Author Topic: BPO Members...an important announcement  (Read 66887 times)

Offline KiraNGunnersmom

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Re: BPO Members...an important announcement
« Reply #30 on: June 10, 2009, 03:34:13 pm »
WOW!  I have been MIA due alot of personal circumstances in my life.  Im sad to see that "we" have been sold to the highest bidder who doesnt even own a dog and when they did was it a BP?  Some may ask why does that matter?  To me, it matters alot.

I wish the best to Jamie and Micheal and of course the fuzz ball, Bear.
Will I just run off and never look back?  No way too nosey for that.  It will be interesting to see what direction the board will take now.
I'll do my usual pop in too read,  but for the time being im bunking at the "orphanage".

 




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Offline nickerbokker

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Re: BPO Members...an important announcement
« Reply #31 on: June 10, 2009, 04:38:11 pm »
Hey all....anyone that knows who I actually am knows that I left BPO years ago because I have a bad temper and I get too emotional over my dogs, my friends, and my opinions (I do however, check in all the time to see how some of my favorite cyber friends and their dogs are doing).....I don't play well with others, and therefore, some of you won't like my post.  sorry. 

I too came here in 2005, and I too was one of the original members.  I remember coming up with an idea about a BPO calendar, I remember coming up with an idea about a photo contest, and I remember sitting on a certain tan colored couch helping with many ACTUAL decisions for this board.  I have shared tears of joy and tears of sorrow, I have lost sleep over different issues that both I and my cyber friends have had with their Big Paws...I too felt that amazing connection with members here as so many of you have shared with each other.  I actually, somehow, feel I did a lot of growing up on this site (with plenty more to do).  I was lucky enough to meet and become amazing friends with Jaime and Michael, and feel that something should be said on their behalf, and on behalf of the board (even without their permission).  Sorry.

I am seeing a lot of terrible things being said here.  It's amazing how quickly people can turn on you.  It's amazing how cruel some people can be.  I could care less that you are angry (well I care, but you are entitled to that much)...but being mean is a different story.  And worse than that, thinking that you are deserving of answers from either past or present owners is laughable.  Both the past and present owners are/were here offering you a service.  A FREE service.  A place where you CAN still come to talk, vent, laugh, cry and make life long friends.  This is one of the safest places I have ever been on the web...and am sincerely grateful for the countless hours I was once able to spend here.  I so far have not seen anything stating that this site is being pulled, being a pay as you go, replacing mods, changing formats, or changing for the worse in any way.  I saw a very informative goodbye post, and a lovely new owner post.  So far, the only terrible posts are from the members here. 

I can see your concerns...how ever, at this point, they are worst case scenarios that you are hoping don't happen.  They are things you are worried about but they have not yet surfaced...and until then, you are making more gray hair (or brewing up a first one), over nothing.  I know there is not quite anything like having a big slobbery dog on the floor by you..but just because someone doesn't have one next to them doesn't mean they don't have the IT knowledge to ensure a website stays running properly?! 

I saw a comment about this site being sold to someone around the world...what kind of comment is that?  Who cares where anyone is from?  If it weren't for this site, I couldn't have made friends from the East coast to West coast to Canada...Busin ess is done from all ends of the earth every day, as long as it is done properly, what does it concern you? 

I get everyone is pissed because they feel entitled to some "answers" or "explanations"...and I think that is actually a giant problem with the world.  Just because you spend hours here (at your own will) and have been extended the RARE courtesy of helping with different aspects of the site, you feel you should be included in all the decisions?? Especially the largest ones?  Where else in the world, the business world especially, does that happen?  It doesn't.  I do have an idea though...so many of you seem to think you should have been offered the chance to buy BPO.  So why don't you all mortgage your homes, and see if the funds you collect will convince the new owners to sell to you.  I have seen that this site was sold for a quick buck or chump change...so get a larger pot of chump change together and take control.  Folks, if life were that black and white, we wouldn't be in any of the messes we are in today.

I actually read the words, "shame on you"...Shame on YOU.  How about thanks for 5 great years, and here's to 25 more? 

I know how close many people on here are with one another, and that doesn't have to change just because the rights changed hands.  YOU members here ARE bpo...You have made it what it is, you are it's beating heart...so stop worrying, stop complaining, stop demanding things you are not entitled to...and be members here.  Post your stories, post your questions, and watch things continue as normal.  You keep things normal, you keep things running...not them.  The only thing I've seen change here is the attitude of the members, which is quite hard to see.  We are BPowners, lets act like it.  Stop feeling sorry for yourselves and get back to business...tal king about your babies! 

