Dear vBulletin Forum Community - vBSEO is Suspending Operations

Sorry Paul, but I have to say I think Scott has something of a point. While vBSEO's problems cant and shouldn't be blamed entirely on vBullletin, the fact is that many people have moved to other software platforms. The reasons are varied but mostly from what I have read over and over again, its been because of how IB handled the business.

Its also not just vBSEO. Many mod creators and skin designers stopped producing for vBulletin, and even mod production at vB.org has slowed to a crawl. I saw a statistic the other day that claimed 40% of vB licenses out there are still running 3.x. Even you just admitted your still running 3.x. Third party developers cant make money when they don't sell their product because vB hasn't instilled confidence in their licensees.

Like I said, I don't think vBSEO's problems are 100% due to vB, but at least partially I would say.

 

I agree with Joeychgo and Scott. Many people have posted genuine constructive complaints about some of the issues that bedevil VB and ultimately IB. Ranging from hiring unethical support members to the arrogance of the support staff when answering their members and customers.

It is rather silly to delete and ban customers when most of the time they are genuinely offering their comments, on what needs to be fixed to assist VB. As has been said before some people have long memories. And banning and sarcastic comments are not easily forgotten.

Then there is the issues regarding what is perceived to be the launch prematurely of VB5, that is clearly one of their biggest mistakes.

As I see it, Scott has a perfect right to comment on both his previous experience when with VB and his valid thoughts and concerns about VB and its issues as he sees fit. He is I believe over 21 so is his own man.

He obviously has a lot of knowledge about Vb and maybe this is what is making some current employees of Vb so afraid of the truth emerging, as it will.
It makes no difference what anyone says or twists things, the facts cannot be altered and will come to light. The quite obvious propaganda that has come from the VB guys is laughable at best.

One of the biggest failings when anyone is banned or pushed as the case may be, is that they then in all fairness are free to state their side of things. It is not unexpected for them to do so.

 

I think it's "half and half" really. You can argue the way vBulletin has gone since Internet Brands took over has not helped vBSEO out. I wouldn't argue that to some degree. But still think vBSEO success lied mainly in the fact vB3 had no SEO features and after vB4 came along with them, things was always going to start declining for vBSEO sales after that. And that has nothing to do with how vB4 was accepted by people, it's simply a case that more people would start feeling vBSEO wasn't needed as much anymore after vB4 came along with it's own built-in SEO.

You can argue both sides on that one, but wouldn't put blame squarely on Internet Brands. Not unless your going to blame them for adding SEO features in vB4 and making vB3 EOL, which then lead to a decline of vBSEO sales. You have to put some blame on vBSEO for not seeing this coming sooner or later with a new version of vBulletin after the vB3 branch.

 

No, the problem with vB and how it affects third party developers (IMO) is that for a number of reasons, admins are either moving away from vB to other software or haven't upgraded at all from 3.x. The customer base seems to have lost confidence in vB. vB management has been seemingly unwilling to listen to and take care of its customers, so they are leaving. Hard to sell a license for a skin or third party mod for vB when people are moving off vB.

 

This is looking more and more like a witch hunt.
There are now sites all over the internet reporting vBSEO is suspending operations.
The only evidence of that is the word of a disgruntled former officer of Crawlability, Inc.
The vBSEO.com site is still alive and well.
So, the only two conclusions people can draw are:
A) vBSEO is not suspending operations. This is simply an attempt to damage the brand.
B) vBSEO is suspending operations. Juan is within his legal rights to do so.

There's an underlying set of facts here which cannot be ignored.
Four years is not four months or four weeks.
Claims of legal damages are subject to a statute of limitations.
The statute of limitations for such legal claims has expired.
Therefore, the only option is a smear campaign.
This has damaged the brand as much as anything else ever did.

There are also any number of other elements that simply don't add up.
If Andres is still working is it safe to assume Andres is still collecting a paycheck?
If Juan is suspending operations then Juan needs to announce as much.
Unless or until this looks like nothing more than a brand / character assassination.

