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Over the last couple months, we've had a few members asking whether NamePros was recently purchased. Primarily, members have asked us about it through private messages. Since the question has grown in popularity, we'd like to respond in a public thread for anyone who is curious.

The anticlimactic answer is that NamePros has not changed ownership recently.

The last time NamePros was acquired was about 2 years ago by an investor in a private transaction. The investor values his privacy and wishes to remain anonymous, but I am always happy to provide assistance: contact me directly.

Here’s a look back at NamePros a month prior to the acquisition: NamePros in 2013.

A decade prior, in 2003, @RJ began creating this extraordinary community. Thanks to the efforts and contributions of RJ, Matt, skilled staff, generous moderators, and supportive members, NamePros has become a thriving community at the center of the domain industry. Following in these footsteps, our goals are to help unite and expand the domain industry by offering instrumental resources and services.

Today, NamePros is a large team of incredible people working on multiple large-scale projects. A couple of our larger projects have been in development for over a year now, and we look forward to sharing them with you soon!

If you're interested in being part of our team and helping us continue to grow, please reach out!
 
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The views expressed on this page by users and staff are their own, not those of NamePros.
Today, NamePros is a large team of incredible people working on multiple large-scale projects. A couple of our larger projects have been in development for over a year now, and we look forward to sharing them with you soon!

You, and your team, do an amazing job. This is one of the best communities I have ever seen over the past 15 years of being online. Thank you for all of your hard work.
 
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Today, NamePros is a large team of incredible people working on multiple large-scale projects. A couple of our larger projects have been in development for over a year now, and we look forward to sharing them with you soon!

We'll soon find out then if some of us put their money on the right numbers....bids are still accepted for what the projects could/will be! :xf.grin:
 
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The last time NamePros was acquired was about 2 years ago by an investor in a private transaction. The investor values his privacy and wishes to remain anonymous,
Before the rumors/rumours start it is not me! No matter what I post on my FB!

Thanks for clarifying that!
 
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A great community of which I'm proud to belong, thank you to everyone that contributes!
 
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Well thanks for somewhat answering the question, too bad the new owner didn't
want anyone to know who it is.

Regardless, NP has been a part of my life for the last almost ten years.
Seen a lot of changes - and I'll just leave it at that!!

Good luck in your new ventures NP!
 
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As the author of a DomainGang article that potentially triggered some of these inquiries, it is my obligation to offer a combination of clarification, amendments and an apology for certain parts of the article.

The article has been amended to reflect the edits, and I am also posting my statement here.

The original article, contains certain inaccuracies that were unintentional. DomainGang regrets the errors and provides the following corrections and amendments:
  • NamePros was never hosted on phpBB forum software.
  • Founder Ron James was not involved in any arguments with DNF moderators at the time NamePros was launched.
  • The most recent sale of NamePros occurred at the end of summer in 2013, not in late 2014 as the article assumed, based on an unverified source.
As a member of the NamePros community I offer a profound apology for these unintentional inaccuracies.
 
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Ah so NP was resold, but nobody noticed for two years. I guess that explains the radio silence I started getting from Bodis around that time.

Thanks for the update, Edward, and best wishes (belatedly) to the new owner. From what I can see the team you have in place is doing a great job.
 
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all this time I thought Eric Lyon was the owner
 
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I think we should kayfabe that he does.
 
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Over the last couple months, we've had a few members asking whether NamePros was recently purchased. Primarily, members have asked us about it through private messages. Since the question has grown in popularity, we'd like to respond in a public thread for anyone who is curious.

The anticlimactic answer is that NamePros has not changed ownership recently.

The last time NamePros was acquired was about 2 years ago by an investor in a private transaction. The investor values his privacy and wishes to remain anonymous, but I am always happy to provide assistance: contact me directly.

Here’s a look back at NamePros a month prior to the acquisition: NamePros in 2013.

A decade prior, in 2003, @RJ began creating this extraordinary community. Thanks to the efforts and contributions of RJ, Matt, skilled staff, generous moderators, and supportive members, NamePros has become a thriving community at the center of the domain industry. Following in these footsteps, our goals are to help unite and expand the domain industry by offering instrumental resources and services.

Today, NamePros is a large team of incredible people working on multiple large-scale projects. A couple of our larger projects have been in development for over a year now, and we look forward to sharing them with you soon!

If you're interested in being part of our team and helping us continue to grow, please reach out!

Along with some great diversionary rhetoric, Mr. Zeiden did post one statement that addressed the reason for this thread: ". . . NamePros has not changed ownership recently." A nice clean answer.

