AMA with Helmuts, founder of HostMaria, London Domain Summit, $Maria Coin, & owner of DNForum, Acorn

[Helmuts]

Hi Helmuts,

Would you still have acquired Acorn if the opportunity to buy DNF presented itself first?

Also, have you considered merging the 2 forums?

Cheers,

DJ

1000000% I am an absolute Acorn fanboy .. DNF is very cool and important, of course - it is more corporate/long-term. Acorn is a family, isn't it?

And, today, Acorn is much more important to the success of the Summit.. also, posed a possible risk, that (if the owner had a grunch against me) > they could take down the Summit.. DNForum can't do this, and the proof is that my account is restricted at Namepros and I almost can't post ANYTHING there (even can't put a simple Like) - no negative effects on the Summit.

does this help? .. UK DN pros (investors and companies) + Acorn + Summit = strong and growing UK dn scene

 

[Kaleido]

Why are you tacitly tolerating homophobic abuse on Ac*rn by appeasing and failing to ban an offending member?

Why are you consistently closing or deleting threads to shut down what you perceive to be contentious conversations?

How long do you think Ac*rn will remain credible and viable when valued and long standing members are leaving due to administrative decisions?

 

[Helmuts]

Why are you tacitly tolerating homophobic abuse on Ac*rn by appeasing and failing to ban an offending member?

Why are you consistently closing or deleting threads to shut down what you perceive to be contentious conversations?

How long do you think Ac*rn will remain credible and viable when valued and long standing members are leaving due to administrative decisions?

Good afternoon,

1) We have zero-tolerance policy for harassment and discrimination of any kind. I took the scene off the public stage and we are having a civilised personal chat. Nobody benefits from it, and, of course, I can't discuss specific situations publicly. Is this ok with you?

2) Constantly? Isn't this an overstatement. Most conversations are removed by the posters themselves, then occasional spam by our admins and moderators.
Acorn's goal is to provide space open and productive discussions. Yes, we may close or remove threads that become excessively negative, off-topic, or violate our simple Acorn rules. It is all about the balance between allowing open conversation and maintaining a professional environment.

3) Acorn is under control, and even more credible as before. Some members have left and some re-joined. Circle of digital life.
+ now we have meetups (you are also invited to attend these), Domain Summit and and a positive relationship with Nominet all contribute to professional UK domain name community.

We agree, Acorn is a professional community. We exist to serve the UK domain name industry and foster connections between like-minded individuals.

I appreciate your participation in the AMA and hope this clarifies our and my position.

Helmuts
proud Acorn member and holder of the bastion

p.s. For daily management questions, please reach out to @Admin. Felix plays a vital role in maintaining the community.

 

[RB5]

Are there any plans to update the rules of the forum to reflect how the forum is used, for example bumping sales threads, the number of domains in a single thread etc

Is there any reason why the limited company is not disclosed anywhere, such as the terms, privacy policy or footer as it should be: https://www.gov.uk/running-a-limited-company/signs-stationery-and-promotional-material (I know it was mentioned in the original press release but it's not clear for new users).

 

[Helmuts]

Are there any plans to update the rules of the forum to reflect how the forum is used, for example bumping sales threads, the number of domains in a single thread etc

Is there any reason why the limited company is not disclosed anywhere, such as the terms, privacy policy or footer as it should be: https://www.gov.uk/running-a-limited-company/signs-stationery-and-promotional-material (I know it was mentioned in the original press release but it's not clear for new users).

Good morning,

1000% Yes!! The rules need to be updated ASAP, and it is on my list.

Currently the list of top 3 tasks (sorted in urgency):
1) Replacing Felix with a new Admin >> the process has started this morning, and should be complete by the end of the month.
2) Updating the Rules
3) Standartization of both forums Acorn Domains and DNF (similar plugins, integrations, identical solutions for external services > for example, dns, smt servers etc).

.. and then next few:
4) Starting work on SEO - currently below accepted standards.
5) Integrating even more Domain News sources to be published (done via rss feeds)
6) Delivering the message to those users who still can't accept that Acorn now is a moderated platform (I am not going anywhere) and that the forum is becoming even more friendly to new users. What upsets me the most > reading occasional comment/private message that this is a toxic place, and some members openly say that we (and me personally) encourage toxic behaviour. I am a peace loving person, and still, not afraid to stand for Acorn, my employees, admins/mods and myself.
7) Onboarding more industry brands as members of Acorn Domains (for example, @SitePlug is one of the new global industry brands here), and selling part of them premium memberships.