The brand / product cannot be fixed by simply transferring ownership.
The core product is written on outdated code.
Compatibility is already an issue. Many customers require a hack to even use the product.
There will be major changes to the core vBulletin software upon which vBSEO is dependent.
vB5.x, the new flagship product, is written on an entirely different architecture.
There is no viable market for a product designed for vB 3.x and 4.x.

As someone who last used vBSEO years ago, and found it to be a detriment to a new forum. I have no personal interest in this and I refuse to take one. vBSEO lost me as a customer when it did nothing for the site upon which I tested it. But anyone who stops taking everything being posted here at face value will realize this. Either the claimed intention is to do right by current vBulletin customers OR it is to create a new product for customers of other platforms. It can't be both. It makes no sense for vBulletin vBSEO customers to support a plan to develop a product for other platforms. It makes no sense for customers of other platforms to care about a product designed for vBulletin 3.x or 4.x. There is no profit in doing right by customers who no longer pay. Ask Internet Brands. So, which is it? The current customers who got screwed? The potential new customer base? Or is this just a cock and bull story?

 

This is between herself and her brother, don't see how discussing it here, or even getting support from other members is going to help her cause gaining control over vBSEO. So what's the point of all this?

 

I think the point is just to bring exposure to the whole deal.
No one has had any updates on vbseo in years and I know I have many clients that still use it, most we've removed it, but several still have it installed. They would all be very interested to know that vbseo may be closing down soon.

 

And what the implications of closing down would be for current licensed customers. For example, I believe there is a "talkback" function in vBSEO (something of the sort was identified as a security vulnerability a while back). Now if vBSEO shuts down and that function along with it, will vBSEO continue to function or will it fail, thereby requiring removal and scripts ro redirect the vBSEO URLs?

 

Man I take a few days off to take a vacation and look what I come back to.

Many I am glad I removed vbSEO last year.

 

Hi Ilia,

How will this impact our existing settings, URL structures and our data moving forward? Overall, what are the implications of this news?

Thanks.

 

Yes, I don't think we can use the word "elegant" either. We're down to searching for the best way to handle the worst case scenario, or failing gracefully. Thank you for the good wishes.

 

This only fires when you save a new key. As long as you don't do that, there shouldn't be any issues.

 

Agree. A decreasing market size (vB powered forums) definitely means decreasing sales for vBSEO.

 

Absolutely. vBSEO would have had a much harder time getting established if we had started when vB4 was out.

We still provide value over vB4, but it would have been harder for people to understand the need.

We always saw the threat to vBSEO, from the very beginning. We never adapted or did anything about it, because the team was off doing unrelated projects.

 

Perhaps that's because, as an attorney, I know this is absolutely the wrong manner in which to go about this.
The only reason to make a public spectacle of the situation is because there is no legal recourse.

 

Incorrect. I'm actually a "disgruntled" current owner and former officer. However, I posted for you the message from the current CEO acknowledging what I have shared with you.

It's online, including the payment page, a big part of the issue I have right now.

We cannot let people buy a product from a company that knows it has no intention of continuing.

Completely flawed logic in every way.

You would think, yes.

It has a chance to be fixed if transferred to someone that wants to actively work on it.
It has no chance to be fixed if left with a team that doesn't want anything to do with it.
If it's failing, it still needs to be transitioned and customers need to be informed.

Read more carefully please, or search this thread for the word "options". The claimed intention is to do "something" with the #1 goal being letting customers know the true status of the company now.

You are suggesting there's no profit in informing customers of you intentions to close a company, so don't do it?

All customers need to be notified. No new customers should be accepted.

See screen captures for verification of the "cock and bull story".

 

#1 goal is to inform customers of the true status of the company and this forum has provided a way to do so.

I've promised transparency, and you'll see that I'm responding to your questions and feedback. When asked, I answer.

Behind the scenes stuff has never resulted in any cooperation and customers were NOT being informed of the status.

 

It was referred to as a "callback" or "phone home" function. It was to verify licenses.

If I recall correctly, we changed the code so that when our servers were offline for any reason it would not disrupt our customers.

I need definitive confirmation, preferably from Oleg, to know for sure.

These are precisely the type of issues that we need to address.