BIG NEWS: NewBeetle.org has a new owner!

[jcroft]

Hello loyal NewBeetle.org members-

Many of you know me, and some of you may not. I'm the founder of NewBeetle.org, but I've been mostly absent from participating in these forums for the past few years. I started NewBeetle.org is November of 1999, just after I got my first Beetle, and throughly enjoyed building this community and being part of it for a very long time. But eventually, my passion for the Beetle and this site faded. My life changed a lot, as I began to travel a lot more and work longer hours, leaving little time for NewBeetle.org. Luckily, I had some great moderators and two absolutely incredible administrator in Ron (noR) and James (CrazyJames) to carry the site. All I had to do was sit back and pay the hosting bills.

Along the way, I've received several offers from people who wanted to purchase NewBeetle.org from me. I rejected them all, because the suitor never felt right. Either they had a bit of a sketchy past in the NewBeetle.org community, they clearly just wanted to take over the URL for its high Google page rank and traffic so they could redirect it towards their accessory business or dealership, or they were businessmen who didn't have the technical know-how to make a site like this work. I couldn't find the right combination of someone who "felt right" and also wanted to keep NewBeetle.org what it is today -- the best online auto community in the world (obviously, I'm biased).

I'm writing this today to announce that I've finally found that person. Several weeks ago, Saad Uddin contacted me about buying NewBeetle.org. After talking with him, I learned that he has a good deal of experience running online communities, including automotive ones, and that he fully intends to keep NewBeetle.org such a site. It wasn't easy for me to hand over the keys, so to speak, but Saad eventually convinced me that he was the right person for the job. So, as of today, Saad is the new owner of NewBeetle.org.

I know you'll all have many questions about what this means for the site, and Saad is the person who should be answering those, not me. But, I'll tell you what I've gathered form our conversations (keep in mind that Saad is totally free to change his mind or act differently, as this is now his site):

1. Saad has said he intends to keep Ron and James on as administrators. Ron and James been been absolutely amazing since the day they joined this site, and quite frankly, Saad would be stupid NOT to keep them on. They know this site inside and out, from every possible angle (the community, the technical aspects of it, etc.).
2. Saad does, I believe, plan to profit from this site. I haven't tried to make any real money on it for years. So, you may see components of those plans appearing on the site sometime in the future. Having seen some of Saad's other work, I can tell you he's good about doing this in a tasteful way, so I don't think you need to be concerned that this site will get completely overrun with ads and then like. But again, that's up to Saad.
3. Saad has also told me he intends to make any major changes slowly, over time, so as to not disrupt the community and vibe that we've got going on here right now.
4. Saad intends to move this site to a dedicated server, which will give it a much-needed lift in performance and reliability. It also should allow the forums to once again be open to the public, rather than for members only.

In short, Saad has the passion and drive to being this site back to its glory days, where I no longer do. And this site deserves that kind of treatment, because we're still getting more new members and traffic than ever before, even 10 years into the New Beetle era.

It's amazing to think that I've run this site for almost eight years, and it's still going strong. It's truly one of my greatest achievements, and it's not easy to let it go. But, I know I can no longer provide this community what it needs, and I truly believe Saad can. I know a lot of you will be understandably concerned about the future and have a lot of questions -- but I think if you take a wait-and-see attitude, respect my judgement call here, and welcome Saad with open arms, you'll find this can only be a good thing for this wonderful site.

So with that, I will bow out and let Saad take over. With his permission, I'll continue to be a member and check in from time to time, but I will no longer be an administrator or moderator. I'll give Saad advice if he asks and help him along as he moves the site to another server, but I won't meddle. It's his site, now -- and it's still your site, too.

Thanks for everything, guys.

Jeff Croft
Founder, NewBeetle.org

[jdubvdub]

Thank you Jeff, for giving us New beetle owners a playground to play in!

[warren]

Jeff,

know the .org has been a lot of hard, often thankless work over the years---it's been an invaluable resource for me, and i've had the good fortune to know and meet many new beetle fanatics over the last few years thru newbeetle.org---thanks for all you've done for the new beetle community, and best of luck to you, sir.

Warren

[Maggadog]

Jeff,
Thank you for all you have done. I understand the need to move on with your life. I'm sure whatever direction you choose to go, you will be successful.
Dana

[Toad]

So where is the Saad fellow? Will he post here and introduce himself?

