FinLuver
Native Oregonian…1846
Glad I scrubbed my content, when I went silent for many months. Who knew there would be a reason to do so?
So why did we switch exactly…?
- Thread starter Bob Rankin
- Start date
dflett68
Steelhead
if they care about content, clicks, engagement, post count, etc. - i expect they've just lost the vast majority of theirs directly to this site. even though only ~400 people are here, versus (ostensibly) 17K at wff, i wouldn't be surprised if that core group accounted for 70%-85% of posts on wff. actually i wouldn't surprised if it was more than that. that's a lot of product. the revenue stream is tied to it. if their plan was to maintain wff as a regional product with the same branding - they've suffered a mighty loss. if their plan was to rebrand and expand it's reach, i would think that will be tough without all of the engagement they just lost. they'd have to reestablish a new core - and that will take time. and in that time the stats they pitch to advertisers will drop, and revenues/margins with them. maybe they planned for that contingency, maybe that's the way these things typically go for them and they are nonplussed by all this. but if their business plan was built on the engagement of this group that disappeared overnight and they didn't expect that, i'd expect them to have an array of motivations to look around. especially because it is so easy to do.
all speculation, it's not an industry or business i know about. and of course there's no telling, for now, what they shelled out to buy wff - or what the revenue stream is. being a public company, eventually i would expect that information to be available in their filings - in 2Q22, hopefully. that'll be a fun thread.
It’s tough to Delete or scrub when people replied and it contained your info.
I would imagine they use the membership stats to sell the advertising. Most likely they've already sold off all the email addresses if they have any value. So, considering the large number for the membership, they could ride the advertising revenue for sometime.
Buying up assorted website forums as a business venture is a new one for me so I honestly don't know how they do make money from the scheme but they wouldn't be doing it if it didn't pay in some way or fashion.
This is why we can't have anything nice ....
(fortunately, we have three fantastic members that simply built a new site in record time where we could escape ... not all website forums are so lucky)
Buying up assorted website forums as a business venture is a new one for me so I honestly don't know how they do make money from the scheme but they wouldn't be doing it if it didn't pay in some way or fashion.
This is why we can't have anything nice ....
(fortunately, we have three fantastic members that simply built a new site in record time where we could escape ... not all website forums are so lucky)
dflett68
Steelhead
there's no way there weren't multiple redundant backups of everything anyway. probably as far back, at least, as when the ads started. that's likely when plans to sell were in motion - and the capture of PII would have been a critical asset at that point.Glad I scrubbed my content, when I went silent for many months. Who knew there would be a reason to do so?
Small is good... keep reading about more scams in the classifieds on the old block. Lots of good folks here.
Found the same thing with some of my info on there.
C'est la vie.
dflett68
Steelhead
at this moment, PNWFF has 11% of it's members online, while WFF has 1/100th of 1% online. if you're like me you'll want to re-read that second number to make sure you get the magnitude of the delta. if the advertising piece is important to them, that hurts. it's no different than a superbowl ad - low eyeballs means low ratings means low ad prices. if all they wanted was a one-time purchase of PII and demographic data, then maybe they don't care. but advertisers will care, and when the reporting interval catches up with those actuals, ad prices will go down.I would imagine they use the membership stats to sell the advertising. Most likely they've already sold off all the email addresses if they have any value. So, considering the large number for the membership, they could ride the advertising revenue for sometime.
Buying up assorted website forums as a business venture is a new one for me so I honestly don't know how they do make money from the scheme but they wouldn't be doing it if it didn't pay in some way or fashion.
This is why we can't have anything nice ....
(fortunately, we have three fantastic members that simply built a new site in record time where we could escape ... not all website forums are so lucky)
Got it.
My guess is they were hoping for something more like what happened with ifish. When they took that forum over, everyone complained and grumbled, a few left, but nobody cared enough to move on. At this point, they're complacent and it runs, business as usual, but a bit dialed back from what it used to be. I've thought about doing something similar to see if I could siphon off their users, but I doubt it'd get the same response.
