TexasPhotoForum.com is transitioning to Pixtus.com

[Abel]

TexasPhotoForum Is Now Pixtus.com

What will be the new name?

The new name that’s been decided on is Pixtus.com. Pronounced as "Pix-Tus"

A friend of mine and I spent many months brainstorming on domain names and listing them out only to find that 99% of the names we came up with were taken. DOH! I certainly did not want to have the word “forum” in the domain as we do now since I plan to make the site much more than just a forum based website ie. articles, reviews, videos, contests etc. I needed a domain that’s generic, short as possible, 1 or 2 syllables, and easy to say and associate us with. Since 99% of the names we came up with were taken we knew we had to create or just make up our own word/name to be used as a domain.

PIXTUS wasn’t my favorite when it was first mentioned but as more time went on and the more I said it I really liked it and felt confident that PIXTUS will be our new domain name.


Was TPF sold?

No, TPF has NOT been sold... I still own TPF and plan to do so for quite some time. =)


Why do I want to change?

This is something I’ve thought long and hard about for the past couple of years and I have always turned down the idea only to have it resurface some months later. One of the main reasons I chose not to make the switch before now is because of our local store sponsors... All 3 of them dropped TPF sponsorships because of the addition of the TPF Amazon Store so now that main reasoning is no longer applicable. I am now free to make the change...

I as an admin base my “success” of TPF in member numbers, in daily online activity, in daily traffic. I always want to get bigger and to grow the site. Sure there are other photo forums out there that aren’t regionally specific and I know it will take much more effort for us to set us apart from them. I have many plans in place to try and make that happen.


Why drop the regional format?

Well, if you really think about it, the entire site is photography related and very universal with the exception of the Texas Section. That section will still remain for Texas based members and will not be going away. So the only thing about TPF that is regional is the small Texas section and the domain name. We still have a ton of members registered that are from out of state…

Advertising, many sponsors turn us down in regards to sponsorships because we ARE regional. Its very weird because most sponsors are willing to sponsor other forums with half as many members, half as much traffic, for more money per month simply because they are national and NOT regional. It makes no sense to me whatsoever. I’ve spoke to many other forum admins and even forum consultants and the one thing at the top of their list that is a negative about our site is that it is regional.

I have several ideas and plans on the back burner in order to recruit more members from across the country. There’s a few options and techniques that I’ve found in order to really promote our site to the millions of people out there that own cameras. I just find it weird that other forums haven’t tapped into that are yet and I definitely plan to…


What else will change immediately?

I also admin CaliforniaPhotoForum.com and I just have not been able to spend the time on that site in order to keep it updated and maintained so its been VERY neglected over the past year or so. This is another reason as to why I want to migrate to a new name and format. Their 3,000+ members and site content will be merged into TPF which will then be moved over to Pixtus.com. Like the Texas section, their California section will also remain on the site for those members to utilize. I am still in the process of coming up with a way to keep those on the site and readily available for members.

The overall forum style/layout will remain the same… a designer has already been hired and has been working up new logo designs for PIXTUS using the current color scheme. In time, the entire style may change over to something else but for now we will stick with the current one since there is so much custom coding already integrated into this style.


Why now?

I’ve been kicking this idea around for the past 6 months or so and have been very hesitant in making the change since I really want to get all of my ducks in a row prior to doing it. Now that I've gotten everything lined up and prepped to make the transition nows the best time in my opinion


When will this transition take place?

The forum will be down for this transition on Saturday & Sunday of this upcoming weekend (May 28th & 29th). This is a very big transition on the back end server side with the domain name change and integration of CPF. So we are looking at 2 days just to be on the safe side. If nothing major arises it might be completed in just a day but we're giving notice of 2 days just in case. Ya never know what issues may pop up.


My thoughts

I am 100% committed to this progression and failure is NOT an option for me. PIXTUS will be a major photography forum to contend with.

In general, all that’s really changing is the domain when it comes right down to it. Anyone in the nation can register for the site much like they do now, their Texas section will still be available, all of the photography sections will remain… its just that the site will have another name and a broader base of photographers to pool from. More photographers equals more content which is always a major plus.


In closing

As I have mentioned, this is an idea that has been thoroughly thought over for the past couple of years and never really seemed like the thing to do at the time. The given circumstances within the past 6 months have really made this upgrade/change a much more viable option. Now is the best time to do it.

I really hope I have your support in this decision as it was not an easy one to make. I completely understand that some may have issues/questions in regards to the decision. You’re very welcome to share your thoughts and/or questions here in this thread and I'll answer them as well.

Thanks for your time guys…

I am very excited to see where PIXTUS will be by the end of the year… It's an exciting time!

[PhotoByLeal]

Congrats Abel!

[Sonny]

[J Eddington]

Well, well, well. :) (That was always what my Grandmother would say when we gave her big news.) Now I think I understand, it gave her a minute to think about the whole deal before responding.

First Congratulations.

It will take me a LONG time to get use to the new name. That new word is hard to get out of my mouth!

So now I have to plan something to do next weekend since TPF will be down!

[Sonny]

Originally Posted by J Eddington

It will take me a LONG time to get use to the new name. That new word is hard to get out of my mouth!

It will be like The Summit and Transco Tower. I refused to call those places by their newer names.

[Abel]

Originally Posted by Sonny

It will be like The Summit and Transco Tower. I refused to call those places by their newer names.

now THAT is hilarious... I still call it The Summit...

[auddii]

Congrats! I'm looking forward to all the new expertise that I will be exposed to.

I've noticed that you've been less active on the forum lately. I guess you've been busy (and perhaps you are allowed to have a life outside of the forum...)

[Abel]

Originally Posted by auddii

Congrats! I'm looking forward to all the new expertise that I will be exposed to.

I've noticed that you've been less active on the forum lately. I guess you've been busy (and perhaps you are allowed to have a life outside of the forum...)

Audrey, I've spent the last 10 days touring the east coast with my favorite rock band. It was a blast!

[mdparthum]

The name sounds like a cough syrup! LOL! Anyway, I will support the move and congrats on making things better for us!

[Abel]

Grape Flavored. =)

[mdparthum]

Mmmmmm! Grape! Or the new improved Cherry with decongestion formula.

[r0xikat]

sad, but glad I got to know the TPF kids before the transition. perhaps the Texas section will be password protected

[Abel]

Originally Posted by r0xikat

sad, but glad I got to know the TPF kids before the transition. perhaps the Texas section will be password protected

Nah... No need to password protect... Its not password protected now and its viewable to all members and unregistered guests just browsing the forum.

[Some Idiot]

great news !!!

It will be interesting to see the mix of California minds and Texas minds :)

[HeatherLou]

The one thing in life you can always count on....is change!

TPF is home for many of us, so this move means we are getting a bigger house! Can I have my own room, or better yet, a dungeon?