What great plans do you have with the purchasing and creating of all these bmx websites?

(answering machine clicks on)

"Hi this is Mike. I am under deadline for BMXNOW at the moment, but thanks for your message, and I'll hit ya' back later today."

(beep)




Happy to share the details, but running off to a dev team meeting. More to come.

Best,

M

Did you really buy bmxnews?

yes he did, he did indeed. impressive huh?

warren
aka DaWump
aka Donnie's Head Flunkie

Howdy,

Sorry for the delay in posting my response. I started writing it yesterday afternoon, and it turned into a four or five page chronicle of what I recently realized has been a 28-year-in-the-making dream to publish a BMX magazine.

So, the short answer is "Yes, I did acquire bmxnews.com." The long answer should be ready in about an hour.

Thanks for your questions, and support.

Best,

M

Hey Scot, et. al.

In order to properly answer that question, we have to roll the tape way back to 1981. I'll try not to be too corny, or long-winded on this (but don't hold me to either).

In The Beginning
In 81, I got it in my head that I wanted to start a BMX newspaper (working title: BMX Superstar). I printed up my first business cards (at PIP in River Forest, IL), and set about doing it. I was a few months shy of my 15th birthday and, looking back on it as a 42 year old, I was both massively naive and exercising a classic case of "intelligent ignorance" at the same time. I wrote and shot a few articles, and got commitments for a couple ads from bike shops and an auto parts store in my home town...but BMX Superstar never made it to press. There were just too many obstacles with 1980s publishing technology (not the least of which was typesetting, keyline and pasteup, and the fact that EVERY photo you wanted to have in the paper had to be half-toned, which cost about $20 ea). But that got me started in writing, and not too long after, I was freelancing for Super BMX.



Can-Am
In 1983, I worked with a guy I met at the 1982 Jag Worlds in Vegas to produce Can-Am BMX News in the summer of 83. It was a one-issue wonder, and the guy turned out to be a big scammer, so that ended badly.




BMX Now 1.0
Then, in 1985, I decided to get into the 'zine scene by doing a Xeroxed zine called BMX Now. Mark "Lew" Lewman (Whom I met through Scott Towne and Jeff Venekamp) contributed a story or two, RandyS had a Prime Ad in the first issue, and it was a pretty good effort for a done-on-a-typewriter and pasted up on the kitchen table publication.

I'm pretty sure that the BMX Now zine got me noticed by John Ker, and got me my job at Plus! Roland Hinz razzed me about it for practically the whole time I was there...and now I know why Through the eyes of an honest-to-goodness publisher, it was one step beyond monkeys' work.




BMX.NET
Fast forward to 1996. The Internet boom is just taking wing. I reserved bmx.net as one of my initial domain name plays (missed bmx.com by a few months, as I recall), and decided to try starting an online magazine. But not just any online magazine. This magazine would tackle all the weaknesses I encountered in the print world (three months of lag time before we could get the Grands in your hands being chief among them). In 1997, I went to a few races (Winternationals, South Park, Rockford, Akron, Indy), and tried to get things going. But, at that point, none of the sanctions were computerized yet...so I had to take film-based pictures of the moto sheets, along with my race photos, and develop them at the local Wal-mart (who usually had the only 24-hour one hour photo in town), and try to ID the riders from 100 or more 5x7 moto sheet snaps...then scan the images in my hotel room, write my story, rock out some serious HTML code, and upload it all from the room on a 56k modem. BMX, and indeed, technology as a whole, was not yet ready for BMX.NET as I wanted it to be. SO, I sold off the domain name (BIG mistake!!), and moved on.




Modern Times
Fast forward another eight years to 2005. Some how, I don't recall exactly, I became acquainted with Vintage, and started lurking and posting a little (more of the former than the latter).

In September 2007, I sold the company I started back in 1992, in order to pursue some of the tech ideas I had been sitting on for awhile. The BMX.NET concept was still very much something I wanted to do, and the earlier hurdles had been removed (digital cameras, Content Management Systems and broadband being HUGE on that list). By that time, I was reading Vintage a few times each day, posting a bit, and really getting the itch to do more.

In February 2008, I was starting Booming Voice Clothing, a T-Shirt and screenprinting company. I wanted to advertise to a BMX audience, and knew Vintage was the best site on which to do that. I sent *Shannon* an email asking for the ad rates, and added a P.S. that said, basically, if you guys are ever interested in selling the site, let me know."

I had no idea who really owned the site, obviously, but Shannon called me within a few hours to say that it was, in fact Bill who owned the site, and that he forwarded my request on to him (thanks for being a gent about my cluelessness, by the way, Shando!).

Vintage was/is a tremendous community, and I wanted to be invloved in taking it to the next level (whether as an advertiser, a contributor, partner, or whatever role I could play).

Bill called me back and, long story short (yeah right), within a month, I was in Phoenix and the deal was done. That trip coincided with the Winternationals. So many people whom I had known in my Super and Plus! days were still around, and greeted me warmly (Bernie Anderson, Clayton, BA, Greg Hill, Eric Rupe, and so many others), and new friends Bill and Shannon showed me around. I was so stoked by my experience there that I drove back to Chicago, changed cars, loaded up my family, and we drove to Dallas for the DeSoto race. I had the fever...BAD...and I was having more fun than I had had in years!

