HRM Today, which has been up for auction on eBay the past week or so, has sold for $4,075, according to a Web archive.
The winner, however, will remain secret for awhile, as the auction was private. Site cofounder Laurie Ruettimann is biding her time in announcing the winner. From the site:
“HRM Today has some new owners, and they are … well, we’re not quite ready to tell you. That just wouldn’t be any fun. But what we will say is that HRM Today will continue to be “the social network for today’s HR professional.” While we have a vision for improvements or enhancements (well, a few thoughts, at least), HRM Today will continue to provide a community to blog, interact, network and contribute. As always, there will be a personal touch.”
The site claims nearly 1,300 members. If you’re scoring from home, that comes out to about $3.85 per member. Not bad, and Jason Davis of Recruiting Blogs is likely smiling somewhere (or maybe not … depending on how the Loonie fairs against the dollar, I guess), but it’s certainly not Facebook money.
A breakdown of possible traffic metrics gives some insight into the sale as well.
In a recent post, longtime pundit John Sumser said, “The sale of HRMToday.com is going to set a number of precedents. Using eBay as the sales front creates a public and measurable benchmark. Any community valuations in the future are going to be tied to the results of this transaction. If the number is low enough, the effect will be to chill any community investment for a long time.”
The formal announcement should shed some light on how the folks at HRM Today feel about the final selling price, as should the commentary that’s sure to follow. That said, a price point under $5,000 is unlikely to spur a tsunami of new industry communities … at least not till the economy turns.
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