[Joe]

Good afternoon everyone..

This is to announce to our community that we have moved to a new home.

Effectively yesterday, I have transferred ownership of GoldenRetrieverForum.com to a new owner.

GoldenRetrieverForum.com is now part of a family of websites also known as Verticalscope. You will soon be introduced to "Yung Lee", who will be logged in as member name: "admin" (who will together with me hold a post of forum administrator).

OK,so you might be thinking of a lot of questions...

So the first may be why?
For me this was the most difficult decision. As most of you know, I've started GoldenRetrieverForum.com well over 4 years ago and on daily bases provided all the necessary and required to keep this forum running.
Entire time I did everything as good as I possibly could, until the day came, when after all these years, I simply felt, that I needed a help.
That the Forum is taking more and more of my free time and I simply can't anymore afford to provide what it needs and can't take care of everything this forum requires.
Eventually, looking at you, our members, the wonderful collection of people from many diverse areas, jobs, I realized I simply can't continue like this. Most of my time being bogged down with all the technical details of the forum, like fixing code, backups, etc.. I was having less and less time to post and be actually a vital part of the forum family.
This alone was the turning point for me.

How does this affect you (mods, members)?
The beautiful part is, that it actually doesn't affect you at all. If you're a mod you will remain a mod, if you're a member of the forum, just continue to enjoy the site. Nothing in regards to how forum conducts on daily bases will change.

How about me (Joe) and who will take care of the Forum maintenance?
From now on, the new ownership team will carry on all major forum software updates, changes and updates, etc. They're more equip to do so than I ever can hope to be and they will do all necessary and required instead of me doing it.
Regarding me, while no longer an owner of this board, I will remain to be your administrator. For now, I am not planning to go anywhere and as a matter of fact I intend to be more present!

Who is VerticalScope?
VerticalScope team specializes in managing online communities in different areas of interests.
They bring to the table a staff and an infrastructure that can ensure GoldenRetrieverForum.com will be around for years to come.

What are VerticalScope's intentions?
VerticalScope's goal is to provide the resources required to have a broader reach and attract more knowledgeable dog owners to contribute that knowledge to the community. They want to continue making this an enjoyable experience and source for all Golden Retriever enthusiasts and fans.
VerticalScope will provide a tech staff that is essentially on call 24/7, should there be any issues with the forum.

Will the leadership change?
Absolutely not! The Admins and Mods here are the ones that know this forum the best and know what rules apply to this community. VerticalScope believes this community is very unique and to that end they will continue to support the existing rules and also forum leaders.

So please join me in this new endeavor while we make this place even better!

Sincerely,
Joe

 

[Administrator]

Hello community members,

I would like to introduce myself to you: my name is Yung and I will be the new “Admin” for GoldenRetrieverForum.com.

A little about me: I am a dog lover. I grew up with the experience of always having a dog in the home from the age of 7 til I got married and moved out.



Last year, my wife and I took in a Chocolate Lab. We named her Joy. She's been the joy of our lives for the past year... I know, cheesy. But my wife loves her a lot, even more than me some days. : ) I really do hope to add another dog to our family in the next 15 months. We're tight on living space right now but once that gets sorted out, we'll be adding a new dog for sure.

I hope to contribute to this community in a positive manner and be as helpful with day-to-day stuff as I can.


Let me also share a little about VerticalScope.


Our team specializes in managing online communities in different areas of interests. We bring to the table a staff and an infrastructure that can ensure Goldenretrieverforum.com will be around for years to come.

What are our intentions?


Our goal is to provide the resources required to have a broader reach and attract more knowledgeable dog owners to contribute that knowledge to the community. We want to continue making this an enjoyable experience and source for Golden Retriever fans.We have a tech staff that is essentially on call 24/7 should there be any issues with connectivity.

Will the leadership change?

Absolutely not. We believe this community is unique and to that end we will continue to support the existing rules and leaders. The Admins and Mods here are the ones that know you the best. You guys know what rules apply to this community and who all the trouble makers are. Each community is vastly different from the next so it’s important that the rules and culture of this community in which you guys have been familiar with in the past stay in place to keep things the same.

What will my role be?

Well I will primarily be a technical contact. I will check the site daily to make sure that if there are issues that arise, they will be handled promptly and correctly. We will be working closely with community moderators and at time members to ensure this community is well supported. However, since I am a dog lover too, I want to contribute when I can. By no means do I claim to be the be-all-end-all dog guy...far from it. In fact, I'll probably end up learning from you guys for the most part.


Let me know if you have any questions or concerns – you can post them here or send me a PM and I will love to answer as much as I can. See you guys around!




Yung

 

[Debles]

Glad to hear nothing will change around GRF and that you will have more time to post Joe.
Welcome Yung!!! Maybe your next dog will be a golden!
Thanks for starting GRF Joe and all you have done!

 

[Administrator]

Glad to hear nothing will change around GRF and that you will have more time to post Joe.
Welcome Yung!!! Maybe your next dog will be a golden!
Thanks for starting GRF Joe and all you have done!