.. there is more coming.. for example, I have started talks with Sedo on getting their .co.uk sales data - not sure yet how this will go. And more .. not emough time for everything

how is your mix.co.uk doing? .. are you planning to attend the July meetup?

Best! Helmuts

 

[dee]

Well that was taken down quickly !

 

[Helmuts]

Well that was taken down quickly !

yes

 

[Nigel]

I'd like to see the focus stay on the .uk market. Personally I find the forum a little cluttered these days - often with a lot of feeds, posts and ads that are not uk domain related. I like simplicity and the forum of 5 years ago was imo much easier on the eye. I do realise that simplicity may not produce the same income but feel it is important to get the balance right. The .uk marketplace needs a lift - and we need to attract new investors. There are opportunities, and we're seeing some of the .uk domains we have sold being developed by end users. It wouldn't take much to lift the market and hopefully acorn will be part of that.

 

[Whois-Search]

1) Replacing Felix with a new Admin >> the process has started this morning, and should be complete by the end of the month.

Where did Felix go? I was just getting used to his ‘zero-tolerance’ approach…

Delivering the message to those users who still can't accept that Acorn now is a moderated platform (I am not going anywhere) and that the forum is becoming even more friendly to new users.

While that is your prerogative as the forum owner. I would remember you don’t own the software or the active users.

What upsets me the most > reading occasional comment/private message

You read private messages?

 

[Helmuts]

I'd like to see the focus stay on the .uk market. Personally I find the forum a little cluttered these days - often with a lot of feeds, posts and ads that are not uk domain related. I like simplicity and the forum of 5 years ago was imo much easier on the eye. I do realise that simplicity may not produce the same income but feel it is important to get the balance right. The .uk marketplace needs a lift - and we need to attract new investors. There are opportunities, and we're seeing some of the .uk domains we have sold being developed by end users. It wouldn't take much to lift the market and hopefully acorn will be part of that.

hummm.. Thank you for productive comment. It made me see our processes from a different perspective. It makes sense. Noted. Thank you.

--

Where did Felix go?

Felix has almost finished his work here. I am bringing in a different admin. Reasons = various.

I wish somebody has told him a simple "thank you" for all the work he has been doing here + trying to promote content of most Acorn users on our social networks. Well, Ryan did.

You read private messages?

Yes, I do.

---

It seems there are no more genuine questions meant with good intentions.

 

[Helmuts]

A user account has recently been removed for violating our community guidelines on respectful behavior. We take a strong stance against toxic behavior and will not tolerate users who harass, insult, or disrupt our community.

We encourage all users to be respectful and friendly towards each other. This is a forum for buying, selling, and discussing domains, and we want to maintain a positive and productive environment for everyone.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the forum administrator team via Contact Us form: https://www.acorndomains.co.uk/misc/contact

Thank you,
Helmuts and Acorn Domains Admin team

 

[dee]

A user account has recently been removed for violating our community guidelines on respectful behavior.

Think we know who it was, but what did they get banned for ? Was it on this thread?

 

[Whois-Search]

I’m just checking im still here…

 

[Helmuts]

Think we know who it was, but what did they get banned for ? Was it on this thread?

Hi Dee, let us move on, buddy Have a great evening.

--

@Nigel thank you one more time for your comment. I will re-read it tomorrow. Please let me know if you have any actionable ideas. Thank you.

 

[Helmuts]

I’m just checking im still here…

Ahh, cmon, Andrew Have a great evening!

 

[dee]

Hi Dee, let us move on, buddy Have a great evening.

I think it was a valid question. Fair enough if there was a genuine reason, but they were just asking questions on this thread as far as i saw . Maybe it was something else ?

 

[boxerdog]

I thought he simply asked Helmuts if he read members private messages or am I wrong?

 

[dee]

I thought he simply asked Helmuts if he read members private messages or am I wrong?

Thats why i'm asking... was a valid question as far as i saw reading the thread. And was certainly in context having read a previous answer

 

[Helmuts]

I thought he simply asked Helmuts if he read members private messages or am I wrong?

No, I don't. Why should I? ... I don't have enough time to contact all the last years attendees of the Domain Summit (running out of hours.. literarly, quite often working from 5AM). Crazy assumption

 

[Helmuts]

Can we please return to a positive note? Thank you.