It's been days now since Ziprunner Inc. announced that they have acquired full control of Entrecard Inc. from Graham Langdom. The takeover of the new management was very sudden considering that Graham and his team were still trying to develop new systems that will help increase community participation among its members.
Also, there were no signs whatsoever that Graham is moving towards this direction when he was taking action against the bounce rate that Entrecard is causing. Graham even posted a thread, "Entrecard gearing up for phase II", where he discussed Entrecard's plan to revitalized the declining participation of members. Then, all of a sudden BAM! Andrew Te's ZipRunner has taken control of the management.
Te has retained Graham as an adviser and Richard Clark (phirate) as part of the management team. Te knows full well the ability of both these people since he was a former member of the Board of Entrecard. However, it is still not clear at this time to many bloggers what is the business background of Ziprunner or how did they came about as an investment company.
The sudden disinterest of Graham to run Entrecard also created a lot of buzz and speculations on what really happened. One of the most talked about in several blogs is the alleged inability of Graham to repay the US$ 112,000.00 that he owned to Te. Another story revolves around Graham's disappointment with the way several bloggers are protesting against the paid ECs. Not only are these groups very vocal about their non-participation in the program, but they are also influencing a big number of bloggers to add "No Paid EC Ads" on their widgets.
Whatever the real reasons are, Entrecard members are hoping that everything will turn out well. The plans of Ziprunner may not be clear at this time, but they seemed sincere in helping bloggers develop their potential. The official statement from the company reads as follows:
Also, there were no signs whatsoever that Graham is moving towards this direction when he was taking action against the bounce rate that Entrecard is causing. Graham even posted a thread, "Entrecard gearing up for phase II", where he discussed Entrecard's plan to revitalized the declining participation of members. Then, all of a sudden BAM! Andrew Te's ZipRunner has taken control of the management.
Te has retained Graham as an adviser and Richard Clark (phirate) as part of the management team. Te knows full well the ability of both these people since he was a former member of the Board of Entrecard. However, it is still not clear at this time to many bloggers what is the business background of Ziprunner or how did they came about as an investment company.
The sudden disinterest of Graham to run Entrecard also created a lot of buzz and speculations on what really happened. One of the most talked about in several blogs is the alleged inability of Graham to repay the US$ 112,000.00 that he owned to Te. Another story revolves around Graham's disappointment with the way several bloggers are protesting against the paid ECs. Not only are these groups very vocal about their non-participation in the program, but they are also influencing a big number of bloggers to add "No Paid EC Ads" on their widgets.
Whatever the real reasons are, Entrecard members are hoping that everything will turn out well. The plans of Ziprunner may not be clear at this time, but they seemed sincere in helping bloggers develop their potential. The official statement from the company reads as follows:
"Hi everyone,
I would like to write on behalf of ZipRunner, Inc. to express our excitement about the future of Entrecard. As an angel investor, I saw the potential in Entrecard a couple years ago. I immediately recognized its uniqueness, its networking capabilities and its diverse user base, and became a board member of Entrecard when the company was 6 months old. I truly believe Entrecard is the best networking platform for the blogging community and will continue to be a lead provider of blogging services for years to come.
Before I can begin to discuss the future of Entrecard, I would like to first express our gratitude to Graham Langdon, Founder of Entrecard. Graham has done an excellent job managing Entrecard to where it is today. It will be our duty to continue keeping users posted about changes to Entrecard and to continue providing Entrecard users with new services that will increase traffic to blogs.
I understand that there are many questions about the recent acquisition of Entrecard by ZipRunner. ZipRunner is an investment company with many years of experience with Internet companies. We intend to have a smooth transition and will continue to provide essential services such as dropping cards, earning credits and allowing bloggers to network. We believe that these services are what make Entrecard special. In addition, Entrecard will continue to have Richard Clark (phirate), Entrecard’s founding developer, on its management team.
Furthermore, ZipRunner is prepared to take Entrecard to the next level. We have carefully read blog comments and the help desk to gain a better understanding of users’ concerns. We value our Entrecard users and we intend to address your comments and to provide you with the best blogging service possible.
In closing, I would like to reiterate that ZipRunner is looking forward to working with Entrecard users and improving Entrecard services. I only ask that you give us a chance and your patience. Look for great things to follow in the coming weeks, and months.
Andrew Te
ZipRunner Inc.
CEO"
I am an Entrecard member and I understand the 'paid ad' issue. On one hand, it seemed a great idea to bring in some money, without it, how would Entrecard be profitable to its owners, and how would credits ever be cashed out? On the flip side, there will always be a vocal minority on any issue. An option to not carry paid ads should just come with the choice to use credits for ads but never cash out. Just my opinion.
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