Frequently Asked Questions – Who we are…
I have some big news to share which is that Triumphrat.net has been acquired by a company who (among other things) specializes in running online communities. Overall this means great things for the future of Triumphrat.net. We will now have access to experts on so many things that are vital to Triumphrat.net getting better and better. Everything from programmers to graphic designers all the way to dudes who wear beepers 24/7 to keep the server running well.
I have a lot that I want to say about this and rather than writing a giant diatribe about it, I figured I'd do this in the form of Question & Answer and this way you don't have to read everything if you don't want to and you can skip just to the questions that you are interested in. I know it's a lot but I do hope you'll read it all.
What the #$%&? Who the %$@#?
Ah yes. Good question. And very well put.
The company who acquired Triumphrat.net is an internet company called Motorcycle.com. Part of what Motorcycle.com does is to run "motorcycle enthusiast sites".
What else can you tell us about Motorcycle.com? Where are you located?
Motorcycle.com runs about 30 online motorcycle and ATV communities offering enthusiasts content and resources/information to help them get the most out of their riding experience. This small company is run by a couple of dozen people a good number of which are motorcycle enthusiasts. They have expertise in graphic design, programming, server administration, and community support. They are based out of Toronto.
You can get a list of communities they run by visiting motorcycle.com.
OK. So that's all well and good but they're gonna want to make more money from Triumphrat.net, right?
Of course, but this does not have to be a bad thing. The reason why Motorcycle.com is a great fit for Triumphrat.net is that they believe that monetizing in the right way. And while it might take more thought, creativity and effort; it is always a better idea than making a quick buck and making the online experience a bad experience.
Triumphrat.net is actually in a really lucky position in that we're all here because we love Triumphs and we love the DIY-lifestyle, etc. So identifying advertisers that we're all likely to be interested in, is much easier than on some sites where the subject matter is more broad.
Motorcycle.com is going to focus on getting great Triumph-related advertisers, provide the resources required to have a broader reach and attract more knowledgeable hard core enthusiasts to contribute and build this community. As well as offer even more resources to the community via Motorcycle.com. And develop a positive flow of information to Triumphrat.net, new vendors, better pricing, access to Triumph and their research and engineers etc.
Will the leadership change?
No, the leadership here will not change. Forum moderators will continue to make the day to day calls.
Are you going to increase censorship or change the rules or "tone" of the moderation?
No, this community is unique we have no plans to alter how the mods and admins have been overseeing the community.
I hate ads…. What you going to do about it?
If you can not stand the ads then you have the option to get premium or lifetime membership - premium members can disable most of the ads and also they can disable the left bar as well.
For more information on membership and new features please visit …..
http://www.triumphrat.net/register.php
Why don't you just put the site back to what it was?
In order for us to sustain and support the community we had to make changes. Granted some of those changes have been unpopular and often any kind of change is traumatic. We will be working with the community members and mods to prioritize the issues and additional changes that might be required. Your constructive feedback would be greatly valued.
So, if I've become a Friend of Triumphrat.net, does that mean it was all for nothing now that some fancypants company owns Triumphrat.net?
Nope. It wasn't all for nothing. But, really, the fact of the matter is that many, many websites have a subscription component as well as an advertising component. It's a very important part of the business model that makes a site financially sustainable. And the more that can be attained from subscriptions, the less advertising needs to be relied on which is always a good thing. And keep in mind that Triumphrat.net might be owned by a larger company now but it has it's own bottom line and subscriptions help it meet that bottom line.
And even though there already are some great extra features that you get by becoming a premium or life-time member, we plan to add more over time.
Are they going to (a) sell all our email addresses? (b) Make Triumphrat.net a pay-only site? (c) Inundate us with pop-up poker ads? (d) Replace our pure natural cane sugar with corn syrup?
We believe in "doing things the right way" and that this is always worth it in the end.
(a) Selling people's email address is illegal unless you specifically state that this might happen at the time the email address is provided. So, no, it's not gonna happen. There are very stringent laws about this (like CAN-SPAM). Not to mention that it's just wrong.
(b) Motorcycle.com believes that a website needs to be setup in such a way that people can access the information freely without having to pay or else it's not going to succeed.
(c) Pop-up ads are for people that just want to make a quick buck and don't care that it makes their site unpleasant to use. That's not going to happen. It's never worth it to do this kind of thing if your goal is to have a really great quality website.
(d) Corn syrup? C'mon. Which wise-ass asked that question!
So, I think I'm done blathering on for now! But I'd love for people to ask questions and express your thoughts on this, good, bad or otherwise! Thank you all for reading all this and for making Triumphrat.net the amazing place that it is! .... Now onward and upward, I say!
Frequently Asked Questions – What are the changes?
Here is a run-down of the changes:
1) New Skin – I’ve gone a little further with the revisions to the skin to make it more user friendly and easier to use. There is a second skin that will be available for members Premium Members that we are finishing up still.
2) Paid Subscriptions– We offer a one-year Premium membership and a Lifetime membership in addition to our FREE membership.
The premium member costs $15 per annum and for this you will receive larger avatar, more private message space and bigger gallery space, as well as an option to remove most of the ads.
The lifetime membership is only $40 and this would cover you for life with everything that comes with premium membership.
3) Intellitxt – I’ve added some new contextual ads which result in some words turning 'green' with an underline. These ads are being run on a test-basis. If you do not like these ads, members can turn them off in their UserCP. Simply go to your UserCP and check the box "Disable Intellitxt ads" in: “Edit Profile”. Premium members do not see these ads.
4) Google advertising – I’ve added some Google context ads. Again, Premium members do not see these ads. If you do not like advertising, please consider signing up for premium membership which eliminates all Google ads.
5) Left hand column - I have added a left-hand column to display site sponsor ads. These ads should be relevant to the forum, and are companies who help support the site (with their knowledge, special offers, and money). They are here because they value your business and want to support this community.
If you cannot stand the left column, for your convenience, Premium and Lifetime Premium members can turn-off the left-column in your User CP. Simply check the "Disable Left Sidebar" box.
6) Home page - after many member requests, I have added a new homepage that updates with Recent Threads, News (which we will be regularly updating), and a new Bike of the Month contest. The new home page will feature news direct from Motorcycle.com among other authoritative sources!
7) Bike of the Month - we have introduced a new "Bike of the Month" which will feature motorcycles as selected by you from the membership. See the Bike of the Month forum for more details.
You have no idea
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