Foo - Big news day! :)

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=304179 :)

Why Joe?

I love you. :love:

Congrats! Isn't it amazing when you start with a small idea and it grows to something this size?

What did you sell it for?

Why Joe?

I love you. :love:

The site simply got to the point were it needed more then a single person to run / manage. I have been doing this for almost 8 years, time for a change. :)

I love you too. :love:

Wow. Congrats. I guess.

I wonder if there will be a lot of changes here.

Joe, I want to thank you for starting off Bike Forums. As you can tell, we have our own community and family here and you made it possible. I never did understand how you were able to handle it all, AND live a normal life outside of BF. You kept this site booming and this is the result. I hope you really don't stray too far, I hope Brian stays for a long, long time and I hope the flavor of Bike Forums doesn't get lost in the corporate transition.

Thank you so very much Joe, for all that you've done for us. ((hugs))

OOOoooOOOOoooh!

BF gots shiny new internets!

Thanks Joe!
:)

Wow. Congrats. I guess.

I wonder if there will be a lot of changes here.

Joe, I want to thank you for starting off Bike Forums. As you can tell, we have our own community and family here and you made it possible. I never did understand how you were able to handle it all, AND live a normal life outside of BF. You kept this site booming and this is the result. I hope you really don't stray too far, I hope Brian stays for a long, long time and I hope the flavor of Bike Forums doesn't get lost in the corporate transition.

Thank you so very much Joe, for all that you've done for us. ((hugs))

+1 You'd better check up on us, make sure we're not getting into too much trouble here.

I will stick around for a few years. Internet Brands is a great parent company, I'm really excited to have Bike Forums under there control. They run a lot of community oriented sites and know that the best thing they can do is just let the community grow organically as it has for the last 7+ years.

Congrats Joe! and Heather!

Joe? Will you still love us?

It feels like the Grand Master is leaving the Dojo. *bows head in respect*

The site simply got to the point were it needed more then a single person to run / manage. I have been doing this for almost 8 years, time for a change. :)

I love you too. :love:
It kind of makes me sad. I don't want you to leave. I hope you realize what you've done for so many people. You are a great man, dangit don't leave us. :cry:

Thank you, Joe, for having created BF, which has literally been a lifeline for me. Congratulations, and good luck with your new ventures, both on- and off-line. ;) :)

:beer:

Damn...the sugar daddy is already spoken for.

In the immortal words of your beloved Heather:

Awwww YEAH! :beer:

Yay! So when do us red stars get our buy out checks?

In the immortal words of your beloved Heather:

Awwww YEAH! :beer:
For some reason, I just had an image of Joe doing the Shadiyah pose. :eek:

:D

Go ahead, Joe. You know you wanna post a pic for us. :p

.....and Joe never used that rainbow avatar I made for him. Dang. :(

Yay! So when do us red stars get our buy out checks?

You will now be on the same payroll as us blue stars. Just contact cuda2k for details. ;)

Well done Joe. I wish you continued success, both here and in your other ventures.

aww Joe, you've made such a wonderful place! I understand about changes and the work load but I feel sad you wont be the top guy. I hope you leaving that post wont change how BF is cause it wouldnt be what it is withought the down to earth guy you are!

You will now be on the same payroll as us blue stars. Just contact cuda2k for details. ;)
I am on IM with him right now, will let you know what I find out!:D

It kind of makes me sad. I don't want you to leave. I hope you realize what you've done for so many people. You are a great man, dangit don't leave us. :cry:


Leave? How can you tell when he's here?:eek:



:D

Joe probably has the lowest post count, and he was the first member!:p

Congratulations Joe.:beer:

You will now be on the same payroll as us blue stars. Just contact cuda2k for details. ;)
Cuda said I get my check right after he gets his, so I am second in line, suckers!!!!

Leave? How can you tell when he's here?:eek:



:D

Joe probably has the lowest post count, and he was the first member!:p
It's his ever-present aura that I'm talking about. You can just feel it.. it's like a tingly sensation in your pants. :D

That's it. A corporate buyout.

This place is headed down the drain, for sure.

Just wait for the bannings and censorship to kick in. It's going to get bloody!

That's it. A corporate buyout.

This place is headed down the drain, for sure.

Just wait for the bannings and censorship to kick in. It's going to get bloody!
Yep. I'm thinking this is the beginning of the end.

Explody Pup is going to love the blood. Some one get his muzzle ready or he will drink himself sick.

I'm sorry if I sound so negative, I don't mean to be. :o

I'm happy for you Joe but sad that you are leaving. I know that you don't post much but I always felt you kept an eye on us and I knew you always took care of the site. You have a certain style and although you have so many members it still felt comfy and family like. That's why we love it here!!