FinLuver
Native Oregonian…1846
Not very many actually replied directly; was easier than I thought. Jump over to WFF, search my moniker, if so inclined, and see the vast (Proactively Deleted)…
wanderingrichard
Life of the Party
dflett68
Steelhead
for the curious, here's vs's most recent regulatory filing on 3 acquisitions from late 2021. super boring stuff until it is a company you feel connected to, so it will be fascinating to see what the filing on the WFF aquisition has to say when it comes out later this year. btw, @swimmy , that hometalk forum might be up your alley..."home, cooking and fashion communities..."
VerticalScope Announces Three Additional Acquisitions
Unless otherwise stated, all dollar amounts are in U.S. dollars.
TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--November 9, 2021--VerticalScope Holdings Inc. (“VerticalScope” or the “Company”)(TSX: FORA) announced today that certain of its subsidiaries have entered into agreements to acquire Hometalk Inc.(“Hometalk”), Fomopop, Inc. (“The Streamable”) and Threadloom, Inc. (“Threadloom”).The purchase price consideration for HomeTalk and The Streamable combined, net of cash remaining in the businesses,totals $63.5 million payable in cash on closing with the potential for up to an additional $30 million in cash payable over atwo-year period if certain performance thresholds are achieved. These two acquisitions are expected to be immediatelyaccretive to EBITDA in Q4 and are expected to add between $10 million and $14 million of Adjusted EBITDA in 2022 atapproximately 50% Adjusted EBITDA margins. Both Hometalk and The Streamable acquisitions are expected to closeimminently.The consideration payable on closing for Threadloom is $15 million in newly-issued subordinated voting shares ofVerticalScope and $1 million in cash as retention consideration. The acquisition also includes contingent retentionconsideration of an additional $2 million in cash payable following the first anniversary of the closing and $7 million insubordinated voting shares of VerticalScope issuable following the second anniversary of the closing subject to certainconditions being met. The number of shares to be issued will be based on the five-day volume weighted average tradingprice of VerticalScope’s subordinated voting shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange (the “TSX”) as of the date of theacquisition agreement. The share-based consideration is subject to a one year lock-up period and is subject to approval bythe TSX. Threadloom will not be immediately accretive to EBITDA, however, we expect that by integrating and furtherdeveloping its technology it will become breakeven before the end of 2022 and accretive to overall growth longer term. Theacquisition is expected to close before the end of November, 2021.
HOMETALK
Hometalk was founded in 2011 and includes the online DIY home, cooking and fashion communities hometalk.com,foodtalkdaily.com and upstyledaily.com. These communities serve over 6 million monthly active users (“MAU”) andprovide a platform for creators to connect and share knowledge, tips, guides, videos and product reviews. DIYers on hometalk.com can explore over 169,000 project tutorials on a wide-sweeping range of topics, including how to build,decorate, upcycle, clean, repair, organize and more. Community members on Hometalk.com can post a project, ask oranswer a DIY question, or search for DIY projects. Foodtalkdaily.com was launched in 2020 to provide a dedicated spacefor anyone, foodie or newbie, to broaden their palate and add more, different dishes to their dinner rotation. The site has over7,000 recipes shared by chefs, bakers and recipe creators. Upstyledaily.com was also launched in 2020 and provides a DIYdestination for creators passionate about fashion, style, and beauty. Hometalk’s R&D team is based in Israel with sales,finance and marketing teams based in the United States. Hometalk’s entire team of 35 staff led by Ezra Menaged, SamSchmelzer, Meir Welcher and Miriam Illions will be continuing with the business following completion of the acquisition byVerticalScope.