[from Margaritaville...]

I just want to state my appreciation for this forum and the way that it has been operated since the first day that I lurked here. The Org is a major reason that I understand more about my car and, in turn, has given to me the patience to continue owning it/her...

Life is all about change, some for the better, some not. My hope is that the changes for Jeff are positive and that the forum, itself, changes little in its format. I await for the new owner to communicate with the members and look for his re-assurance that the lively spirit that resides here will be cultivated and nurtured like the fragile flowers that we ALL are.

Good luck, Jeff...and good karma to you...

[Beetlescott]

Thanks Jeff, I don't know what I would have done since I got my first NB in 2003, If I had not had a place to meet great friends and chat and read about our great cars!!!!

[saadu]

Hello Everyone!

just chiming in! As Jeff stated, my name is Saad. I live in Montreal, Quebec. Oui, oui, Je parle francais aussi (I speak french as well)!

I am indeed very excited about this site. Jeff has pretty much mentioned all that I wanted to say. But I would like to add that if anyone has any suggestions for the site, you can post away or message me. Immediate plans are to move to a quicker server (any ideas anyone?). Aside from that, I may start looking for some ideas to refresh the look of the site.

Also, as Jeff mentioned, I don't plan on changing the mod/admin team at all. You guys are doing a great job.

Finally, I'm going to be in the market for a 2005-2007 New Beetle in another month, so if anyone sees anything, be sure to ping me.

Thanks all!

Saad

[dnyed]

Well, I am glad to know that the Org has a good future. Thank you, Saad, for taking over, and keeping this great community alive. I look forward to getting to know you, and I look forward to changes that will, hopefully, keep the recent spammer out of here.

Hello! I am dnyed, longtime member, moderator, and New Beetle freak!

[Toad]

I'm glad to hear from you Saad. I have 2 things i'd love to see done on here.

The first is what you're already looking into, a stable and faster server. Thank you sir. The second is making the member signup process more secure. Even though I'm one of the biggest fans of spammed bewbies on this forum, it is getting annoying.

[Fowvay]

Wilkommen to the org!

This is truly a "saad" day around these parts as we say goodbye to Jeff and usher in a new era.
I have been a member here since the early days but not as long as some. I hope to see this site return to it's former glory and then some. Let us know how we can help.


Tom aka Fowvay

PS... We'll miss ya fearless leader!

[callisto9]

Originally Posted by saadu

Finally, I'm going to be in the market for a 2005-2007 New Beetle in another month, so if anyone sees anything, be sure to ping me.

well that's pretty cool! welcome to the .org saadu! many of us have quite the attachment to this place and have made many friends here. i've been a member for three years, myself.

again, welcome! i hope things don't change too much!

[Fowvay]

Could we have a link to your other sites so we can have an idea of what kind of changes we are in for?

[Freaky Beetle]

Welcome!

[CrazyJames]

Originally Posted by Fowvay

Wilkommen to the org!

This is truly a "saad" day around these parts as we say goodbye to Jeff and usher in a new era.
I have been a member here since the early days but not as long as some. I hope to see this site return to it's former glory and then some. Let us know how we can help.


Tom aka Fowvay

PS... We'll miss ya fearless leader!

I bet Jeff Rue's the day that I found his pictures online

Too bad I lost the copies I had of jcroft + snorkling mask:P

Its been a pleasure, this notice came as a bit of a shock should be interesting times ahead.

[callisto9]

oh, and i forgot to say thank you to jeff croft. thanks for all your hard work during the past seven (?) years. we all appreciate the effort you've put into this place and your dedication to keeping it running. if it weren't for you, none of us would have met. we'll miss you!

[GINA]

Wow, that's not what I was expecting when I signed in.

Hi Saad, glad you came aboard and I'm interested in seeing future changes you have in store

[FineExampl]

Holy weird news.
Good luck mate. Don't let us down.

[Alan From NYC]

Welcome, Saad.

I hope you're a student of the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it school."

[CrazyJames]

Originally Posted by Alan From NYC

Welcome, Saad.

I hope you're a student of the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it school."

You must be a student of the "If I dont think its broke, it aint broke." school