I hope you let us know how your new venture is going. I wish you continued success. :)

Explody Pup is going to love the blood. Some one get his muzzle ready or he will drink himself sick.
As long as he leaves me alone for a change, then it will all be worth it.

aww Joe, you've made such a wonderful place! I understand about changes and the work load but I feel sad you wont be the top guy. I hope you leaving that post wont change how BF is cause if wouldnt be what it is withought the down to earth guy you are!

Thanks BDG! I'll be sticking around for the next few years to make sure the site continues to grow as I have envisioned it.

Brian lives a few miles away and is also a really down to earth guy. The forums are in good hands. :)

Thanks for all the work you've put into establishing the Bike Forums community.

I'm sorry if I sound so negative, I don't mean to be. :o

I'm happy for you Joe but sad that you are leaving. I know that you don't post much but I always felt you kept an eye on us and I knew you always took care of the site. You have a certain style and although you have so many members it still felt comfy and family like. That's why we love it here!!

I hope you let us know how your new venture is going. I wish you continued success. :)

Awww, thanks Siu!

I'm not leaving! I'm just stepping down as the primary admin and taking on some new projects. I expect I'll post more then ever over the next few years.

I expect I'll post more then ever over the next few years.

That's what I'm talkin' about! :D Good to have ya!

:)

Joe,
Just looking through the various forums here exhibits the impact you have made of bringing the cycling community together. The sharing of information, coming together to discuss racing, mountain biking, vintage bikes, and all other forms of the sport has been an incredible resource, and outlet for so many people around the world. Providing a Foo, so we can bicker, laugh, and get to know each other has touched so many, even if we'd rather not be touched at times;) .
You have brought us a world of friends, photos, amusement, and information. The internet is just a vehicle, you have built the connection device to bring us together, You have to be pretty proud, and I appreciate the quality you've brought to my life....thanks man!

it was the kambucha, wasnt it?!!!!
she made you drink it and sell all your assets so the two of you can live in the Amazon, wearing nothing but bamboo robes! I knew it!!! you should of watched out for that wild woman!:p

Im glad you'll stick around for years, not sure about web access in the Amazon but I look forward to your postings.
Congrats Joe, I can only imagine what the future will bring for you :)

Just a suggestion:



Let us keep P&R, please. Like make them sign a contract or something. :)

Just a suggestion:



Let us keep P&R, please. Like make them sign a contract or something. :)

I know Brian is not a big fan of P&R, but I think it keeps the rest of the site sane... I'll do everything in my power to keep it around. :)

:lol:

so, all the beers are on you, Joe?

congrats! :-)

I hope my 30 year membership doesn't get squashed.

Congrats Joe, the only surprise is that it took this long. Good luck on the next venture.

On a sad note...OMG I AM DOOMED!

Joe, first of all, I'd like to join with everyone else in thanking you for creating Bike Forums. I'm glad you created it and enjoyed it enough to keep it going through good and bad, so that all of us bums would have a place to live. (;)) I'm also glad I found this site, for there are so many great people here who have made a home out of the place you've built. I think it's nice that you're able to step back and persue your other interests before the daily grind of maintaining such a large community wore you down. You deserve it!

That said, I'm sad to see it come down to the site being purchased by a large corporation, especially one with "brands" in the name. Bike Forums right now feels like a personal community with heart and soul put into it, and it becoming The Bike Forums, A Division of Faceless Conglomerate, Inc., is unfortunate, to me. I can't help but be a little afraid of what's to come. Even if nothing changes (which would be amazing), it's just the feeling, I guess. Now, I'm not going to make some big, dramatic stand here and say I'm never coming back, because for one, that'd be a lie, and for two, I'm pretty new here, not more than a handful of people would even care. :p I will continue to make this my home, and I'll continue to enjoy it as long as it remains enjoyable, which I hope is a long time.

Anyway, that's just me. Congrats on all you've achieved, Joe, and it's good to hear you're going to continue to stick around.

:beer:

It would be *highly* unfair to ask Joe to keep devoting all of his time to running such a large forums almost singlehandedly.
Life=change, and whatever happens, I welcome the new challenges.
Go Joe!!

It would be *highly* unfair to ask Joe to keep devoting all of his time to running such a large forums almost singlehandedly.
Life=change, and whatever happens, I welcome the new challenges.
Go Joe!!
No one ever said life is fair, now back in the box with you!:D

Joe, thanks from me also for creating this thing that I spend way too much time on. I'm not sure what I'd do without it. Good luck in whatever you do.

No one ever said life is fair, now back in the box with you!:D
Wait, I thought the box was for YOU. :eek:

John from Internet Brands just posted in the official acquisition thread: http://www.bikeforums.net/showpost.php?p=4548382&postcount=27

Feel free to welcome him to the community and ask any questions that you may have about the future in that thread.

- Joe