THE STREAMABLE
Founded in 2017 by entrepreneurs Jason Gurwin, Peter Michailidis and Neil Daniels, TheStreamable.com is one of thelargest communities of cord-cutters online, and provides a unique commerce engine for finding the best streaming servicefor sports, shows and movies. The site provides reviews, deals and an interactive matchmaker tool which recommendsstreaming services and devices. The site reached over 3 million MAU in September and now makes recommendations in 28different countries. On closing of the transaction, Gurwin, Michailidis and Daniels will be joining VerticalScope andcontinuing to lead The Streamable’s operations.
THREADLOOM
Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Mountain View, California, Threadloom is backed by investors which include ProsusVentures (formerly Naspers Ventures), UP2398 (founded by Pierre Omidyar) and the Stanford Start-X Fund. Led by PaulLee, CEO and former Google Shopping Senior Product Manager, and Raquel Romano, CTO and former Google SeniorSoftware Engineer, the Threadloom team has built an impressive suite of capabilities in the forums space ranging from email newsletters, and news feeds, to commerce-focused guides and product recommendations and reviews. Following the closingof the acquisition, Threadloom’s entire team is expected to join VerticalScope. Going forward, the Threadloom team will befocused on expanding VerticalScope’s Fora platform capabilities, leading with their expertise in user engagement, product-focused recommendations, and social shopping experiences.
“We are thrilled with these acquisitions,” noted Rob Laidlaw, Founder and CEO of VerticalScope. “With these three deals we have added large and vibrant online communities to our business with over 9 million MAU, and significantly accelerated our commerce revenues, including in the area of digital goods. We are also adding capabilities and world class talent and technology to our organization, helping to accelerate development of our platform. This is a very big day for VerticalScope and I couldn’t be more excited for our company.” Chris Goodridge, President and COO of VerticalScope added, “These acquisitions are right in our wheelhouse; with a focus on user generated content and commerce-driven tools for consumers, we are very pleased with the fit and growth opportunities they bring to VerticalScope. We are also pleased to be ahead of schedule in deploying the proceeds from our initial public offering in June. Our pipeline continues to grow and we expect to be able to continue to successfully acquire great businesses that fit strategically with VerticalScope and meet our valuation criteria. We continue to close on smaller deals on a regular basis, and have a number of additional communities that we expect to join our platform before the end of the year.”
VerticalScope Announces Three Additional Acquisitions
Unless otherwise stated, all dollar amounts are in U.S. dollars.
TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--November 9, 2021--VerticalScope Holdings Inc. (“VerticalScope” or the “Company”)(TSX: FORA) announced today that certain of its subsidiaries have entered into agreements to acquire Hometalk Inc.(“Hometalk”), Fomopop, Inc. (“The Streamable”) and Threadloom, Inc. (“Threadloom”).The purchase price consideration for HomeTalk and The Streamable combined, net of cash remaining in the businesses,totals $63.5 million payable in cash on closing with the potential for up to an additional $30 million in cash payable over atwo-year period if certain performance thresholds are achieved. These two acquisitions are expected to be immediatelyaccretive to EBITDA in Q4 and are expected to add between $10 million and $14 million of Adjusted EBITDA in 2022 atapproximately 50% Adjusted EBITDA margins. Both Hometalk and The Streamable acquisitions are expected to closeimminently.The consideration payable on closing for Threadloom is $15 million in newly-issued subordinated voting shares ofVerticalScope and $1 million in cash as retention consideration. The acquisition also includes contingent retentionconsideration of an additional $2 million in cash payable following the first anniversary of the closing and $7 million insubordinated voting shares of VerticalScope issuable following the second anniversary of the closing subject to certainconditions being met. The number of shares to be issued will be based on the five-day volume weighted average tradingprice of VerticalScope’s subordinated voting shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange (the “TSX”) as of the date of theacquisition agreement. The share-based consideration is subject to a one year lock-up period and is subject to approval bythe TSX. Threadloom will not be immediately accretive to EBITDA, however, we expect that by integrating and furtherdeveloping its technology it will become breakeven before the end of 2022 and accretive to overall growth longer term. Theacquisition is expected to close before the end of November, 2021.