However, what's interesting to me is his intentionally tantalizing and mysterious statement about the future of NP: ". . . our goals are to help unite and expand the domain industry by offering instrumental resources and services." A nice sounding statement that says nothing, but implies something beneficially mysterious like a merger with a company that already has "instrumental resources to increase NP's value and potential for resale. Who knows? By not naming any of the multiple large-scale projects" (the same secret strategy Bodis took), what it does is create a curiosity factor, a vague, but oh-so-promising carrot for us to chase. Mysteries abhor patience, and now we have a mystery to focus on, not whether NP has been sold, but if NP is gearing up to be sold.

The last sentence about being part of the team is nicely done. Wish I understood what it meant.
 
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Good stuff! I'm excited for the future!

". . . our goals are to help unite and expand the domain industry by offering instrumental resources and services." A nice sounding statement that says nothing

Did you click the link? It seems pretty straightforward to me.
 
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Well thanks for somewhat answering the question, too bad the new owner didn't
want anyone to know who it is.

S/he just doesn't want to be in the spotlight. NamePros is ultimately managed by a team of people, not just one person. Many of those people aren't recognized publicly on the forums. We respect the privacy of our staff, and we hope that you'll do the same. :) As far as I am aware, the identity of the owner would not be particularly interesting to anybody; we haven't been acquired by GoDaddy or anything like that.

Ah so NP was resold, but nobody noticed for two years. I guess that explains the radio silence I started getting from Bodis around that time.

Thanks for the update, Edward, and best wishes (belatedly) to the new owner. From what I can see the team you have in place is doing a great job.

Much appreciated! If I understand correctly, we actually weren't sure how to contact you for quite a while. It's quite fortunate that you've chosen to return! :)

Along with some great diversionary rhetoric, Mr. Zeiden did post one statement that addressed the reason for this thread: ". . . NamePros has not changed ownership recently." A nice clean answer.

However, what's interesting to me is his intentionally tantalizing and mysterious statement about the future of NP: ". . . our goals are to help unite and expand the domain industry by offering instrumental resources and services." A nice sounding statement that says nothing, but implies something beneficially mysterious like a merger with a company that already has "instrumental resources to increase NP's value and potential for resale. Who knows? By not naming any of the multiple large-scale projects" (the same secret strategy Bodis took), what it does is create a curiosity factor, a vague, but oh-so-promising carrot for us to chase. Mysteries abhor patience, and now we have a mystery to focus on, not whether NP has been sold, but if NP is gearing up to be sold.

The last sentence about being part of the team is nicely done. Wish I understood what it meant.

I assure you we aren't up to anything devious. ;) As far as I know, we have no plans in place to sell NamePros, nor are we looking to make such plans.
 
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Along with some great diversionary rhetoric, Mr. Zeiden did post one statement that addressed the reason for this thread: ". . . NamePros has not changed ownership recently." A nice clean answer.

However, what's interesting to me is his intentionally tantalizing and mysterious statement about the future of NP: ". . . our goals are to help unite and expand the domain industry by offering instrumental resources and services." A nice sounding statement that says nothing, but implies something beneficially mysterious like a merger with a company that already has "instrumental resources to increase NP's value and potential for resale. Who knows? By not naming any of the multiple large-scale projects" (the same secret strategy Bodis took), what it does is create a curiosity factor, a vague, but oh-so-promising carrot for us to chase. Mysteries abhor patience, and now we have a mystery to focus on, not whether NP has been sold, but if NP is gearing up to be sold.

The last sentence about being part of the team is nicely done. Wish I understood what it meant.

I'm willing to bet their plans, once implemented, will prove that they aren't gearing up to be sold to who I think you think. Not that I have any insider information but recent changes have given me a hint of what's to come.
 
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S/he just doesn't want to be in the spotlight. NamePros is ultimately managed by a team of people, not just one person. Many of those people aren't recognized publicly on the forums. We respect the privacy of our staff, and we hope that you'll do the same. :) As far as I am aware, the identity of the owner would not be particularly interesting to anybody; we haven't been acquired by GoDaddy or anything like that.



Much appreciated! If I understand correctly, we actually weren't sure how to contact you for quite a while. It's quite fortunate that you've chosen to return! :)



I assure you we aren't up to anything devious. ;) As far as I know, we have no plans in place to sell NamePros, nor are we looking to make such plans.
I didn't mean to imply there was something devious going on, just that certain language opens many doors and is reminiscent of the Bodis strategy of making lots of promises of what would be coming in the next version, but never any clear detail and a long, long wait, much like the projects already a year into.
Did you click the link? It seems pretty straightforward to me.

