[-ASO- Frank]

You know, I am unsure if pricing will be retroactive or not, I'm hoping Doug will make his presence here soon (He's starting to get all his logins and things setup for our systems), in which cause I'm sure he'll be able to fill you in.

As far as I know, ASO is going to remain a separate entity from Hostgator, so I wouldn't expect much to change as far as that goes. As stated in the article, all the staff are still here, so you'll still get the top notch support you've come to expect.

For those of you who haven't heard:

http://techdrawl.com...ng-is-acquired/

[-ASO- Doug]

Hi there,

What Frank said is correct - HostGator did not acquire A Small Orange. ASO was acquired by the CEO of HostGator (Brent Oxley) personally. This distinction may seem minor, but it is important. For example, if HostGator were to be acquired HostGator, ASO would not be part of the deal.

To address your other concern, prices, product offerings, etc. won’t be changing in the next week or two. At the moment, we’re going to focus on getting things transitioned over and getting plans in place for those sort of changes to happen in the future.

When there is price change or a change in resource allocations, it will apply in favor of the current customers or stay the same. For example, if we increase resource allocations and price, then we’d give you the option of staying with your current plan at your current price or simply upgrading whenever you want to. If we just increased allocations, you’d benefit from that automatically. And you are welcome to upgrade/downgrade/etc. at any time like you usually would.

So you know, I’m in the process of leaving HostGator and will run ASO on a full time basis going forward. ASO will not be turned into a HostGator clone by any means. I am very interested in continuing to develop ASO as a high-end hosting company that prides itself on quality customer service.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. My email is my first name at asmallorange.com and I'd be happy to talk to you and answer any questions you might have.

Best,
Douglas Hanna

[IBBoard]

Wow. I can currently see four ASO staff looking at this topic

At first I wondered what the OP was talking about and whether they were confused. I hadn't seen anything about acquisitions and relationships to HostGator sound terrible. But all is good:

Quote

ASO will not be turned into a HostGator clone by any means. I am very interested in continuing to develop ASO as a high-end hosting company that prides itself on quality customer service.

I hope that's a promise HostGator seem to suck in a lot of newbies with over-inflated packages for below-reasonable prices and almost certainly with unfair conditions to stop you using it. I'm glad ASO is being kept as ASO and I can't wait to see what changes are made. Maybe something for the VPS as well?

[-ASO- Tim]

IBBoard, on 01 March 2010 - 02:35 PM, said:

Maybe something for the VPS as well?

A VPS revamp is most definitely in the cards. We want to be much more competitive on that front.

[v0id]

Quote

Tim' date='01 March 2010 - 08:39 PM' timestamp='1267475987' post='83799']

IBBoard, on 01 March 2010 - 02:35 PM, said:

Maybe something for the VPS as well?

A VPS revamp is most definitely in the cards. We want to be much more competitive on that front.

So how will this affect those of us who were here 'before ASO' and still on the perbill system on your site Tim?

[-ASO- Tim]

v0id, on 01 March 2010 - 05:19 PM, said:

So how will this affect those of us who were here 'before ASO' and still on the perbill system on your site Tim?

I'm getting you into Modernbill this month. You'll keep the plan you have right now, though.

[IBBoard]

Quote

Tim' date='01 March 2010 - 08:39 PM' timestamp='1267475987' post='83799']

IBBoard, on 01 March 2010 - 02:35 PM, said:

Maybe something for the VPS as well?

A VPS revamp is most definitely in the cards. We want to be much more competitive on that front.

Woot! Although I was hoping to switch to a CentOS 5 server around Easter, if there was any space, since I've got on-going problems with time skipping back 1s. Sods law means the changes will come after then

[Nepherim]

Congratulations Tim! Interested to know how/if these changes affect those with 'lifetime' accounts.

[-ASO- Doug]

Nepherim, on 03 March 2010 - 06:30 PM, said:

Congratulations Tim! Interested to know how/if these changes affect those with 'lifetime' accounts.

Any pre-existing customer relationships / contracts will of course be honored.

[NyteOwl]

I hope this doesn't mean I'll end up looking for a new host. ASO has been great the last four years but a previously bad experience with HostGator (not to mention their memebrship in the deceptive "unlimited bandwidth/diskspace" club) is making me uneasy over this news.

