State of the Spot part deux

[pawtucket]

Well now that everyone has had a few weeks to ponder the closing of Greasespot Cafe. I've been able to come up with a better timeline. I figured that the initial shock has sunk in. I couldn't think of an easier way to do the whole thing. It is very overwhelming for me as I have invested many years to keep this running. But I need to focus on things in my life.

I want everyone to know that I won't leave the community high and dry. The next steps involve figuring out what the community needs and how to get that up and running. GT has been moving everything on the server to a new server and most of that is out of the way.

With the donations in the past few weeks, I can keep everything running until the end of February. I am going to start a new forum in here that will focus on what everyone thinks is needed. All current members can be involved.

I've sent an email out to all registered members letting them know of the closing. Hopefully, we will see some old faces celebrate the countdown.

After the end of February, Greasespotcafe.com will be a ready only site. The forums will be read only. I think that there is a lot of valuable information to be culled. I am considering some type of simple site or addon to GSC that will allow posting of email info for exchange with each other, along the lines of the Cortright page. Totally volunteer with ability for people to email you if you are on the list without giving out your email address, so that you can decide who you want to give your email to you.

As a static site, any links to the forum, should work. I will be deleting some threads along the way, mostly in the political forum. I may even just delete the entire thing. So you should start copying now if you have anything that you want to save.

[Kit Sober]

Thanks for giving us the breathing space.

Of course I would like to see the Greasespot Cafe stay open. It's just a nice place to come to.

Wish it could stay open with whatever modifications that would accommodate your life.

Thanks, again, Mr Pawtucket.

Kit

[dakotawind]

Thanks Pawtucket,

You did a great thing here... all good things must come to an end, after all, nothing lasts forever, not even us.

Another positive about GS closing is that people get to move forward with their lives.

There was a slight co-dependency (needed for many at times) tp reaching out to GS, yet in the bigger picture, it's not the answer.

Each person, moving ahead, towards embracing their lives fully ~ in forward motion, is the gift GS can give now to those that held on to it for the shifts and

changes their lives experienced.

It's like a graduation time.... and you bring many to the next class... LIFE 101 w/o a religious cult that was destructive possessing themselves and their families!

What marvelous things you have all done for each other, allowing the healing to surface, and the letting go to be an honorable thing.

You are all ready to move on ~ to LIFE!

Enjoy yourselves, knowing you are all good people.

Do your best and you will all be alright!

Peace & Love,

Ginger

xoxo

[excathedra]

thank you ginger

xoxo

[Kit Sober]

After much pondering, considering how much this place has meant to me and so many loved ones. . . Most of All dear Pawtucket I pray and hope you have the desires of your heart met, that you could know what a treasure you are in the world and how you have helped the good Lord rescue so many from despair, frustration, and hopelessness which comes from ignorance. Many thanks to you.

[Maurf]

I just want to thank you Pawtucket. You have done a great service for us all and filled a need for many a floundering dissolutioned ex way believer.

Maureen

[penguin]

Thanks Pawtucket for having a site like this for a blinded and confused penguin to waddle in to. Thanks to all those on-line buddies that helped me open my eyes and process what I is/was involved in. Y'all gave me the info and courage to see there really was more to life than being a way lifer.

Penguin

[excathedra]

when is it closing, paw?

[pawtucket]

when is it closing, paw?

well....

[pawtucket]

well....

I guess I should post this today. I had a bunch of reasons for shutting this down. I spoke with many people, some know about GSC some don't. Hard to find anyone that knows what this thing entails. There have only been a handful of sites like this on the internet.

I was tired of the infighting. I'd get wonderful people to help moderate the site and almost everything they did was met with very harsh criticism. We are "censoring"; "taking away our rights"; "you are just as bad as the WayGB" and on and on. I watched as some my dear friends would get beat up night after night. That was one of the main reasons for closing the site.

Another was time. Quite honestly, if it hadn't been for these friends, GSC would have closed years ago. I was done. But they took over when I could not anymore.

Another was a series of very disturbing emails that I got from an ex-friend. Threatening to sue me for this site. It was very disturbing, particularly when I found out that he was cc:ing TWI on the emails.

Another was money. I was getting help from another dear friend, hoping that the situation would improve, but it didn't.

In the past few months, I've gotten many emails of understanding and thanks and lots of other things.

Edited April 1, 2011 by pawtucket

[pawtucket]

One of the final reasons for wanting to shut down was relevance. Most of the detractors said that the material on the site wasn't relevant. Including the lawsuit guy. Well I made the dumb mistake of asking someone that left recently if it was having an effect. Well, I didn't get the answer that I was expecting. It was having an effect and not just a little. Suddenly my most important reason was drying up. And I didn't like it.

