Saturday, August 2, 2014

UNHAPPY AGAIN....!!!!

I CANNOT believe this......the APP Forum is GONE.  No notice, no warning, no consideration -- GONE.

I am actually really angry!  I can't believe that the "owners" of A Primitive Place would DO something so sudden, so FINAL, to those of us left who loved it there.....and they KNEW we loved it and didn't want it to go!  It's like they woke up yesterday morning and looked at it and just clicked "Delete".  Obviously they didn't care AT ALL how that would affect the few of us left who went on there every day.  How about a banner along the top telling us it would be gone August 1, the week before??  Or a post??  I've checked their blog (which they don't care about anymore either), and their facebook page (I can look at public FB pages as a non-FB-person, which I only do in Emergencies!), but there is NO MENTION of their plan to delete the forum.

Many of the remaining posters on there were some of the original people supporting the magazine, BEFORE it was created....when it was just an idea.  So this is how they treat those people???  And, there were many posts on there with great ideas and great pictures -- some members posted tutorials, or places to find "primitives", there was a whole post about favorite Colonial music (with CD titles and artist names) that I LOVED and referred to -- if I had had even a DAY or two to know what they were going to do, I could have gone back and taken notes or screen shots of those important posts to save for myself.

And one the things I've been working towards, to know that I'm feeling better and ready to be social again, was going back on the forum and posting and joining in.  That's been my goal that I've been working on for over a month -- now what? :-(

Also, now I have NO WAY to connect with some of my most favorite people!!  EVERYONE left on there for the past 8 months was warm, friendly, helpful, and I felt so close to them all.....now where are they??  I only know most of them from their "names" on there!  Maybe with a little warning, we could have all exchanged email addresses or come up with another way to reconnect.
Marsha Grace, Debra, "Stitcher", my Duntie, my TWO Donnas, Karen, Marlene (so special to me, even though we haven't talked in awhile), Honora, Jo, Cathy ......and many others who I know only by their site names, and have no way to find now!! :-(   These are friendships that I NEED, friends who help keep me grounded and uplifted, friends who helped me figure out how to DO things, friends who comforted me when I needed it, friends who *I* could help and uplift and comfort too!!  Sure I can email some of them individually, but it's much better to be able to be part of a group, and talk together.
Now that's GONE.  It doesn't seem fair!


I just think they should have done better.  I expected it after the way they interacted with us on there.  And I think they owed that to the forum members who had been on there years longer than I had been!  Just DELETING it like that was SO inconsiderate, to put it mildly.
They had to know that the people still using and enjoying that forum would be shocked and upset by this --- did they simply not care???  I am surprised to say that I believe they DON'T.


I absolutely feel wronged, and I'm angry about it.  I would think that as "customers" and followers of APP, the forum members would be considered by the APP staff as having the same importance as their Facebook followers ......but I guess not.  You definitely DO NOT do something like this to people who matter to you.  This is what you do to people you don't care about at all.

SOOOO......what can be done about this....?  How many of my readers are from the APP Forum??  Do any of you know how to find others who don't read my blog?  Maybe WE should start our own forum???  It could be a Yahoo group -- those are easy to set up (although "ugly" to post to!).  Or we could "Create your own free forum with ProBoards!" according to the message on the page that's there now, where the forum should be.

Or maybe no one wants to do any of that, which is ok too (but sad).

So please please comment on here with your thoughts, any of you.  I don't want to lose people who are SO PRECIOUS to me!!!!  We can make our own site to visit on -- I used to be part of a Yahoo group for homeschooling (actually several), and it's EASY to do!!

What do you think.....??

13 comments:

  1. This is a post to Karen Martinsen's FB where Karen was complaining about the forum closing.Here is the post from Kristine Berg " I am sorry to upset you Karen, but I got notice that I was at the maximum capacity for the forum. It was either pay a fee or close. I had already deliberated closing it. I am sorry there was no notice, but I wasn't going to pay to maintain something that no one has any interest in any more. I'm sorry you were not able to get messages off the board. I wasn't able to either. You also need to understand that I just don't have time for it all anymore. I basically run this whole business myself. I have worked 14 hours per day, 7 days per week for the past couple of years. I decided last year that I would cut my hours and days back to spend time with my family which I do not regret. Sometimes you just have to let things go so that you can enjoy other things".
    Yesterday at 10:55am ·
    Lisa, I am so sorry to hear about your losses, Hugs and prayers for you and your family. Please call me if you can.

