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Old 04-25-2015, 11:37 PM   #1
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Default Exciting news - Change of ownership of forum

A short while ago Andy Robinowitz contacted me and asked if I would be interested in selling ClassBForum.com. I really hadn't given it any thought but I had been wondering how to try to make sure that the forum would be around for a long time. I didn't know who Andy was and hadn't heard of his company Social Knowledge LLC. It turned out that Social Knowledge runs forums and websites. I visit some of those forums and sites like http://www.campgroundreviews.com often. It seemed like a great fit.

Andy told me that his intent would be to keep running the forum after upgrading the underlying software and would invest in some new features for users. The choice for me was to continue running the site for several more years then try to find someone who wanted to take it on or transfer it to Social Knowledge now, let them invest in it and hopefully see it really grow. I chose what I think is best for the forum - the chance to expand and grow with a company that has the skills and resources to make it happen.

Sometimes forums change ownership because the person running the site has moved on to other interests etc. That's not the case here as I'm still very much interested in Class B's and the forum. Class B Forum is a fantastic resource for Class B RV enthusiasts. The forum members here make it a great site. I won't be running the site but will continue enjoying it as a regular member. I have a big list of projects for my van planned and will continue to post about them.

I've learned so much from the members here over the years and am looking forward to learning much more going forward.

Please welcome Andy to the forum when you get a chance.

Mark
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Old 04-26-2015, 01:35 AM   #2
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Default Re: Exciting news - Change of ownership of forum

Thank-you for all you have done marko! It's been a pleasure for sure.
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Old 04-26-2015, 02:46 AM   #3
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Default Re: Exciting news - Change of ownership of forum

Marko
Thanks for all the time and energy you have put into this site. I have learned so much. I hope that now you will have more time for your own van projects.
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Old 04-26-2015, 01:34 PM   #4
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Marko has done a great job with the site, and deserves all our thanks.

Also looking forward to meeting (can you do that over a computer?) Andy. It sounds like he has ties into some other interesting places.
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Old 04-26-2015, 10:22 PM   #5
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Default Re: Exciting news - Change of ownership of forum

Thank you so much for all you've done here. This has been a great resource to me and I hope it continues to be one in the future with the new owner. Marko, I thank you for your personal help to me and I appreciate the amount of work that goes on here as an admin of a forum myself.
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Old 04-27-2015, 01:58 AM   #6
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Default Re: Exciting news - Change of ownership of forum

Thanks everyone - it has been my pleasure to run the site and I'm looking forward enjoying it as a member. My project list for the van is getting pretty long so no excuses now - time to get busy!
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Old 04-27-2015, 03:53 AM   #7
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Hey there,

First off I want to thank Mark for entrusting me to carry the torch. He's done a great job fostering the community along, we have big shoes to fill.

So a little about me. I started my first forum on Airstreams in 2002, www.AIRForums.com. Through a random set of events I ended up adopting a forum that was going to be shut down. Back then I ran a very small web hosting company so I was able to use economies of scale to keep our costs down and thus keep the sites online. I started to see how special forums are, they were living sites that were constantly evolving based on the discussions of the members. I thought it was fascinating and decided to try and build a small business around fostering forums. In order to lower my cost of living I packed up my apartment into a self storage unit and booked a flight across the world to live on the cheap in Argentina. I ended up spending 5 years traveling and working out of a couple of suitcases. I've always loved travelling and it was a great way to visit dozens of countries on six planets.

During my travels I met a wonderful lady and we ended up getting married and having kids. Now we have two little girls who are amazing but we don't get to travel as much as we used to.

I own a 1959 Airstream Tradewind that I am slowly working at restoring. I had a Ford F250 pickup to tow it but I loaned it to a friend and he totalled at Christmas (don't worry it was properly insured). So now we are looking at tow vehicles. I've toyed around with the idea of a van for a tow vehicle but it wouldn't be able to function as a daily driver as well. A Ford Expedition is a more likely candidate at the moment.

A moderator from one of my sites came along for the ride when I decided to work on forums full time. She's an RVer too, I met her on the Airstream site. Janet will be by soon to do an intro. She works with the site teams and stops by frequently to make sure things are running smoothly. We also have an account called Tech Admin for our developer, Jeff.

Our plan will be to invest in a commercial forum platform called vBulletin. You have probably seen it on lots of other sites. We won't loose any data when we migrate over, all discussions, posts, photos, etc will be brought over. We plan to setup the site so you can access if from native apps on your smartphones as well.

Please let me know any questions you might have.
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Old 04-27-2015, 03:58 AM   #8
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welcome Andy
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Old 04-27-2015, 05:58 PM   #9
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The new owners will have some big shoes to fill. Thanks Marko.
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Old 04-27-2015, 08:23 PM   #10
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Default Re: Exciting news - Change of ownership of forum

Thank you Marko for building the best Class B forum and welcome Andy as I know the forum is in good hands from my experience on Airforums.com.
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Old 04-27-2015, 11:45 PM   #11
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Hi folks - just checking in and happy to be here. There are some familiar faces here, which is lovely. Not a B van owner; but one of my band mates (I am a musician) owns a 1994 B 190 that I've spent more than my fair share of time in. I live in Washington State and have been helping Andy out for a number of years - Forums are very cool and useful and this one seems to be no exception. I'm looking forward to learning the ropes here (and also finding a repair solution for the rear door latch problem on my friend's van..). Thanks for the warm welcome

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Old 04-28-2015, 06:35 PM   #12
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Thank you all, especially for putting up with me. =) It is nice to have this forum around.
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Old 05-01-2015, 04:06 AM   #13
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Default Re: Exciting news - Change of ownership of forum

Quote:
Originally Posted by markopolo
Thanks everyone - it has been my pleasure to run the site and I'm looking forward enjoying it as a member. My project list for the van is getting pretty long so no excuses now - time to get busy!
I believe we all appreciate your excellent advice and help with our various enquiries and of course, you will not be leaving us anyway.
Thanks.
AL
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Old 05-01-2015, 04:12 AM   #14
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Default Re: Exciting news - Change of ownership of forum

Welcome Andy and Janet. Should be interesting to see how you grow this site. Marko did a great job and he will still with us too.
AL
PS I travelled the world with my wife for 35 years but now enjoy Rving mostly in the USA and Canada. I hate fliying now as it isn't like the good old days so road trips are more enjoyable
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Old 05-30-2015, 06:42 AM   #15
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Hey Mark, Thanks for all the years of this site. Yo did a great job on it! Now enjoy it!
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Old 05-30-2015, 02:27 PM   #16
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Default Re: Exciting news - Change of ownership of forum

Mark, I was one of the original members of this forum back in 2005-06 maybe? It's really evolved to be the best class B forum as DavyDD said earlier.

Looks like it's going to good hands to grow it further. Congrats and see you around.....
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Old 06-02-2015, 07:26 PM   #17
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Default Re: Exciting news - Change of ownership of forum

Hey folks - be sure to check out the announcement about the coming software update here: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=3729
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