So I looked through all of the forums and realized that most of the problems were being caused by just a few forums. Forums that I never wanted to begin with, but did it to appease. So the first step was to let all that are in those forums that I am pulling the switch on them. (Actually I am not doing, one moderator really wants to be the one to shut the lights out on it)

I've been accused of many things in this past decade about the forums as I mentioned earlier. My goal was to make the forums a place to discuss. I've watched people defend twi to high heaven when they have just started to post and over a period of time, they have that "AHA" moment. I've seen very hurt people get answers that get them on the road to healing. Sometimes it is a difficult road, but it's a joy to see them come through on the other side. I have always done my best to let people take that road freely. And I will take issue with anyone trying to hamper that journey.

I will be soliciting material from those that left recently to update the front of the site. I am going to revamp the site to help serve that purpose.

We will have some kind of celebration on the anniversary of THE, which is the same day as the anniversary of GSC. There might even be a live show on the internet that day, who knows.

I want to also apologize to LindaZ, who wanted to put down money that I wouldn't close, sorry.

I will announce more this month.

[waysider]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukbbPJirTaE

[OldSkool]

Woot!

[GeorgeStGeorge]

One of the final reasons for wanting to shut down was relevance. Most of the detractors said that the material on the site wasn't relevant. Including the lawsuit guy. Well I made the dumb mistake of asking someone that left recently if it was having an effect. Well, I didn't get the answer that I was expecting. It was having an effect and not just a little. Suddenly my most important reason was drying up. And I didn't like it.

So I looked through all of the forums and realized that most of the problems were being caused by just a few forums. Forums that I never wanted to begin with, but did it to appease. So the first step was to let all that are in those forums that I am pulling the switch on them. (Actually I am not doing, one moderator really wants to be the one to shut the lights out on it)

I've been accused of many things in this past decade about the forums as I mentioned earlier. My goal was to make the forums a place to discuss. I've watched people defend twi to high heaven when they have just started to post and over a period of time, they have that "AHA" moment. I've seen very hurt people get answers that get them on the road to healing. Sometimes it is a difficult road, but it's a joy to see them come through on the other side. I have always done my best to let people take that road freely. And I will take issue with anyone trying to hamper that journey.

I will be soliciting material from those that left recently to update the front of the site. I am going to revamp the site to help serve that purpose.

We will have some kind of celebration on the anniversary of THE, which is the same day as the anniversary of GSC. There might even be a live show on the internet that day, who knows.

I want to also apologize to LindaZ, who wanted to put down money that I wouldn't close, sorry.

I will announce more this month.

Well, I guess that explains why Politics and its sidekick Decaffeinated went away. (I have to admit that Politics had degenerated to "You Poo-Poo head!" "No, YOU'RE the Poo-Poo head!" Even I was annoyed by it.)

But, are you staying open with a revamped site, because GSC is actually having a significant effect, or just closing down altogether?

George

[pawtucket]

I am staying open. The forums will stay open. Although I will probably condense the number of forums. Some of them are not used very often.

[GeorgeStGeorge]

Cool.

George

[outandabout]

Great news! Thanks, Paw!

[excathedra]

i would have not moderated the political forum and i would have turned off the "report bad people" button

[pawtucket]

Well there are folks looking for a politics forum, why don't you start one?

[Bramble]

I've been accused of many things in this past decade about the forums as I mentioned earlier. My goal was to make the forums a place to discuss. I've watched people defend twi to high heaven when they have just started to post and over a period of time, they have that "AHA" moment. I've seen very hurt people get answers that get them on the road to healing. Sometimes it is a difficult road, but it's a joy to see them come through on the other side. I have always done my best to let people take that road freely. And I will take issue with anyone trying to hamper that journey.

So much for the 'finger on the pulse of TWI/ExTWI' lawsuit man. I have seen (and experienced) the same as you wrote about above. And what timing, with people once again fleeing TWI and needing someplace to go to sort it all out.

[Kit Sober]

Thanks. Would you please put a donate button on the forum page so we can more easily carry our share? Sometimes I forget to go to the website. But a donate button in my opinion is less intrusive than some of the "personal" advertisements.

[excathedra]

Well there are folks looking for a politics forum, why don't you start one?

i only do greasespot

[rascal]

I am staying open. The forums will stay open. Although I will probably condense the number of forums. Some of them are not used very often.

Thank you, thank you very much.

[TheHighWay]

Paw,

I am SO pleased to hear this!!!

Tell the nay-sayers to take a hike!!

The rest of us love Greasespot and know that it is still relevent and changing lives in a positive way!

Whoo-Hoo!! Score one for the good-guys!!

TheHighWay

[OperaBuff]

There's a picture of a woman at the bottom of this screen. I think she wants to kiss me. Her bewbs are very pointy and they scare me a little.