HOMETALK
Hometalk was founded in 2011 and includes the online DIY home, cooking and fashion communities hometalk.com,foodtalkdaily.com and upstyledaily.com. These communities serve over 6 million monthly active users (“MAU”) andprovide a platform for creators to connect and share knowledge, tips, guides, videos and product reviews. DIYers on hometalk.com can explore over 169,000 project tutorials on a wide-sweeping range of topics, including how to build,decorate, upcycle, clean, repair, organize and more. Community members on Hometalk.com can post a project, ask oranswer a DIY question, or search for DIY projects. Foodtalkdaily.com was launched in 2020 to provide a dedicated spacefor anyone, foodie or newbie, to broaden their palate and add more, different dishes to their dinner rotation. The site has over7,000 recipes shared by chefs, bakers and recipe creators. Upstyledaily.com was also launched in 2020 and provides a DIYdestination for creators passionate about fashion, style, and beauty. Hometalk’s R&D team is based in Israel with sales,finance and marketing teams based in the United States. Hometalk’s entire team of 35 staff led by Ezra Menaged, SamSchmelzer, Meir Welcher and Miriam Illions will be continuing with the business following completion of the acquisition byVerticalScope.
THE STREAMABLE
Founded in 2017 by entrepreneurs Jason Gurwin, Peter Michailidis and Neil Daniels, TheStreamable.com is one of thelargest communities of cord-cutters online, and provides a unique commerce engine for finding the best streaming servicefor sports, shows and movies. The site provides reviews, deals and an interactive matchmaker tool which recommendsstreaming services and devices. The site reached over 3 million MAU in September and now makes recommendations in 28different countries. On closing of the transaction, Gurwin, Michailidis and Daniels will be joining VerticalScope andcontinuing to lead The Streamable’s operations.
THREADLOOM
Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Mountain View, California, Threadloom is backed by investors which include ProsusVentures (formerly Naspers Ventures), UP2398 (founded by Pierre Omidyar) and the Stanford Start-X Fund. Led by PaulLee, CEO and former Google Shopping Senior Product Manager, and Raquel Romano, CTO and former Google SeniorSoftware Engineer, the Threadloom team has built an impressive suite of capabilities in the forums space ranging from email newsletters, and news feeds, to commerce-focused guides and product recommendations and reviews. Following the closingof the acquisition, Threadloom’s entire team is expected to join VerticalScope. Going forward, the Threadloom team will befocused on expanding VerticalScope’s Fora platform capabilities, leading with their expertise in user engagement, product-focused recommendations, and social shopping experiences.
“We are thrilled with these acquisitions,” noted Rob Laidlaw, Founder and CEO of VerticalScope. “With these three deals we have added large and vibrant online communities to our business with over 9 million MAU, and significantly accelerated our commerce revenues, including in the area of digital goods. We are also adding capabilities and world class talent and technology to our organization, helping to accelerate development of our platform. This is a very big day for VerticalScope and I couldn’t be more excited for our company.” Chris Goodridge, President and COO of VerticalScope added, “These acquisitions are right in our wheelhouse; with a focus on user generated content and commerce-driven tools for consumers, we are very pleased with the fit and growth opportunities they bring to VerticalScope. We are also pleased to be ahead of schedule in deploying the proceeds from our initial public offering in June. Our pipeline continues to grow and we expect to be able to continue to successfully acquire great businesses that fit strategically with VerticalScope and meet our valuation criteria. We continue to close on smaller deals on a regular basis, and have a number of additional communities that we expect to join our platform before the end of the year.”
swimmy
An honest tune with a lingering lead
I check WFF daily to see how its going in the fall out shelter. I did note a bit of political banter there. Some guy named Swimmy said something about “worst President ever” that was fun he does carry a pretty big spoon in his beautiful tone of greige holster I believe.
I see some humor in it but better to just move on… it was business. The off naming is incredibly sophomoric.
