CT forum functioned on Monday when I checked and was nuked that day or the next couple. You can pinpoint it from the comments in the Wade topic, where we discussed it earlier this week.
Forum just disappeared for me too. Haven’t checked for a day or two but it was def. up on Monday when I posted a snarky remark about them removing article comments to hide the outrage from anyone doing due diligence for an Outside Inc. IPO. Yes I’m taking credit.
I had checked a few of the hot button threads on Monday and maybe again Tuesday AM. Comments around the usual topics with mention of Wades message as well. Not sure it was connected to them nuking it at that time, or just a coincidence in timing considering how Outside stated that CT would be absorbed around that same time?
They actually announced it saying something like “moving to a new platform” or something like that. I’m not going to give them any clicks to try to find the clarification.
Right, that is what I’m referencing in the final half of my last sentence. Probably just shared time without them trying to sidestep Wade’s new direction.
Whatever about all the morality and human decency issues raised in this debacle (and there are many), from a purely business perspective, this has to be one of the worst cases of inept business management I’ve ever seen. The loss of shareholder value from whatever Outside paid for CT to what it must be worth now is appalling. In order to increase its value (presumably), Outside took some steps that trashed the business’s two most important assets: the brand and the people. More than one of the departing journalists mentioned that there was zero communication coming from Outside. From a business perspective of looking after your key asset (the journalists), it’s totally unacceptable (again putting aside the basic human decency element).
If I was an Outside shareholder I’d be asking serious questions on the judgement and capability of Outside’s management. It seems totally chaotic.
The only logic I can see is whoever was calling the shots still thinks it’s 2008 and they’re going to rake in the ad revenue with a content mill. That or they’re just trying to completely slash all expenses to sell Outside Inc as quickly as possible and leave some PE firm holding a bag of rotten media properties.
The only logic I can see is that they already owned sites like velonews and saw CT as a big rival. So instead of getting creative and trying to better them, they just bought them out with empty promises to keep them independent, and then crushed them.