For Sale rcRacingEvents.com

[Bill Britton]

After much thought and some disturbing stories I have decided that I will not be selling rcRacingEvents.

It will also not be shutting down on Aug 1.

It has become apparent to me that the majority of those who wanted to purchase the website were intending to create a way to 'recoup' the purchase cost by charging the entrant, or the club a fee for using this service. This is directly counter to the stipulations I had for selling it.

rcRacingEvents was created to further the RC boating hobby. NOT to create a revenue stream. It seems that that was lost to most who desired to purchase the website. While true that I have not been involed in the hobby as of late, I still do not wish to see my creation become a money making venture by someone who simply had an idea to purchase the site and turn it into a 'pay to play' source of income. I feel that if anyone has the right to do that, It would be myself. With over 4 1/2 years invested in its development, and having never received a single dime from it's use, nor a single donation. If anyone is going to profit from it, it will be me, and for now I have no desire to do that.

Also, for those who think that the website could be duplicated for 2,000 - 3, 000 dollars is seriously mistaken (yes, I've seen the emails) and are being milked by the programmers who say that it can. The typical programmer bills 125-150 /hr. Good luck writing a website like rcRacingEvents in 20 -30 hours... The fact that a few would try to create an entirely new site to make money, rather than continue a site that was created to further the hobby, slaps in the face of those who give more than they receive in the RC boating world. That's not what this hobby is supposed to be about, at least for me.

The site is not going away. It is not being sold, and it is still free to use.

Bill Britton

 

[Rhonda Pickard]

Thank you Bill for all you do for this sport i know it is alot of hard work but glad to see you will be keeping the site thanks Robert

 

[Steve P]

Bill,

My hats off to you. It is people like you who are willing to give of them selves for the bennifit of others that make our hobby and the world a better place.

 

[SayMikey]

Awesome Bill you are truly an asset to r/c model boating. THANK YOU SIR and thank your wife for putting up with US

 

[Jerry T]

Thank you Bill!

It is people like you that make this such a great & fun hobby, you have truly gone out of your way for the model boating community.

 

[Dick Loeb]

Thanks for alll that you do to help make this a great HOBBY.

Thanks again Dick

 

[Elias Vazquez]

Thank you Bill!

 

[darby96]

Thank you Bill

keep me in mind for the future or if you need any help

Dave Bestpitch

NAMBA 98

 

[Terry Keeley]

Great news Bill, thanks again, awsome service to our community!

 

[Don Ferrette]

It's not all that often that a person comes along and gives so much time and effort into helping benefit boaters without regard to the profit margin. A BIG thank you Mr. Bill!!!! B)

 

[CC Racing Engines]

Bill,

I have to be totally honest I was always very skeptical of the service that your site provided as I kept asking what is the catch. After reading all of this, all I can say is you are a stand up guy and this contribution to the hobby is priceless. I am now sold and will be discussing using your program with my club at the next meeting. I think you definately need to add a donation button on your website as I know it will get used more then you could imagine.

Thanks for what you do for our hobby man I have not been this impressed in a very long time.

Thanks

Carlo

 

[SCTunnel]

After much thought and some disturbing stories I have decided that I will not be selling rcRacingEvents. It will also not be shutting down on Aug 1. It has become apparent to me that the majority of those who wanted to purchase the website were intending to create a way to 'recoup' the purchase cost by charging the entrant, or the club a fee for using this service. This is directly counter to the stipulations I had for selling it. rcRacingEvents was created to further the RC boating hobby. NOT to create a revenue stream. It seems that that was lost to most who desired to purchase the website. While true that I have not been involed in the hobby as of late, I still do not wish to see my creation become a money making venture by someone who simply had an idea to purchase the site and turn it into a 'pay to play' source of income. I feel that if anyone has the right to do that, It would be myself. With over 4 1/2 years invested in its development, and having never received a single dime from it's use, nor a single donation. If anyone is going to profit from it, it will be me, and for now I have no desire to do that. Also, for those who think that the website could be duplicated for 2,000 - 3, 000 dollars is seriously mistaken (yes, I've seen the emails) and are being milked by the programmers who say that it can. The typical programmer bills 125-150 /hr. Good luck writing a website like rcRacingEvents in 20 -30 hours... The fact that a few would try to create an entirely new site to make money, rather than continue a site that was created to further the hobby, slaps in the face of those who give more than they receive in the RC boating world. That's not what this hobby is supposed to be about, at least for me. The site is not going away. It is not being sold, and it is still free to use. Bill Britton

First I would like to thank you Bill for your program, it has helped us and a lot of other clubs run there races. And I am glad to see that you are going to keep it up and running. But in February when you put yours up for sale or said it would be shut down August 1 we saw a need for another web based race management program to take its place knowing yours might be shut down. So we contacted a programmer and started the ball rolling on building a new one (not duplicating yours). And yes we are asking for donations to help fund this project (the same way this site does to help stay up and running). Our new program will also be free of charge to use, so there is no profit to be seen from this just a service to help out the boating community. So with both of these sites being nonprofit we are not hitting each other in the wallet just providing the boating community with more options. To help assure any one who donates, I will personally refund any funds if our program does not reach completion.

