The big day that many suspected would eventually come, finally has come. More than ten years after launching (and continually operating) F150online.com, ownership of the site has officially changed hands. I'm truly excited to announce that F150online.com has been acquired by Internet Brands, Inc., a company that operates many useful and well-known automotive web sites such as CarsDirect.com, GreenHybrid.com, NewCarTestDrive and Wikicars.com. You may or may not have seen the news a few days ago, but they also recently acquired vBulletin.
The plan is to maintain F150online.com as a stand-alone website, but at the same time leverage Internet Brands’ technology and content resources where they can enhance the site, as well as take advantage of Internet Brands’ reach to enhance our advertising base. They have indicated repeatedly that they have no interest in changing the personality, policies, community orientation, overall nature or competitive advantage of the site. Rest assured, there are no intentions of turning the site into a series of giant Flash popup advertisements with a forum behind them. Based on the other acquisitions that IB has made in this space, I can say this with a high level of confidence.
With that said, there are no immediate changes planned for F150online.com at this point – other than moving to bigger, faster servers that will support our growth – and I will continue to play the same role in the community in the immediate future, helping both with the continued growth of the site, as well as with our current advertisers, Ford Motor Company and SEMA.
I believe this is going to be a very exciting opportunity for F150online.com. More resources are going to be available to the site, both technical and marketing, which will help the site grow in functionality, performance and popularity, as well as provide the site the attention it deserves that I have been unable to give during the past few months, as Ownersite has continued to grow and demanded more of my attention. While I am sure that some might bemoan the decision, I think it is a very positive move to keep F150online.com as the great site that it has always been.
I think one of the most important questions is, are Brad, Doug & Brooks (RockPick, Silver_2000 & clonetek) going to continue as moderators? The answer is yes, unless they decide otherwise. They have played a key role in the ongoing success of the F150online.com and Internet Brands recognizes their importance, something that I have spoken to IB about numerous times. It is Internet Brand's intent to keep our moderators in place with the same roles and responsibilities that they had prior to the acquisition.
I sincerely hope that people are excited about this news. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email or PM me. There is an FAQ below that was provided by IB about the acquisition. You are also welcome to post any questions about IB, the acquisition or the transition on the forums. Please keep it positive. In a short while, some folks from IB will pop by and help answer questions, as well, so you will get the chance to meet them. Also, beyond any specific questions you might have, I'd enjoy hearing any ideas you might have for how to better serve the F150online.com community going forward.
Thank you so very much for your help and support throughout the past 10+ years in helping to build the absolute best Ford truck site on the Internet.
Steve "webmaster" Eppinger
Announcement & Discussion Thread