I hope everyone takes a deep breath and remembers that you do not have all of the details, you were not there for the behind the scenes conversations (nor was I), and that you will never have all the facts.  All you need to know is that if two people spent thousands of hours (and dollars) making and maintaining this site for YOU to enjoy, it probably took them many hours deciding to let it go, and that they took great care and precautions to ensure that BPO would stay BPO.  This was a labor of love for them...they wouldn't cast it aside without a second thought, just as you wouldn't.  I have known Jaime and Michael for years, and I have complete faith and trust in them that they did the right thing for EVERY person involved...inc luding all of you.

I think it's great that everyone is mad, because that shows how truly special this board and it's members are.  You are so passionate about every aspect of this site and that is so rare and so wonderful!  I am truly privileged to be a member here among all of you.  I only hope that you all  can calm down, look at things with a clear head, and realize that the creators of BPO are people that you have loved for many years and although you might not appreciate their decision, they are still your friends.  They are still great people.  They are still Big dog owners.  They still carry a piece of BPO with them just as we all do (without choice!).  Most importantly, they still deserve the respect and kindness that they have shown all of you since you first joined their site!

I know I'll sure be bored without being able to read all of your stories and opinions on here.  So get back to it!

nickerbokker
NICKI

Offline Saint and Mal mom

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Re: BPO Members...an important announcement
« Reply #32 on: June 10, 2009, 04:49:45 pm »
Wow, all that from a non-active member who actually left the site? Geez.

And so no notification could have been given to any of the members, especially mods before this topic? Not even a pm to even just 1 mod? Nothing? There was nothing the owners could have said to prepare or warn anyone about this? I'm not saying should; I'm saying could. No one could be notified to expect a change of ownership? No one until the ownership had actually changed hands?!
Example; when our cell phone service provider company was bought out by another company, every customer receiving service was sent a letter notifying them of this change of ownership. So the same couldn't have been done here, at least for the mods?  ???
Marissa

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Offline Funny Farm

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Re: BPO Members...an important announcement
« Reply #33 on: June 10, 2009, 05:23:03 pm »
Nickerbocker, with all due respect, read 'Animal Farm'.  I think you might relate well with the sheep....

Offline nickerbokker

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Re: BPO Members...an important announcement
« Reply #34 on: June 10, 2009, 05:31:40 pm »
To clarify...

"being extended the rare courtesy of helping with different aspects of the site"....was NOT aimed at people that were asked to watch over this site.  It is referring to a comment/comments about being able to help with all sorts of small decisions but not the selling of the site.  If that makes sense. 
NICKI

Offline nickerbokker

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Re: BPO Members...an important announcement
« Reply #35 on: June 10, 2009, 05:49:08 pm »
Funny Farm,

I am SO glad to see you back here!  I have missed you SO much! 
NICKI

Offline nipa

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Re: BPO Members...an important announcement
« Reply #36 on: June 11, 2009, 12:37:54 am »
Hi All

A lot of you have expressed reservations about the change in ownership of the site, and I can't say I blame you for worrying about the direction that this site is going to take in the future. Perhaps I would have had the same reaction had I been in your shoes.

So let me address the issues that have been raised so far one by one:


1) I did not post a response to your messages until now because I wanted to give as many of you as possible an opportunity to post your views before I posted a response that addresses all your questions. I appreciate and understand the emotion and involvement that all of you have with this community.


2) A lot of you have expressed reservations about the fact that I don't own a dog right now and that, therefore, my decision to purchase the site was a purely business decision. Some of you have suggested that I won't have the best interests of the site at heart.

Yes, I don't own a dog right now. However, I have already stated this in my first message and I will state it here again - just because I don't own a dog right, now, does not mean that I am not passionate about them. I used to have dogs when I was growing up and loved them to bits.

I do understand the emotions of dog owners, the love and bonding that you share with your pets - and the fact that this is the common thread that has brought all of you here.

Yes, most definitely, the decision to purchase the site WAS partly a business decision, as any financial transaction of this nature has to be. However, I am not sure how one can extrapolate from this that I won't have the best interests of the site at heart. In fact, I'd have thought that it would be exactly the opposite.