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  2. Lisa, I too was surprised to find the APP forum closed without any warning. Now that it's gone, I'm feeling a real disconnect from you and the other lovely ladies that were posting there. And to think of all the wonderful information that's been lost... heartbreaking. I am excited to see "Duntie" post above! Hi Duntie! I would so love to have another forum where our beloved prim friends could gather! What a primfabulous idea! I wouldn't know how to go about it, but if you decide to create a forum, I'd love to be a part! I know there are some forums that require a small fee, and I would be happy to do my part in contributing. Lisa, please know that you have been, and will continue to be in my heart and prayers sweet lady. (((Prim Hugs))) Marsha Grace <3

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    Replies
    1. Hi Marsha,
      glad to see you here
      Duntie

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    2. Happy to see you too dear lady! I surely hope you and yours are doing well. Take care. (((Prim Hugs)))

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  3. I am all for this too. I miss talking to all of my dear friends. It really upset me . I told my husband what am I going to do not talking and sharing ideas with all of you. I lost my friends that were like family to me. I am a little computer dumb so I wouldn't know how to go about this but I definitely will follow your forum.

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  4. Hi guys!!! :-D
    This is so funny, chatting in my comments -- I love it!
    Thanks for posting Kristine's response, Duntie.....the thing is, she doesn't SOUND very "sorry" in it. And I can't believe ProBoards would only notify her that she had to pay for more space right when the forum reached the limit, so she had to decide right then. I think she knew days before she made her decision, but maybe I'm wrong.

    It's just upsetting to me because I had finally begun to peek on there the week before and was looking forward to getting back to posting as I've started feeling better....I'm really sad now! I agree with Grace (or is it Marsha? LOL) and Debra, I feel like I've lost something so important to me!!

    So I guess we'll wait and see who else wants another forum....if it's just us, we could always keep using my Comments Section! hee hee!!

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  5. Good morning and I'm late as usual with blogging LOL
    I like this post Lisa Diane - what you said is reflected in probably most of us that were left on the forum.

    I do understand Kristine's situation but yes, a day or two heads up is all we would have asked for.
    I would be happy to join another forum - not a FB forum though as those get so clickish - and I'm not in to that...too much drama and so if you get a pro-board forum going please let me know.

    I do have a list of many of the original members that Karen (Punky) sent me and if you want it I will send it to you...just send me an email.

    We will hang in there together and come out on top!

    Blessings
    Karen

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  6. Hi everyone:
    I had a few free minutes last night, so I thought I'd check out what is new on the Forum. You can imagine my surprise when I could not find it! I immediately emailed our very own "GailH", and I am waiting to hear back from her. So now I know that it is GONE. Gone without notice is no way to treat loyal customers. Kristine did not use kind judgement in my opinion. In my personal message section, I had lots of great stored information, such as paint colors, music, Prim shops, and Forum members emails. I would have appreciated a warning; perhaps mentioned in Kristine's editorial in the FALL APP.
    Prim hugs to all who read this. I wish you ALL were my neighbors!
    Cheryl (allthingscolonial@hotmail.com)

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  7. Hi Lisa and everyone else,
    Things have been crazy with vacations almost the entire month of July and I finally had a chance to log onto the forum then shock turned to disbelief when it didn't pop up. I did the same things y'all did trying to find if I missed something, checking the blog and even FB but nothing was even said. I had people's addresses, fave pics, shop info, ect...all on there and I would have loved a notice so I could have retrieved some things. Now that I have read Kristine's words to Karen, I'm just hopping mad. I understand that the business grew to big for her to handle everything but just dropping things or people without warning is just bad for the overall image. I was opposed to the way that certain "staff writers" were dismissed without even notifying them and with back pay due to them but I moved past it because while I felt it wasn't handled professionally it wasn't any of my business. But now I'm gonna have to rethink my support of the magazine since my subscription is up for renewal.

    I don't want to lose all my wonderful friends that have laughed, cried, celebrated and supported me for all these years so let's figure out a way to stay in contact. I would be lost without y'all. I've never started a forum but I'd be happy to do some research on the topic. And y'all can reach me at markdonnaharris@yahoo.com

    Donna

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  8. Hi Donna:
    Or should I say "Dirty Martini Queen"! It seems we are all feeling the same way. I wonder if the Forum could be reinstated? I will email Kristine and ask her.

    Lisadiane: Thank you for letting us use your blogpost site to share our thoughts. I am going to contact Suzy who lives up in Roseburg, OR. to let her know she can come here to share her thoughts.
    Cheryl (I can be reached at allthingscolonial@hotmail.com)

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  9. Lisadiane I lost your email please send me it.
    I have a lot of pics to share and no forum to do it on.
    Duntie
    duntie1603@yahoo.com

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  10. Wow, what a lot of thoughts going on here - it is a huge can of worms isn't it?
    I hope we can all move past this and help each other out by leaving our e-mail address like most of you have.
    I do hope also Lisadian that you can get a forum going, it sure looks like you would have many members raring to go!!
    My email is (and I'm spelling it out to prevent those awful people that search and use it as spam) km primitives at gmail dot com

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  11. P.S,
    Lisa....I would prefer a 'forum' rather than FB -
    I think FB becomes too messy and too many unwanted get on and one never knows what is going on - or at least I can't wade through all the different posts on a FB group...I prefer a forum.

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