Listen - I absolutely have to weigh in here.
First off to everyone - I think its time to take a deep breath and relax. Both our loyal users, staff and interns alike - we're arguing ourselves in a circle here and need to take a time out. Summer is ending, but winter is too far away... everyone is grumpy and picking apart absolutely everything they possibly can.
The new logo is good. I know that there are people that don't like it as much as the classic one, but as the new designs roll out and you begin to see it on posters I think you'll understand why we did it.
Maybe not - maybe those who hate will always hate. Hah... I still hate 1080s and double flips... I wish style would have caught on but I gave up on that argument a long time ago. :)
Here's what I would love - lets calm down on the hate of the new logo for a couple of months. We're keeping the old logo around as "classic" so those of you who like it can keep on liking it. Once we've got all instances of the new logo implemented we'll do some polling and see what everyone says.
Now to address the post quoted here -
"Get some balls and start doing work" is a comment I take quite a dear bit of offense to. However, I do understand why you say it so I will fairly address it.
Basically the largest problem is the difference between the public's understanding of our business and the bigger picture happening behind the scenes. Believe me, what you're looking at from your computer is much different than what is happening in the long term plans. Think of it like a ski company... the stuff that you saw in the photos from SIA last year (which you can't even get your hands on until this season) was in the works for close to 2 years before last years SIA.
NS is absolutely like that - we've got plans that extend way past our current situation. There are things in the works on NS that are way bigger than having a T-shirt brand. I mean thats cool, but in absolutely no way our core business. Its a tiny fraction of what we do here... currently the revenue from the T-shirts makes up less than 10% of the total revenue of the site. Not tiny, but its by no means a good idea for us to waste our time turning it into a global clothing brand. We want entrepreneurs out there to start their own clothing brands, and make Newschoolers clothes just something that gives people a chance to rock the site's logo.
In terms of the idea of getting the "balls" to get a bank loan - dude... Our parent company is the exclusive provider of action sports content to Yahoo. Bank loans are for small-time entrepreneurs looking to get started. We're WAY past that.
Sure sometimes we pass on certain opportunities, but never think that its because we don't have balls, or don't know real work. Its that there is as larger plan in action, and not everything that seems like a good plan to the general public fits with what we're doing.
In terms of your suggestion of "hire out a few SOLID professional digital art grad students" well we've done that. The new logo is just one part of it - there is a ton more coming down the pipe from us taking that action last year. We're trying to do it right this time, instead of other years where NS has been thrown together and pushed out the door before its ready.
"I feel like Bishop is a money hungry individual looking to make this website and the huge number of people subscribed and part of it, into a profitable entity. So far the merchandise put out by this company has been sub par in my opinion."
Believe me, if I was a money hungry individual I wouldn't be working here. What I am is someone who wants to see the future of Newschoolers being bright and Solid. Remember Freeze magazine? Well... they sure aren't around anymore. I'm making sure to build this site into something that will never go away, and something like that requires stable business behind it. I want to make a living along the way sure - I want to have a family and a life. I can't just ski forever and be broke all the time... life don't work like that.
As for the merchandise quality - you're absolutely right that its not the best stuff in the world. By no means does it compare to Voleurz, Jibberish or any high-end company like that. The idea with that stuff is to be solid quality simple shirts (remember we use all Pro-Club tall T's) with ultra simple logos on them. Our shirts are extremely cheap to buy... when was the last time you could go out and get a logo shirt for under $20? There's not a lot of them.
Also remember that focusing on the clothing takes away major amounts of time from our core business, which is that of the website, its features, the community and the advertisers that support it all. So the clothing is simple because that is what the business needs at this juncture. When it grows, we will grow with it at a slow methodical and controlled pace.
All in all - I can totally understand why some of the stuff we do seems like its off base. However, always know that no matter what its part of a larger plan. I also ALWAYS want you guys to give your feedback on what it is that we're doing here. We listen to all of it and integrate every single thing you say into our plans.
Just do your best to trust us - and above all trust me. I have nothing but love for this site, and have been doing everything I can for years to grow it into what it needs to be.
I've taken massive personal sacrifices just to make sure that this site stays in a strong position, and continues to grow and flourish... just like it has been and will continue to do for years to come.
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