The best thing about this site is the community that you all have built. So, if I ever do something that would hurt the community and caused the members to leave, obviously, I would not earn a return on the investment that I have made in purchasing the site. I plan to earn a return on that investment by displaying advertisements to the general site visitors (see below for more on this) and obviously, if this community is negatively affected, the number of visitors this site receives will decrease, and the return that I earn from advertising will also decrease.

So, it's in my best interest to ensure that I do nothing that will negatively affect this site or community.

So why did I purchase the site if I don't own a dog right now? I own a few other dog-related sites (like this site - it's a site that teaches new dog owners how to house train their dogs) and I wanted to extend the network of pet-related sites that I have. I have owned pet-related sites for more than 5 years now.

And I started those sites BECAUSE of my passion for dogs. So, the decision to purchase BPO is partly a business decision, and partly a result of my passion for dogs, the same reason I started the other sites.


3) Let me say very categorically that I had never ever entertained the thought of charging members to access this community. This site has always been advertising driven ever since Jaime and Michael started it, and I do not intend to change that, either now or in the future.


4) So what changes do I plan to make to this site? I have stated this in my first message and I am going to repeat it again here - I will do absolutely nothing to change the way this community works. Absolutely nothing at all. The community has been working so well so far that there is nothing really that I can do to improve it.

The only changes that I plan to make to the site involve changing some of the advertisements and sponsorships on the other pages in the site (i.e. the pages that ordinary visitors, and not the forum members, visit). That's all.


I will end by saying this - before forming your opinion about where this site and community is heading, give me some time to show you my intent in protecting and taking care of this site. And you will see that this community will keep running just the way it was running before (with the members and the moderators). And, as you will see when you continue to participate in the community over the next few months, I shall never ever do anything that hurts this community.

All that I ask is that you wait a few weeks or months before forming an opinion as to whether the change in ownership is going to negatively affect this community.

Thanks,
Nipa

Offline marinafb

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Re: BPO Members...an important announcement
« Reply #37 on: June 11, 2009, 01:38:54 am »


Why didn't my post get deleted since it was apparently so taken out of context??????????
« Last Edit: June 12, 2009, 02:50:33 am by marinafb »
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Offline patrick

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Re: BPO Members...an important announcement
« Reply #38 on: June 11, 2009, 01:50:15 am »
Perhaps indeed it could have been handled differently and some people feel betrayed and have hurt feelings.  But ownership has changed- its a done deal so why not move on.  The site has not changed and this remains a community of dog owners.  I have to agree with Knickerbocker and Nipa- at this point a dead horse is being beaten.  People joined this site because it was a meeting place for people with like interests  - not because it was owned by certain people

Nicole

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Re: BPO Members...an important announcement
« Reply #39 on: June 11, 2009, 02:07:19 am »
Well, I haven't been around here in awhile. I mean, I haven't been posting. Busy with babies! :) But, I'm one of the "old school" members here, too. I've met and hung out with and developed awesome friendships with lots of the folks from this site.

I guess I have a sort of different perspective.

I really cherish the friendships I've made, and honestly, at this point, they have nothing to do with this site. When I found out I was pregnant this last time, do you know who the first person I told was? It was Jenn. Yup. Called her before ANYONE ELSE. She and I have really helped one another through pregnancy and birth and breastfeeding and cloth diapers...

I call upon Holly whenever I need help with...civilit y? :) She's my life coach.

I can call Dale if I have a question about Subarus. (And I have) and each time I call, its like we just hung out yesterday. I love Stella and Dale and I'm so glad they are my friends, even if we haven't seen them in a year.

Julie? HOMG! She and Aaron are some of the coolest people I know!

JuJu? I think of you every single day when I look at the blankie that you made for my beautiful son. He loves it, and everyone that sees it comments on how gorgeous it is. Then I get to tell them that my awesome friend JuJu made it and hand-delivered it from Colorado.

There are countless other stories, both good and bad, but mostly amazing and positive! I have those. I have the friends behind them. That honestly can't change no matter who owns this board.

Maybe I feel a little differently becauase I haven't been around much, but to me, the board is the board because of the folks on here, and honestly, it never mattered much to me that Jaime and Michael owned it anyway. I always just thought of them as another member of the community with a gorgeous dog.

