I hate to be "that guy" but this seriously p*sses me off. Didn't GSN take over 3DRC forums just a couple months ago? So now if we don't want to bombarded with non RC related ads (RCU), quadcopters (RCG) or flying pieces of hot glued foam (FLITETEST) we have to crawl back to FG with our tail between our legs.
Again, sorry to be the drama guy but just really ticked off.
I really do enjoy the site, and even more so the people that are here on it.
no ****, it's a bummer for me too.
since the advertisers are gone I can speak my mind finally. the industry is screwed up, seriously. Vendors have so many of you guys asking for discounts, offering to do whatever they ask, wear shirts at events and they barely give you anything for your time. Then when a guy like me comes offering advertising and promotional opportunities they say no thank you because they know it's cheaper to go with "sponsored" pilots that'll do it all for much less.
so the communities like GSN languish or take to lying about traffic. does anyone realize how easy it is to lie about traffic whether it's a forums site, youtube, facebook groups, twitter followers, etc? it's easy and isn't that expensive either! i've never done it but I can't imagine how FG has thousands of users flowing through the site at any given time, it makes no sense.
then there's facebook, don't even get me started on how facebook has decimated forums while offering a far inferior platform and overall user experience.
i've tried to compete and the response has been "meh!". i rolled the dice and paid a lot more for 3DRCF than it was worth, Mike was lucky I rolled up with cash when I did because I think he was ready to punch out as well!
but again, the response from the vendor community was practically zero so i'm pulling the plug. i can't be the guy that just keeps going when it's past time to move on. I love this hobby too and it sucks being in this situation where i'm growing bitter about it. for what it's worth, Aeroworks,
that freakin' Aeroworks owes me over $400 for advertising from the first four months of the year when their banner ad kept running but they didn't cancel it. I reduced it to try to get them to pay it and Rocco decided to blow me off.
running the site is a lot of fun for me but attending events and keeping everything fresh is a big commitment in time and money. so while vendors have their sponsored pilots out there getting them all sorts of practically free advertising, i'm paying out of pocket to go places and cover events. I've finally said enough is enough. the vendors can go deal with FG or wherever, not my problem anymore.
to you guys, i love the community here but it is what it is, as much as it sucks, it is what it is.
maybe there's a white knight coming but maybe not.