I would be entirely in favor of that approach, except for the fear that Rocky would corrupt Rachid.
See you got your affiliate agreement Charleston. Nice work.
I don't really care what the platform is, I just want it to meet my needs and make revenue from it. I think the systems could probably work in a complementary fashion on some level.
Weblo excels as a platform for gaining traffic, or has in the past. It also has some useful social networking features, a geo-centric design, and is free of some of the limitations that a top level sight may have due to its design and usage of subdomains. The auction system needs a complete overhaul, but it does have a good ability to promote various sites that might otherwise go unseen due to its networked nature.
Noomle has obvious strengths, uses actual domains, has a template structure and is organized quite well. It is also at a much earlier, if more planned, stage of development.
An indirect integration drawing on the strengths of both platforms has tremendous potential. Unfortunately I have far more confidence in Rachids ethics, philosophy and team building skills than I do of Rocky's at this point in time. To give Rocky his due, he is a great promoter when properly motivated. He may also have severely mis-stepped despite good intentions and is probably distracted with multiple projects. Unfortunately this is often a fatal combination that tends to create the appearance of long on talk and short on action.
As far as the economy, I am not as optimistic as Hampton, but I feel the need to continue driving forward nonetheless. A few months and we will see where the chips will fall in that regard, I believe. I am also working actively to hedge my bets.
I think we all expected more out of weblo, possibly more than could be reasonably delivered. That said, there is a foundation if not the will to make it effective, that could eventually give rise to an excellent tool.
Weblo made the same mistake as the bankers, overextended and reached for too big a slice of the pie. The result will likely be the same. The world is built from the bottom up and not the top down. The sooner weblo and the rest of society realize that simple fact, the sooner progress will be made.
All that said, I can see benefits in a partnership.
If nothing else, Rocky should certainly be taking notes from Noomle and re-assessing his value system. Maybe he was in it for a quick buck, and maybe he just got in too deep, or figured it was a self-perpetuating system that didn't need to rely on its citizens. History has shown that lesson. The great empires of Rome, Germany, England, France, Portugal, Spain, USSR, and now perhaps the United states have been down that path. The story never changes, just the cast. Whether a microcosm like weblo, or an entire empire, the lessons are the same.
From the collapses of all civilizations, new ones emerge. Some are new entities, and others are hybrids of merging cultures. If the temptation to avoid corruption can be avoided, great things can emerge, at least for a time. Perhaps there is a a balance to be struck, but at this time the people have spoken and it is time for the leaders to make bold decisions and changes of course or be swept aside by the inevitable march forward of progress. A society which adapts survives, one which does not is quickly brushed aside into the ashes of history.
IMO its Rocky's move.