People gotta do what people gotta do. I think its unfortunate that they didn't offer the site to the members, but that's done. Here we all are, still communicating, still being friends, whatever. I say that we kind of hold off on judging the new situation. I mean, nothing is wrong so far, right? I guess innocent until proven guilty is still a pretty good approach.

But, I will say this. Marina? That comment about how Indian people treat their dogs is actually kind of disgusting to me. It was really unfair and inappropriate. The nationality or ethnicity of the new owners really shouldn't be an issue here. And, its kind of a disgusting stereotype that I think that you should probably apologize for.

Offline Tspanos

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Re: BPO Members...an important announcement
« Reply #40 on: June 11, 2009, 05:06:58 am »
Well I posted last night just before the site went down but it must not have gone through.
I want to wish Jamie, Micheal, and Bear the best as they start this new chapter in their lives. I only hope if I ever make it to the West Coast i will be able to visit you guys.
This is a forum, its also a family for many of us. Like any family or friendship feelings can be hurt by another when they don't fully think about their actions. EVERYONE needs to slow down and adopt a sort of holding pattern, like Holly instituted locking the thread, lets see where this goes, maybe it is for the best if not we have the orphanage. I understand many of the views in this thread and just feel at this point whats done is done, we have to see what comes of it.
Nipa I hope you are successful with this endeavor and become a part of the community much as Jamie and Micheal have been and hopefully will continue to be time permitting.
Tim

EllieAndBlu

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Re: BPO Members...an important announcement
« Reply #41 on: June 11, 2009, 09:44:05 am »

I am seeing a lot of terrible things being said here.  It's amazing how quickly people can turn on you.  It's amazing how cruel some people can be.  I could care less that you are angry (well I care, but you are entitled to that much)...but being mean is a different story.  And worse than that, thinking that you are deserving of answers from either past or present owners is laughable.  Both the past and present owners are/were here offering you a service.  A FREE service.  A place where you CAN still come to talk, vent, laugh, cry and make life long friends.  This is one of the safest places I have ever been on the web...and am sincerely grateful for the countless hours I was once able to spend here.  I so far have not seen anything stating that this site is being pulled, being a pay as you go, replacing mods, changing formats, or changing for the worse in any way.  I saw a very informative goodbye post, and a lovely new owner post.  So far, the only terrible posts are from the members here. 

With all due respect Nicker...

As stated in your less than amiable post, wow it really is “amazing how cruel some people can be.”

As a long-time and active member of this board, I do feel deserving of answers when the owners (in this case – former owners) are also active board members. Jaime and Michael were not SILENT owners. On the contrary, they were part of the BPO family they created. And when said  “family members” asked for help in times of financial needs, you bet I was first in line to help. They asked and I gave. That is a fact. I also gave when they didn’t ask. Jaime and Michael fostered a community where its members were vested as a group, a sum of its whole... it is how they presented themselves and what made the board special. 

Did I contribute funds voluntarily? You bet I did.
Did they ask for monitary assistance? You bet they did.
Did they include us in the development of this board? The answer again is, yes.
Did they present themselves as trustworthy and compassionate people with integrity? I believe they did.   

Alas, actions speak louder than words. 

Friendship obviously means different things to some. To me - loyalty, trust, integrity, compassion, consideration are the foundation. Without it friendship does not exist.

As for the rest of your post… I could continue to point out the contradictory statements, but why bother. I understand you wanting to defend your friends. That is exactly what I am also doing. I am sure you can respect that.

Rachel
« Last Edit: June 11, 2009, 01:06:51 pm by EllieAndBlu »

Droophoria

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Re: BPO Members...an important announcement
« Reply #42 on: June 11, 2009, 10:44:19 am »
oh wow, this is starting to look sour indeed =(    (trying to keep mouth shut and not get involved but wow)

Fletcher Familly

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Re: BPO Members...an important announcement
« Reply #43 on: June 11, 2009, 10:49:29 am »
Holy cow!

Offline Binky

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Re: BPO Members...an important announcement
« Reply #44 on: June 11, 2009, 12:55:18 pm »
I've been a member of this board since 2005 and this is the one of the only forums I have ever participated in, or ever even look at.  The reason for this is that BPO truly is a special place, and it is the members that make it so.  I know that many feel betrayed by this sudden change but I do hope to continue to see the familiar names and "faces" of the people and dogs who have made this such a great place.
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