Before I get into this I just want to make one thing clear. This site, .club is not going anywhere. I will still continue to contribute to it regarding news, tutorials, Docker as well as some new materials. It will remain as it is today, free for everyone, with no strings attached.
So what's up with this blackvoid.tech then?
A while back I have been approached by a Synology GmbH employee in charge of the Balkan and Baltic region about potential cooperation. This would include writing articles in my native language (Croatian), focusing on the Synology products, apps, and services.
So pretty much the same thing that is happening here, except Docker and self-hosting, open-source solutions.
Considering that I have had .tech domain up and running for a while but didn't really use it, I have decided to activate it for this purpose, and run the same theme-based site there with locally written content.
What will happen with .club site?
If this cooperation holds on and bears fruit, it will be better regarding material, content, and maybe more frequent giveaways (free as always).
Will it remain content/subscription/ad free?
Yes, it will. The idea behind this particular site was always to share and help Syno users. This will NOT change. Also, ads, there will be no ads of any kind anywhere. I dislike them and those will not be part of .club site.
Does this mean that .tech will have subs and ads?
No. There will be no ads of any kind in the conventional sense. There might be some mentions of certain retailers in the Balkan and Baltic area, and the occasional link to a YT video. Subscriptions will also not be forced at all.
So what's .tech site all about then?
As I said before, it will be a site targeting and helping users in the Balkan and Baltic geographical areas in a written format. It will be occasionally sponsored by Synology GmbH, but when that happens (like an item review for example) I will state it in a full disclosure that will be ahead of any article text.
NOTE: Any article written there will NOT be influenced by Synology for any positive reviews (including the sponsored ones). My writing will remain unbiased and honest. That means if I think something needs fixing, or if it's great, I will write it as it is.
There you have it for now. I have to say that I am happy this is going ahead. It gives me joy to make content of this kind (for both domains), and there will be identical content at some point on both sites. It does mean I will have to write twice as much, but again, when you love doing something it's never a problem.
After 2,5y that .club has been running, I have got so much great feedback from all of you, great comments, and of course some nice donations.
I want to say big thanks to all of you (over 15k visitors per month on average) for giving me the courage and motivation to keep writing that eventually led to this new moment for Blackvoid.
Hopefully, this new milestone will lead to an even better experience for all of us, and maybe a proper giveaway in March for Blackvoid's 3rd anniversary ;).
Thank you all again for visiting the void!