Yes, but I thought the destination was a mistake, just as I mistakenly thought "instrumental resources and services" meant more than the list shown. I thought it meant branching out to things like having an NP whois service, a brokering system, an escrow service, a true auction platform (that would generate some income for NP, domain statistics checking, and other stuff that would consolidate resources and services that are currently spread out all over. Perhaps a pricing structure with some resources/services available for free and others perhaps for a low or graduated fee. I was hoping for some out of the box thinking like trying a domain swap service for members (no money involved type of thing) or something . . . maybe an appraisal section on its own with multiple appraisal services like the current neutral appraisal where no derogatory comments are allowed, just estimates, but another for thicker-skinned souls who what to here why it's a reg fee, and don't mind being told why registering certain domains is silly (or whatever). Anyway, you get my drift. No, I don't think all the ideas would be successful, but some would, and those would be keepers.
 
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NP whois service, a brokering system, an escrow service, a true auction platform (that would generate some income for NP, domain statistics checking, and other stuff that would consolidate resources and services that are currently spread out all over. Perhaps a pricing structure with some resources/services available for free and others perhaps for a low or graduated fee . . . trying a domain swap service for members (no money involved type of thing) or something . . . maybe an appraisal section on its own with multiple appraisal services like the current neutral appraisal

Great ideas! Yes, please! (Fingers crossed)
 
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...I thought it meant branching out to things like having an NP whois service, a brokering system, an escrow service, a true auction platform (that would generate some income for NP, domain statistics checking, and other stuff that would consolidate resources and services that are currently spread out all over. Perhaps a pricing structure with some resources/services available for free and others perhaps for a low or graduated fee. I was hoping for some out of the box thinking like trying a domain swap service for members (no money involved type of thing) or something . . . maybe an appraisal section on its own with multiple appraisal services like the current neutral appraisal where no derogatory comments are allowed, just estimates, but another for thicker-skinned souls who what to here why it's a reg fee, and don't mind being told why registering certain domains is silly (or whatever). Anyway, you get my drift. No, I don't think all the ideas would be successful, but some would, and those would be keepers.

Exactly what I was thinking/hoping for! Plus maybe a parking/sales platform as well.
 
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I didn't mean to imply there was something devious going on, just that certain language opens many doors and is reminiscent of the Bodis strategy of making lots of promises of what would be coming in the next version, but never any clear detail and a long, long wait, much like the projects already a year into.

Some projects just take a lot of time to develop, and there's really no way around it. That's why we avoid announcing anything specific until we're close to the finish line. All we've promised is that we'll continue to develop NamePros and its community, just like we have over the past two years. It's hard to believe that only two years ago NamePros was running on a single server with vBulletin 3 and Apache. It took us a year to switch to XenForo, but we didn't make any announcements until we were ready.

I'm pretty sure my first words upon seeing NamePros' backend were something along the lines of, "Holy narwhals, how does this thing stay online?!" (Turns out it didn't: two years ago, NamePros was going down at least once per day. We fixed that right up!)
 
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Some projects just take a lot of time to develop, and there's really no way around it. That's why we avoid announcing anything specific until we're close to the finish line. All we've promised is that we'll continue to develop NamePros and its community, just like we have over the past two years. It's hard to believe that only two years ago NamePros was running on a single server with vBulletin 3 and Apache. It took us a year to switch to XenForo, but we didn't make any announcements until we were ready.

I'm pretty sure my first words upon seeing NamePros' backend were something along the lines of, "Holy narwhals, how does this thing stay online?!" (Turns out it didn't: two years ago, NamePros was going down at least once per day. We fixed that right up!)
There is no doubt you've made some excellent changes in the technical backend of NP. Any users going back a few years can see the difference. However, it's the frontend that gets the members' attention. Like all businesses, NP has some decisions to make about what they want to be; and that means NP also has decisions to make on how active a role members will play in the process.
 
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There is no doubt you've made some excellent changes in the technical backend of NP. Any users going back a few years can see the difference. However, it's the frontend that gets the members' attention. Like all businesses, NP has some decisions to make about what they want to be; and that means NP also has decisions to make on how active a role members will play in the process.

Well, my job is more on the technological side of things. Eric is still in charge of the community. :)
 
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I would turn the forum into a marketplace like Flippa did.
I would turn it into the BEST available marketplace...You have the numbers here and the professionalism ( ok..not everyone ).
 
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When a site runs as smoothly, professionally and fairly as Namepros appears to run who actually owns it is of little consequence to most people.
 
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One thing I have to say is I came to namepros many years ago while looking to start investing in stuff online. RJ was the one in the chat room doing auctions, register domains with np$ that you could earn. I wouldn't make even close to the cash I make today if I didn't learn off the people on the forum back then.
 
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