This post has been edited by NyteOwl: 08 March 2010 - 02:36 PM

[-ASO- Tim]

NyteOwl, on 08 March 2010 - 02:33 PM, said:

I hope this doesn't mean I'll end up looking for a new host. ASO has been great the last four years but a previously bad experience with HostGator (not to mention their memebrship in the deceptive "unlimited bandwidth/diskspace" club) is making me uneasy over this news.

Again, HostGator does not own ASO now. Only Brent Oxley does, so it is entirely separate from HG. It is staffed separately, it's managed separately, it is it's own entity entirely. Nothing decided on HG's end influences ASO and vice versa. Doug's taking over my position, but I'll be guiding him in the same direction that I was taking the company anyways. They want to keep things as-is, not break a working formula

[NyteOwl]

Quote

Tim' date='08 March 2010 - 06:26 PM' timestamp='1268087188' post='83874']
Again, HostGator does not own ASO now. Only Brent Oxley does, so it is entirely separate from HG. It is staffed separately, it's managed separately, it is it's own entity entirely. Nothing decided on HG's end influences ASO and vice versa. Doug's taking over my position, but I'll be guiding him in the same direction that I was taking the company anyways. They want to keep things as-is, not break a working formula

Not that I disbelieve you but while Hostgator as such isn't taking over ASO, its CEO *is* and their Customer Service manager is now ASO's CEO. These people have a had a distinct influence on how Hostgator operates/operated. I don't see why they would manage ASO any differently.

I'll just watch and wait. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised, but just in case I'll make some contingency plans. I'm the cautious type.

PS. on't know what happened with the quote

This post has been edited by NyteOwl: 08 March 2010 - 05:47 PM

[-ASO- Frank]

NyteOwl, on 08 March 2010 - 04:44 PM, said:

Quote

Tim' date='08 March 2010 - 06:26 PM' timestamp='1268087188' post='83874']
Again, HostGator does not own ASO now. Only Brent Oxley does, so it is entirely separate from HG. It is staffed separately, it's managed separately, it is it's own entity entirely. Nothing decided on HG's end influences ASO and vice versa. Doug's taking over my position, but I'll be guiding him in the same direction that I was taking the company anyways. They want to keep things as-is, not break a working formula

Not that I disbelieve you but while Hostgator as such isn't taking over ASO, its CEO *is* and their Customer Service manager is now ASO's CEO. These people have a had a distinct influence on how Hostgator operates/operated. I don't see why they would manage ASO any differently.

I'll just watch and wait. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised, but just in case I'll make some contingency plans. I'm the cautious type.

PS. on't know what happened with the quote

You have to remember that customer support isn't ran by management, its ran by the staff. The same people who have been helping you since day 1 are still here, so I do not expect much to change in that regard. On top of that, ASO and Hostgator are 2 completely different animals with different target markets, and are being treated as such with their management. They aren't going to just sweep in and replace us all with shell scripts and robots if thats what you're thinking

I'm confident that this will mean improvements in lacking area's for our existing customer base and further prosperity in the future.

[billzo]

NyteOwl, on 08 March 2010 - 04:44 PM, said:

I'll just watch and wait. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised, but just in case I'll make some contingency plans. I'm the cautious type.

I'm the cautious type, too, and am making contingency plans. Waiting and seeing is the best course of action because as of yet there is no need to fly off the deep end. I will say this, though: Host Gator represents everything I despise about web hosting. That's why I came to ASO and have been here for 3 years.

Money rules the world. Sometimes that's good, sometimes it's bad. I understand that web hosting is a business and do not fault the owner for selling out when money was waived in front of his face. However, from my few years in the corporate world during which I was an employee at a company that was acquired by another, I know that the easiest way to increase the value of the acquired firm is to slash costs by removing duplicate operations and employees. Nobody who buys a company is going to tell the employees being acquired that they are going to be out the door when the acquirer gets a feel for operations. Because they would leave right away. They are always duped and lied to and milked for all they are worth. Then they are tossed aside like garbage.

Running ASO and Host Gator as two separate companies will cost the new owner of ASO hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. Would any of you leave that much money on the table? I wouldn't.