Now, it is important to note that I absolutely adore all the good times I had in the sport from the top of this story to this point in the timeline! When I see an original OM (like the one I rode in 80 or so), and a white Pro Line with red parts (that was my first "Dream Bike"...well I just get all weak in the knees. But I also LOVE shooting and writing BMX content and, hard as it is to accept, the 1982 Grands are only great memories now.

One thing I was starting to realize is that, though Vintage has the BEST modern day racing forum in existence, it is tough for people who are not already here to understand that they can see TODAY'S race coverage TONIGHT on a site called VintageBMX (poor them). They just don't get it.

I have been to four other nationals since DeSoto, and have been promoting my butt off--bringing my 22 foot billboard truck to Moline and the NBL Grands (and Rockford, but that truly was for the Vintage part of the community), posting screen printed signs around the track with "VintageBMX.com" emblazoned on them...and still people do not really find their way over here on race night.

Just after Moline, I started thinking "Maybe Vintage needs a sister site where we can cover the latest and greatest...one that truly covers...wait for it...BMX, NOW! That was it...I was on automatic pilot from that point. Buying the domain name from a guy in Russia, writing a 30 page spec document of all the features that would make this site like no other. Features that would make it easy, and welcoming to the user. Features that would bring all of the sizzle we see in other apps in the tech world to BMX.

We set out about six weeks ago, refining, then building that 30-page spec into a real site.

Aside from a well-built OM, a razor-sharp photo of today's pro main and a well-aged Cabernet, I also have a passion for premium domain names. I own about 500 of them at any given time, and reserve new ones as I think of them, or as they come available in the marketplace.

So, when the opportunity came late last month for me to acquire bmxnews.com (what I would call a "premium name"), I did some soul-searching, and decided that the community there is also very strong...and that site could be made even better with a proper makeover of the technology running the site. So, quite aside from the domain itself, I would be getting a great SITE that could continue to serve the community and promote the sport.

Thus, I met with Kevin O'Brien (in Rockford, of all places...where he just happened to stop on a cross-country trip...which was a great omen that this was the right move) on October 26, and we reached an agreement.

But, as you may be thinking, why not just make the in-development BMXNOW.COM the "new-improved" BMXNEWS.COM? Well, I thought about that for a few days, and the net result was that BMXNOW had gotten too far in the process by then. It would have been like renaming my daughter, Fiona, 'Cindy'...it just would not have fit.





So, we'll have four sites, serving BMX, but in slightly different ways.

VINTAGE will stay as is, from the forum point of view, but we'll be adding a lot of the features people have been asking for (a dramatically improved museum, an events engine, unlimited image hosting for site supporters, video integration, and some other "editorial" functionality which will allow the "Best Of" content to float to the top, and be better featured). Look for all that in time for Rockford 09.

BMXNOW will offer a suite of features no site in BMX has offered to date. I'm not going to talk about them specifically yet, because there may be some changes...and I want the opportunity to do the unveiling when the time is right. As I mentioned, BMXNOW is a from-scratch build. That means that we didn't take existing software like Joomla, or Drupal and make a BMX site using a template. We are taking my spec document, and using it to write PHP, Flash and Rails code to order, based on the needs that the spec calls for. That is 10-20x more costly than doing it the other way...but I want this to be a "no sacrifices" app. We are trying to get a "preview" release done in time for, or immediately after the Grands, with the full release coming in time for the ABA Reno race. BMXNOW will, in all likelihood, be more of a "family-oriented" site where riders of all ages can feel comfortable reading and posting. Most of the events we cover will have "staff" coverage, as well as allow you the opportunity to post your own story and photos (arrgh! there I go...talking features).

BMXNEWS will stay largely as is, but we will rework it a bit to enhance the News aspect of the site (afterall, with a name like BMXNEWS, you should expect to find the latest scoop there, on Racing, Street, Dirt, Park, etc). The forum will remain intact. We will be upgrading the software and moving to a more robust hosting company within about 30 days (after BMX NOW is well on its way to being done).

BMXBID will become the "for sale" engine for all three sites. It will be free for members to post (we may experiment with a minimum number of forum posts to post a sale, or similar, as has been strongly suggested before). This will allow everyone more control over listings, and when stuff is sold they can simply end the sale. I am still toying with the rules of how outsiders would access the BMXBID service.

I've heard it said before that "If you want to see a million dollars in the BMX industry, start with TWO million." There are much easier and more efficient ways to earn a living. Thus, I am not relying on it AS a living. I will continue to build my suite of other applications (visionati.com, whoslookin.com, classmaker.com and more). But for the moment at least, I am focusing on the FUN and not the finance so much. As I said in an earlier post, this has been practically a life-long dream of mine, and it feels great to be actually have stepped off the proverbial front porch and started the journey.

I am SO anxious to attend my first ABA Grands in 21 years, and have already booked my trip to Reno. I am looking forward to having you ALL involved in helping to mold the vision. Right now, it is little more than an idea...but if there was ever an example of "the journey is the reward," this is it.