Thanks Deryl Nesbitt

 

[Bill Britton]

First I would like to thank you Bill for your program, it has helped us and a lot of other clubs run there races. And I am glad to see that you are going to keep it up and running. But in February when you put yours up for sale or said it would be shut down August 1 we saw a need for another web based race management program to take its place knowing yours might be shut down. So we contacted a programmer and started the ball rolling on building a new one (not duplicating yours). And yes we are asking for donations to help fund this project (the same way this site does to help stay up and running). Our new program will also be free of charge to use, so there is no profit to be seen from this just a service to help out the boating community. So with both of these sites being nonprofit we are not hitting each other in the wallet just providing the boating community with more options. To help assure any one who donates, I will personally refund any funds if our program does not reach completion.

Thanks Deryl Nesbitt

So let me get this straight.

Your taking money from people to do something that has already been done (and quite well thank you very much), to give to them for free, for something that is already free.

Interesting...

Think I smell a dead rat.

 

[SeanKewley]

How magnanimous of you

 

[Bill Britton]

OK.

Six months out because of the political BS and 24 hrs after signing back in and it's started all over again...

Maybe I've made a mistake. Thanks for pointing it out Sean.

 

[ron upton]

ahhh dont let it get ya down bill......people do seem to enjoy beating each other up on here though lol

 

[julianconde]

bill i thank you for everything you have done for the hobbie. providing a service to better the community free of charge you cant really argue with that.. but deryl was taking the initiative no one here did.. so on that note i support him also. better to have 2 program just in case someone decides to SELL or LEAVE the Hobby

Thank you

Julian

 

[julianconde]

but on the same note you was going to either sell or shut down rcracing events on Aug the 1st and you left IW for 6 months.. now lets think here for a min.. you leave and since no one stepped up to buy the site Deryl took it upon himself to make another program to fill the void in case the site did not get sold or it was shut down.. so you cant really blame them for taking the initiative and doing something about this..

then you come back and be pissed because someone was doing another program ???? you LEFT left everyone wondering what will happen with the site.. say what you want but Deryl has my support on this 100%..

my opinion.

 

[julianconde]

First I would like to thank you Bill for your program, it has helped us and a lot of other clubs run there races. And I am glad to see that you are going to keep it up and running. But in February when you put yours up for sale or said it would be shut down August 1 we saw a need for another web based race management program to take its place knowing yours might be shut down. So we contacted a programmer and started the ball rolling on building a new one (not duplicating yours). And yes we are asking for donations to help fund this project (the same way this site does to help stay up and running). Our new program will also be free of charge to use, so there is no profit to be seen from this just a service to help out the boating community. So with both of these sites being nonprofit we are not hitting each other in the wallet just providing the boating community with more options. To help assure any one who donates, I will personally refund any funds if our program does not reach completion.

Thanks Deryl Nesbitt

So let me get this straight.

Your taking money from people to do something that has already been done (and quite well thank you very much), to give to them for free, for something that is already free.

Interesting...

Think I smell a dead rat.

OK.

Six months out because of the political BS and 24 hrs after signing back in and it's started all over again...

Maybe I've made a mistake. Thanks for pointing it out Sean.

yes bill you left for 6 months and said the site was going to get sold or shut down by Aug the 1st what did you expect ???

 

[Bill Britton]

Julian/All

I'm not really that upset about it anymore. I thought about it yesterday and it is what it is. But I will say this. Everyone I spoke with about the site, I ensured them it was not going to be shut down. Those who use it to run races were assured that it would continue to be available for them.

When I spoke with Doug of MeTime a few months ago when he inquired about its purchase, I ensured him it would not be shut down as well. In the end MeTime didn't purchase the site because they had no experience with the programming language. In fact Doug has no programming experience at all. Deryl and Jeni run in the same circles as Doug, and therefore I'm fairly certain that they would have been made aware that the site was not shutting down as well. So the emails asking for donations reporting that the site would shut down to me were not actually in good faith.

The truth is, that as soon as Doug found out about rcRacingEvents about three years ago, he tried to jump on the idea and create the same thing back then. He even posted it on IW. I'm sure many of you may remember seeing the posts. But I assume he abandoned the idea after he saw the difficulties involved in creating something of this magnitude. Eventually we ended up with a kind of mutual agreement that he would do video, and I would do entries and scoring for the hobby. This worked for awhile and we even worked together and jointly he provided live video and I provided up to the minute scoring results at a few big races.

I have spent five years creating something that no one else had the vision to see and the skills to create. Without a doubt the biggest supporter of it was Don Riek during it's infancy. I think he would be proud that it eventually grew into what it is today and his input and guidance helped make it so.

I have never asked for money, nor received any for the use of the site. I carried that burden alone against the advice of my wife and many others, simply because I wanted to give back to the hobby a small token of what it had given me. To me some things are bigger than the dollar.

In the end, rcRacingEvents came out of me. From imagination, to fingertips, to keyboard, You have no idea how many nights I have seen the sun come up through my office window after writing code all night. How many times I was on the verge of giving up when progress seemed impossible. In short, I didn't simply hire a programmer to do something that I could not, to create something that I did not envision nor had the passion to do myself.

To me, that's the difference.

Do I feel a little betrayed? maybe. But I hold no grudge, I'm at peace with it now. Just remember Deryl, Jeni, and Doug. There is far more to it than taking entries on the internet. That was the easy part.

Even considering all those nights that I was ready to push myself away from the keyboard and give up, I was never as close as I am right now.

Bill