Host Gator and ASO appeal to two separate markets. The people who are here at ASO are savvy enough to know that there is no such thing as "unlimited" disk space or data transfer. We are knowledgeable enough to know there will be a performance cost when your site is hosted on an overseller. Some of us have hosted sites with oversellers in the past and we know how horrible they are. We aren't dazzled by promises that cannot be fulfilled.

What the future holds remains to be seen. Imposing an overseller culture on us clients of ASO is not going to be a recipe for success. The reason we are here is because we rejected those outfits. I am hoping for the best.

[-ASO- Frank]

billzo, on 08 March 2010 - 11:54 PM, said:

Nobody who buys a company is going to tell the employees being acquired that they are going to be out the door when the acquirer gets a feel for operations. Because they would leave right away.

I'd rather be laid off so I can still collect my unemployment and severance package rather than quit

[-ASO- Doug]

I can’t (and wouldn’t) deny that my last job was at HostGator and that my experience working there and with Brent has influenced the way I think about web hosting and business in general, but I also think there are some important distinctions to be made.

The first and largest distinction is that HostGator and ASO have very different target markets and very different goals in mind. HostGator wants to be more mainstream and to do that, they have to participate in the space/bandwidth wars and offer lots of services and features for cheap. I want ASO to become a strong player in the higher end of the market and deliver top-notch solutions backed by top-noth customer service at what will likely be a premium price when compared to a company like HostGator. To do that, we don't need to participate in the space/bandwidth wars. Instead, we need to focus on service and quality product offerings. So, while ASO is pursuing that higher end of the market, HostGator is going to continue pursuing the lower to mid-range and the two companies will continue to to be separate and continue to do what they've each been successful at.

The metaphor I used to describe what I was looking for was this: HostGator is the Sheraton of web hosting. Not the cheapest brand, but not a not a particularly high end brand, either. With ASO, we’re looking for something in between the W and the Westin; in between cutting edge/hip and classic luxury/high end service. To provide that, ASO needs to continue to focus on customer service and delivering service with a personal touch to its customers. That’s not something I intend to change and it's something I hope to use my customer service background to help make happen.

In regards to what billzo said about removing what some consultants call “operational waste,” that’s not the plan. The plan is to keep ASO and HostGator completely separate. As Tim mentioned, Brent has acquired ASO independently of HostGator. The companies have no official links whatsoever and there are no plans to link or merge them in any way. There will never be a situation in which you email A Small Orange and someone employed by HostGator who is sitting in HostGator’s office in Houston responds to your email. Whoever responds to your email will be employed by A Small Orange and will have no ties to HostGator. We're keeping it that way for a number of reasons and there is no plan to change that.

Hopefully this post helps to clarify some of your concerns. If you have any other concerns or questions, just let me know. I'm more than happy to discuss them with anyone who is interested.

[IBBoard]

Quote

The metaphor I used to describe what I was looking for was this: HostGator is the Sheraton of web hosting. Not the cheapest brand, but not a not a particularly high end brand, either. With ASO, we’re looking for something in between the W and the Westin; in between cutting edge/hip and classic luxury/high end service.

Can I have that in English, please? I don't speak American brands

Also, just to swing the "paranoia about the takeover" to the other foot:

Quote

I want ASO to become a strong player in the higher end of the market and deliver top-notch solutions backed by top-noth customer service at what will likely be a premium price when compared to a company like HostGator.

I hope that doesn't mean that things are going to get more expensive. Earlier comments implied improved offerings (which have been the same for a while now), not price rises

[-ASO- Doug]

IBBoard, on 09 March 2010 - 03:12 PM, said:

Quote

The metaphor I used to describe what I was looking for was this: HostGator is the Sheraton of web hosting. Not the cheapest brand, but not a not a particularly high end brand, either. With ASO, we’re looking for something in between the W and the Westin; in between cutting edge/hip and classic luxury/high end service.

Can I have that in English, please? I don't speak American brands

Sure. Sheraton is a mid-range hotel brand, Westin is a luxury brand, and the W is a luxury/trendy brand.

Quote

I hope that doesn't mean that things are going to get more expensive. Earlier comments implied improved offerings (which have been the same for a while now), not price rises

We haven't figured out exactly what we're going to do with our product/service offerings just yet, but the plan is to increase what is offered for the money. I think the short term will consist of improving offerings (at the same price) and then if we develop new or additional products/services, tweaking those prices at that point. The short of that is prices will not be rising.