Please feel free to post your questions, comments and suggestions here or by PM.

Best,

M

WOW!

Way to go Mike! This is great news to hear. I can hardly wait to see what else you have in store for us.

Thanks for updating us on all of your hard work the past few months. It is really cool to be a part of everything that you have in the works for BMX.

Thanks again, and I look forward to talking with you at the Grands.

Bryan

Way To Step it up Mike!

Very Cool!

take over the world

Sounds awesome Mike. See you in Reno.....


Doug

So you have been busy then?
Very cool and it's good to see you living your dream.

Great stuff Mike. The sport is lucky to have people like you with such vision and drive. Can't wait to see it all up and running.

Good luck with your new venture MC .

Mike,

Thank you for sharing your dream with us. I wasnt sure how you would react to my question. Heck, I thought you may even tell me to hush up about it for a while. I certainly didnt expect an autobiography!

Great stuff! I am excited about the online, and near, future of BMX!

Scot

I must say I had the pleasure of hanging out with Mike and His family during the NBL Grands in Louisville, ,
Mike Has a Huge passion for the Sport of BMX, Thanks Mike for all the Great stuff you do with VINTAGE, BMXNOW, and Now BMXNEWS



Joey Sears

Mike,

What a truly amazing story, thanks for taking the time to share with us, that's awesome.
I often wondered who we had to thank for providing us with this huge avenue for Bmx Knowledge. Keep up the great job & am very stoked to be a new member here.

Thanks again & Happy Holidays,
Doug

That is awesome Mike. You are da man.

Dino

Mike has been great was great to meet you at rockford was excited to have you at my show with the banner truck and hope you will be there again this year as i am building up something i hope will be bigger for everyone who attends. I am also very excited to see the future

james

You are to be commended for your vision, skillset, and the motivation to make all our "I wish they had's" a reality. I and everyone here wish you the best. Godspeed.

I'm late to the party (although I did recognize that you were buying BMX)

...and I don't even "know" you (although I had seen the name before)

...but I am sooooo stoked for you. And us. The BMX community. Really, stoked.

Scot Breithaupt looks even creepier with a beard.

Scot Breithaupt looks even creepier with a beard... heh, heh, heh.

LOL, well, it was the 80s and, as Jello Biafra would say, "Kenny Loggins Beards" were in.

Mike, congratulations on being one of the few who have stepped out and went after their dream. I am happy for you and happy to know you.

OB

Wow... Good luck with all that. You have the makings of a really cool empire.

Man, I feel stupid now... like a cave man. Technology baffles me.

Mike
Was great to meet you at Rockford, Good luck in all of your new ventures. Sounds like you are going to be a very busy guy. Hope you still have time to work on Rockford 2010, really looking forward to coming back stronger next year.
Don

visionati.com

that is a pretty cool site.

What is who's lookin about?

Thanks!

Whoslookin? (whoslookin.com) is a business intelligence tool, primarily for companies in the B2B space. You place a snippet of code on your site, and it sends you a daily report of all the COMPANIES that were looking at your site yesterday.



This is important to a B2B organization for a few reasons:

1). Helps "warm up" cold calls by telling your sales force what companies are already potentially interested in your product

2). Helps you understand when competitors are surfing your site

I developed it when I was running my former company — a computer training firm which dealt largely Business to Business. When a company like XYZ Corp appeared on the site, I'd know SOMEONE there was interested in training, and I'd give them a call. Worked like a charm!

Thanks for asking!

Best,

M

interesting...

I don't even know how that would begin to work...that stuff is beyond me, but that sounds really cool. If I ever have a business, I will definitely hit that up.

I joined visionati. I can't type right now, I need to sleep.

Mike, what up. This is all so exciting, congrats. Don't forget to put up the video of Jammin' John Freewalt & us at Elk Grove. An Old School video section would rock!
~Tristan

Did you ever think BMX would advance like it has. I always thought it would make it to the Olympics. I just hope people can keep spreading the word about BMX and cant wait to see what is in store for us in the future. Keep up the good work Mike, and on behalf of the BMX community WE congradulate you for everything you have done and can do for the sport.

My vision has always been that BMX Racing would become more widely known than it was in the 80s (I dare not say "mainstream"). The sport has so much to offer, that I feel anyone not participating is leaving a lot of great family times "on the table," so to speak.

Seeing it on the Dew tour a few years back, before I got back into it, was very gratifying...and I would really like to see the leaders of the sport start now and get a running start, using the 2012 Olympics as a springboard into the general consciousness. We know that there will be a 2012 games. We know it will be nationally televised in the USA. What will it take for BMX Racing, as an industry, to buy airtime during the BMX event(s) of London 2012, to drive people to the local program nearest them? Obviously it is not going to be cheap. But we have three years to "save up" for it, and plan properly, so it pays for itself in new ridership.

FMF, thanks for the kind words. I am looking forward to keeping on!

Best,

M

+1 thanks mike

Great to see a volume of work being taken care of by someone with deep roots and passion for the sport. As always, appreciate those who have kept the BMX info churning all these years. Rock on, Tracer