I can confirm we have received several high-quality applications for taking over full administration of the forum. It appears it will continue in pretty much its current look and feel, probably with improvements (such as being able to search the entire archives at once) in the future. (Heck, you might even get a spell checker.) Likely the only major difference participants will see initially will be going to a different connecting address.

We cannot stop others from starting their own forum attempt, but I think if you will just bear with us, you will be mostly satisifed with the results.

A new administrator decision will be make no later than Friday, and perhaps sooner if the flow of applicants dries up.

This is speculation on my part, but I suspect the forum will continue under Lusenet for at least a while. It makes sense for it to be rehosted eventually as a separate web site on a more reliable and accommodating server. This would allow sponsorship to offset some of the associated costs. Perhaps Countryside Publications will be one of them.

So, please bear with us as the applicants need to be evaluated and transition details finalized.

On the question on the impact on Countryside Publications as the result of not sponsoring the forum. This was evaluated. A hit is expected, but there are many, many other aspects which affect their day-to-day business as well.

(By the way, Dave has the equivalent of a Masters in Business Administration degree and his dad, Jd, is highly experienced in the journalism trade.)

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), February 18, 2002

Answers

Ken, so what you're saying is, we're keeping the same format just changing the name of it and the administrator? And Countryside will have no control (or doesn't want any) over the forum once the changes takes place? So in essence this will be our forum to make or break.

-- Annie (mistletoe6@earthlink.net), February 18, 2002.

Good! Thanks Ken, and the ones who are helping to keep it going.

-- Cindy in KY (solidrockranch@msn.com), February 18, 2002.

Dear Ken,

Thank you for so much for all the blood, sweat and tears you've put into the forum. I have been posting here for about a year and enjoy it very much. It's the first place I check whenever I get to the computer. So many of these folks, including you, seem like close friends/family. I will look forward to continuing to be part of this exchange and thank you and Dave for all you've done to make it available to us.

Wishing you enough.

-- Trevilians (aka Dianne in Mass) (Trevilians@attbi.net), February 18, 2002.

Ken, why is Countryside reviewing applications when they won't be having anything to do with the "new forum"? That's the bit I don't understand from your original post yesterday. Maybe I mis read something on your original post, but I was in shock!!

-- Carol K (ck7951@bluefrognet.net), February 18, 2002.

Great news Ken, and again thanks for doing this thankless job as long as you did, I imagine anyone would be suffering from "babysitting burn out" by now!!!

I will do my best to positively support the new administration.

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), February 18, 2002.

Carol, I don't want to speak for Ken, but I imagine they're shooting for the best transition with the least disruption as possible. Hence, getting an administrator that will keep the forum going as civil as possible and to what we're used to. What we do afterwards will be up to us. I hope it doesn't end up turning into a huge fight, I think we're all better than that. Ken, thanks for all the hard work over the years. You'll be missed.

-- Annie (mistletoe6@earthlink.net), February 18, 2002.

Annie, you're probably right. The one thing I'm not shocked about is all the responses from people. Talk about united, it's sad that so many people will be affected by this, let's hope something works out in the end.

-- Carol K (ck7951@bluefrognet.net), February 18, 2002.

Thank you, Ken, for seeing us through these changes and transitions. You don't HAVE to do this, and we appreciate the favor. You'll still post as a plain ol' contributor, won't you? It'd be awful to lose you altogether.

-- Shannon at Grateful Acres Animal Sanctuary (gratacres@aol.com), February 18, 2002.

I am sorry to see this forum and Countryside part ways. If the new administrator is as restrictive I expect it will limp along at best for awhile. Yep! The bullet hole in Countryside's foot finally got gangrene! Even so, once this forum was my favorite place. Once it was about homesteading and homesteaders who shared all their feelings, beliefs, concerns, triumphs, and failures. Once it was GREAT! Maybe someday we will all recover from it's loss.

Little Bit Farm

-- Little bit Farm (littlebit@farm.com), February 18, 2002.

Ken, Thanks for all your hard labour and skill in "trimming the ship". I hope it stays afloat. Don't know about installing a spellchecker, though ... won't that take some of the fun out of it?

-- Griff (griff@hangnail.com), February 18, 2002.

Ken,

Just wanted to let you know that I have appreciated your work. I haven't always agreed with your decisions but it was your call to make and not mine and I wouldn't have traded places with you. Running a forum like this is enough to drive anyone nuts.

.......Alan.

-- Alan (athagan@atlantic.net), February 18, 2002.

HOORAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Thank you Ken, going to Hawaii? LOL Little Quacker

-- Little Quacker (carouselxing@juno.com), February 18, 2002.

Little Bit Farm, what loss? I have only seen gains. A single Forum cannot cover all social, politcal, ecnomical, psycological, spritual etc. issues. Keeping a forum under rules that cover a set of subjects is absolutely necessary in order to keep it from flying off the planet. If other subjects are wanted, go to other forums that cover them. Any one forum cannot be all things to all people.

-- Susan in Northern LP Michigan (cobwoman@yahoo.com), February 18, 2002.