It is a tough situation, Wayne. I think the word that best describes your feelings (as I understand them) is 'disenchanted.'
I took on a huge project of my own and while it wasn't running as long as Amiga.org, it cost me a year's wages (£30k) and exposed me to some difficult and dangerous conditions down in South Africa. I currently have the fruit of those efforts here on my desk: a 700 page manuscript to do with forensics and ballistics. I don't know what price tag I can put on it, but it is all my own work and content and it cannot be published (and I've become 'disenchanted' with trying to do so)
There are similarities here. We put in effort into a project or endeavour that we are intensely interested in, and it either doesn't develop into what we had hoped, or we ourselves change direction and realise that what we are working on isn't attractive any longer.
Where things differ, is the perceived value of that project. Why is Amiga.org worth $10k?
I may have this completely wrong, but in my opinion this board is made up of a static and dynamic component. The static component is who owns the website, its logo, format, database etc. The dynamic component is....well, it is US, the members. We are who made this site what it is, and we contribute and provide most of the site's material. You could even argue that we contribute financially to it by feeding the kitty (admittedly I haven't done this for some time, but I have indeed contributed in the past).
The members are the community, the denizens of this board and without them there is no Amiga.org. It doesn't matter whether they are in the sprout or the broccoli camp, they are as an entity a dynamic and invaluable component of what Amiga.org is.
But you can't sell that, or even put a price tag on it. You can't sell US.
It would be different if this was a company and we had all signed contracts, but we come and go as we please, contribute material and advice as we please. Therefore the $10k is for a website that has a definite static component that you own, and an indefinite dynamic component that you don't. A kind of dynamic 'going concern.'
It is by no means certain that the usefulness of the site (by virtue of its members' contributions) will remain the same, as there are no guarantees that members will stay, especially if the atmosphere changes or the way this site is run, changes.
I wish you the best of luck in getting the $10k and I do understand your reasons for asking for it, but I have to tell you that this is a labour of love. As I remarked in another thread about A4000T doors, 'an item is worth whatever a buyer is willing to pay for it.' You do however have to be prepared for the buyer who divorces the static and tangible component of the site from the dynamic component. Amiga.org is what it is because of several variables, not all of which are under your control and therefore can be sold.
I appreciate the work you have done in keeping this site up. I appreciate the work of the moderators (especially Karlos of late) and VERY IMPORTANTLY I appreciate the advice I have received over the years from my fellow Amigans.
My Amiga hasn't been used for quite a while and I have been considering selling it. These things happen, I understand why. Members come and go. I miss quite a few of them and many don't post much anymore.
It is fine to be disenchanted, it is fine to move on. The question of value is a more difficult one, and nobody will have an answer that everyone agrees with. All the best for the future.
That's my 2p.
