I've been reading everyone's concerns, and it's nice to see some of the old timers chime in as well.
I hear what you're saying about everyone losing access to the site, and all I can say is that we've made every effort to ensure this doesn't happen. I know that actions speak louder than words, and there's nothing I can say here to completely remove any skepticism, but Figgy and I believe that this is a positive change for the site.
In regards to finances, I'd like folks to recognize that there's a difference between a profit motive and site sustainability. Those of you who've been following Pin Pics since 1999 will remember our site store with our branded merchandise. It was around this time Figgy developed her extreme dislike of going to the Post Office. We had also looked into optional paid 3rd party trading services at the height of all the trading scams five or six years ago. It's never been paid services themselves we considered anathema, rather unscrupulous third parties benefiting financially without providing some reciprocal benefit to the site or the community. To give you guys an idea where this gray line has been drawn in the past, consider our eBay policy: we've allowed our pictures to be used for eBay auctions (obviously to the benefit of the sellers and with no financial benefit to Pin Pics) because linking to our site provides the purchasers with resources for making more informed buying decisions.
Pin Pics' business plan, if it could be said to actually have one, was that folks sometimes donate money and then I write checks to the hosting company. We don't need an MBA to figure out just how sustainable that is, and I'm truly humbled at the level of faith the community has invested in us to keep this model operational. Meanwhile the members have many feature requests that haven't been given nearly the attention they deserve, which is primarily a failure on my part either to find a bunch of free time or locate another developer willing to donate theirs. Several have offered over the years, but for one innocuous reason or another it's just never quite worked out.
This relationship with Anthony and Samantha represents Figgy's and my beliefs for what's in the best interests of growing the site and improving its usefulness to the pin community. Developing the site with an eye for sustainability is certainly different than how we've been running it, and perhaps a little scary at first, but the benefits of professional involvement will be tremendous. The ownership change is indicative of their considerable financial and time commitment to this improvement endeavor.
The incorporation of Lansam is just a natural consequence of money being invested to a purpose. Diana's much more expert in this than I am, but I'd personally be a lot more worried about the motives of a large company buying out the site than Anthony and Samantha following sound legal advice in protecting their personal assets. With the specter of lawsuits that constantly surround any hobby, many of our friends have accused Figgy and me of being profoundly stupid for not having incorporated Pin Pics years ago. I guess our philosophy has been that our only assets are our children, making us extremely unfavorable targets for a lawsuit.
Anyhow, I've rambled enough. I hope I've explained things a little better. Also, we can expect something from the Medinas shortly. Figgy and I have been in constant communication with them as they digest and attempt to address all the various replies and concerns.
