February 6th: It saddens me to do this. I registered MPG one year and 5 days ago and now I am stepping down as owner. Although my name will not be under the WhoIs query of our server, day-to-day operations will continue to be managed by me. On Februrary 21st, I will start a new job with our favorite company (hint: their stock is climbing over $80) and under NDA (non disclosure agreement) having a journalistic site about a company I work for makes me at risk for releasing trade secrets, insider info and other knowledge. I won't know anything more than I do today about them but that is how it has to be to keep my job. As a precaution, it was needed to sign MPG over but I could continue with behind the scenes work and continue in an editorial complex.
The new Owner is Adam Barber. He has been my lead PHP and backend developer since March of 2004 and is the only person I know that will not muscle me out of the site's operations. He has show me great responsibility and displays knowledge and respect enough to handle this properly and I trust he will continue to take care of things on the technical side.
In an E-mail, I outlined some legal things to a friend and although it is written poorly, it gives everyone an idea of what I can and can't do:
I cannot discuss related products or subsidiaries of said company. I cannot work for someone or be affiliated with someone in an editorial complex "publicly" (meaning they know and their readers know that I work for this company) if the said publication / message board posts info about
this company and its trade secrets (I.e. rumors).
I can, however be involved in the business management area of my website or future ventures and draw an income from this as long as they only post simple news of the company's announcements and no reviews / opinion articles. However, my writers can post reveiews / opinions but not rumors as long as my name is not on the ownership listed of said venture. meaning I can run the business aspect, post reviews / articlews about third party things as llong as m name is not on MPG's owner's list . I can post info on Macintosh OS and related info.
I have taken action to end all ties with Macdirectory, macaddict and machome as of today. I will also be removing myself of different district, com themacmind.com and apple-x. I will keep ties with my site, Mypersonalgetaway.com and isinta.com.
finally, MPG and affiliates is being turned over to lead developer, Adam Barber. he has been with MPG since february of 2004 and continues to make improvemens to the backend and design of the site. He has exhibited trustworthinness and will remain out of day-to-day operations of my site except for his current job description. we are currentmly making a contract to handover ownership to himn as long as I can get the site back when ready and who knows how long that will be. Adam takes over in 2 weeks, just as I start my new job. you can contact him through me if you have any more questions.
That sums it up. Sorry I cannot say what job I am doing publicly.