further EPs or development expected for Sims 2, what would he be doing to the Insimenator other than a bug fix? It sounds to me like the promised year of care and feeding of the mod is actually something that can be handled with a single e-mail attachment.

[Quorneater]

I really can't imagine Eric doing any more work on InSim after this!

[SoggyFox]

And if that one Gamestop person is correct, there might be more stuff for sims2.

I mean, After FT I thought it was done....then after AL came out, I thought it was done.  So....

[Beefcake]

I think the fact that the guy's not even a gameplayer is a total joke. It'd be like giving a bone to a cat. All in all quite a funny situation.
*Beefcake hands out cocktails*
Sit back, relax, and watch inSim run dry

Cheers!  

[Skadi]

Now that K&E are gone, I wonder if this means we could get away with booty links at insim.  

Just to add my indignation: I'm speechless about how this idiot has handled the purchase of a forum. How fucking stupid do you have to be? Even businesses tell staff what's going on when they buy each other out. It's like rocking up to work one day and instead of finding your boss who you liked and had a working relationship with, even though they hadn't been there much lately, you find some old guy in a suit telling you he's the owner, he has no clue so he'll be relying on you even more, and he's charging an admittance fee. Oh and it's a holiday in the US and he wants you to handle the customers discontent while he eats turkey. WTF?

I know all the mods at insim must have a lot invested personally, to be there doing what they do, even with K&E randomly disappearing. But what would be good to see is the bulk of the creators and mods bailing over Thanksgiving, just to show that he can't treat people like that.

[Corinne]

Of course I can delete your section, Nouk. If someone hasn't done it yet, I'm heading over to take care of it right now.

I'll be around all day if anyone needs anything.

Fakest Edit Ever: SoggyFox, what's your Section called there? I'll nuke it for you, no problem.