Thanks Debles...I definitely hope a GR is in our future. I grew up watching Full House and I remember how much I loved their dog Comet. Plus, I've played with my fair share of GRs in my life. Just beautiful dogs.

 

[Joe]

Thanks I really appreciate your words.

BTW. Yung, same as me lives in Toronto and I hope his decision to own Golden will be much easier after he meets two of my Goldens.

 

[cubbysan]

Joe, thanks for creating this wonderful community! I hope you are very proud of everything this forum is responsible for. I also hope to be chatting with you more as a member than an owner.

Yung, welcome to the board. Everybody here has something to share, no matter what your experience is, after all we all GR lovers, dog lovers, and animal lovers. I learn something everyday.

 

[mylissyk]

Congratulations Joe, this is a big step for you and the forum. Thank you for creating GRF, it truly is the best forum on the web.

And I'm also glad to hear that the new owners will continue to board as it is.

 

[Elisabeth Kazup]

I'm pleased to meet you Yung. Welcome. I'm glad you'll be able to help Joe keep this the wonderful forum it has always been. And Joe, we'll all be glad to hear more from you and your Goldens.

 

[Administrator]

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome! :wavey:

 

[LuckyPup]

Joe, I am glad I found this forum! It is the best! You should (as I am sure you are) very proud! Thanks for all the work you have put into it. I hope I get to know you better since you will have more time to post!

Yung, welcome! I totally forgot about Comet on Full House! Too funny!

 

[Administrator]

Yung, welcome! I totally forgot about Comet on Full House! Too funny!

Thanks LuckyPup... they sure don't make tv shows like FULL HOUSE anymore.

 

[mdoats]

I really hope it works out. But I have to admit I'm disappointed. I'd be lying if I said I think this forum will remain the same kind of place it is today. I fully expect VS to leave things as they are for a while and then one day there will be an announcement that they are changing to a new format (to standardize with their other forums), and then they'll increase the ad levels, merge with another forum, etc. It's what they have done with other forums they have acquired.

Joe, I fully understand the reasoning for your decision. Heck in your place, with your reasons, I'd probably do the same thing. And I understand why VS makes the decisions they do. They are a business. But a forum run for profit will inevitably be different than a forum run for passion. I'll still visit GRF and hope that the eventual changes are ones I can live with. But I'm a little sad today.

 

[moverking]

"The more things change, the more they stay the same"

At least we're hopin'

Welcome Yung and Welcome 'back' Joe, to the land of the 'posters'!

 

[Administrator]

I really hope it works out. But I have to admit I'm disappointed. I'd be lying if I said I think this forum will remain the same kind of place it is today. I fully expect VS to leave things as they are for a while and then one day there will be an announcement that they are changing to a new format (to standardize with their other forums), and then they'll increase the ad levels, merge with another forum, etc. It's what they have done with other forums they have acquired.

Joe, I fully understand the reasoning for your decision. Heck in your place, with your reasons, I'd probably do the same thing. And I understand why VS makes the decisions they do. They are a business. But a forum run for profit will inevitably be different than a forum run for passion. I'll still visit GRF and hope that the eventual changes are ones I can live with. But I'm a little sad today.

Mdoats, thanks for sharing your thoughts. I hope you will stick around to see this community grow and be a part of it.

 

[mdoats]

One quick question... will there be a new privacy policy and/or email opt out? I know that on other forums spam emails became an issue when VS took over.

 

[Administrator]

mdoats,

I'm not sure what you are referring to in regards to Spam. We do not send out spam from any of our mail servers. Perhaps you are referring to the emails stating that you have been absent from the site? This can all be controlled via the User Control Panel settings -- just click on "No for receiving emails from the Administrator".

If you are referring to something else, please let me know. I want to make sure that no one is being misled.

 

[mdoats]

This can all be controlled via the User Control Panel settings -- just click on "No for receiving emails from the Administrator".

Thanks. I'll do that!

 

[Dallas Gold]

I definitely hope a GR is in our future

I think when the time is right, the good folks on this forum will be able to find you a perfect new golden retriever family member.

Thank you Joe and thank you Yung!:doh:

 

[NuttinButGoldens]

I have my concerns too, but for now we'll just have to wait and see

I really hope it works out. But I have to admit I'm disappointed. I'd be lying if I said I think this forum will remain the same kind of place it is today. I fully expect VS to leave things as they are for a while and then one day there will be an announcement that they are changing to a new format (to standardize with their other forums), and then they'll increase the ad levels, merge with another forum, etc. It's what they have done with other forums they have acquired.

Joe, I fully understand the reasoning for your decision. Heck in your place, with your reasons, I'd probably do the same thing. And I understand why VS makes the decisions they do. They are a business. But a forum run for profit will inevitably be different than a forum run for passion. I'll still visit GRF and hope that the eventual changes are ones I can live with. But I'm a little sad today.

 

[NuttinButGoldens]

What about the advertising model, and how it relates to Gold, Silver members, etc...