Rumors about changes at Dave's Garden

Just adding my name to the long list ahead of me today who've said, it wouldn't be Dave's without Dave.
Glad you're still here and long may it stay that way!!
Deb

I am so glad that I came in on this post late(not as stressed as some of you have been..lol).
I agree with Kathy, where you go, we will follow. I'm soooo happy to hear that Dave is staying put.Like Charleen, I am getting too old to have to chase around after you young fellars...BUT, I would do it, in a heartbeat, if I needed to..
Thanks, Dave and Michael, for your posts, of keeping us abreast of everything!
LOL, Ric, that brought back the memeories.haha
DeeS

Glad everything is OK.

Hey Michael...*waving*...just a friendly Daves Garden WELCOME!! It's your lucky day...we will be having a nice Round Up in Menifee, Ca. Read all about it and sign up here!! (this is what I do best...go to RU's and meet other great DG'ers...and share gourd seeds) Jo

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1069634/

Thank you Micheal for understanding. Let me also welcome you to our community. Dave has built the most amazing site by listening to all of us here. I'm thrilled that you'll be keeping Dave on, after all as everyone has said Dave put the D in DG :) You have some BIG shoes to fill. I hope you'll be as open to all of our thoughts and opinions as Dave has been.

Steph

Please keep us updated Micheal and Dave

Hello Michael - Welcome to DAVES garden. The BEST website on the planet.

Thank you, Michael, for chiming in here with your explanation. Maybe now you will not be treated like a stick bug, but rather like a praying mantis, as a friend of all us gardeners. I hope the transition goes smoothly, and as long as Dave is happy, the subscribers will be happy.

I was ready to say "I'm out of here" until I read Dave's assurance that he was still going to be here and then the new owner came and posted his reassurance. I came to DG from the 'other' garden site where I was getting more and more uncomfortable because of an increasingly antiChristian atmosphere. Someone who had already found Dave's told me about DG and I never had any regrets about making the change. I pray Dave's Garden continues to be the Christian friendly site it was in the beginning.

Michael,

Thank you so much for coming on and meeting us. I am certain from reading your post you are a very intelligent man, and I would guess an excellent businessperson. So I am sure you can tell from the support for Dave on this and other threads what a bad decision it would be to not continue Dave in his present role, along with all the other administrators, such as Melody and Terri, that make this site what it is.

So a big welcome to Daves Garden, and we will trust you to do right by us, and by Dave and the rest. Thank you!

Move to NM? Is Dave in NM?

Boy I am so glad that I did not see DG this morning or I would have been sick all day. I really dont post much but I do read a lot of the forums and get help here a the time . I would be lost without DG and I am like every one else and would not renew my membership if Dave leaves.

Thank you Michael for the post and taking time to keep us updated.

Sami

Welcome to Daves Michael. All of us pitch in to support our new gardeners with a big package of free seeds. We are Dave's seeds and have grown into a wonderful garden under his care. Thanks for acknowledging us.

Thanks for posting Michael. Best of luck to you. ^_^
We love our garden and we know it is what it is because of Dave & his team. What has been created here really is a marvel.
Need any seeds? heehee

Michael - grateful for your post. Thanks for taking the time to see what this is all about. It's truly unique on the Internet.

Hope plants interest you . . . .

Kathy

Edited to say, "Oops. I read your post more carefully. Sounds like you're a fellow gardener. That's a good thing."

This message was edited Jan 21, 2010 6:26 PM

Welcome to the site Michael. As you can read from the responses before and after your note...we are attached to "Dave" the creator of Dave's Garden and are unwilling to do without him. I like the site as is....especially it being a family friendly site without advertising cluttering the forums. Without the constant monitoring of the forums from Dave and his staff the site would not stay as friendly and warm as it has for years.

This site is the first one I go to every morning and the last one I go to at night. It has been and continues to be a great site for me to get answers to my gardening, health, cooking, etc...questions and also feel useful when providing answers to others questions.

May this be a positive experience for your company along with the subscribers and members of Dave's Garden.

Debbie

Thanks for posting and reassuring us all, Michael!

We all got panicked when DG moved to NameMedia, and that move turned out to be positive (pretty well invisible to the average user). I'm glad you're willing to work with Dave and with the community he's built here to make this move a great opportunity for both DG and Internet Brands.

:-)

As for my own feelings about our community here, Michael, I wrote an article a while back that sums it up for me. "Coffee and conversation: the evolution of an e-community." http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1879/

Dave,
I am glad that the "Peace Pipe" has been smoked, and communication has been achieved. So many people said, what I would have said, and they said it better. You've got a wonderful group of members who believe as I do, That without Dave there will no longer be a DavesGarden Website.
Yes, Dave and his administrators have made this a truly user friendly website. His heart, incredible knowledge of computer technology, and his down to earth good nature make this site of value. As a member, the site is an invaluable resource. As a legacy, this site preserves and allows the wisdom of those who've passed on to still be with us.

Miguel, may I issue an official invitation to our Round Up in Menifee, CA, which I am hosting on our family farm?
It would be great for us to meet, and you would learn a lot. Anyone who would like to attend is welcome to join us. (roadrunner, you beat me to it again!)

I however, am remiss.
Welcome Miguelthai, to DavesGarden. One of the friendliest websites around. No matter what your interests might be, you'll be sure to find something of value at this site. Why? Because the DG Community helps each other out. (Victor you always crack me up!)
Who fosters this attitude of giving? Well, who else but Dave and his administrators.
I have to admit, and I'm sure you see from the above posts, that we are a diverse bunch of people. What we have, are common interests and a sense of community for this website and would hate for it to not have Dave. It just wouldn't be the same. The trust would be gone. The fun and the humor would follow.
This is my rainbow for the day, knowing that we aren't loosing Dave, we are gaining Miguelthai.
Walk In Beauty!
SingingWolf

Thanks everyone for your warm welcome.

Welcome Michael, I am glad that you thought it necessary to come introduce yourself to the Dave's Garden family. I think we are all broad minded enough to know that there will probably be changes that your company wants to institute, and we are open to change. However, if it involves changing the "family" atmosphere that many folks here enjoy, then I think that it would result in an uprising the likes of which you have never seen.

We are possessive of Dave and his Administrators, so I am sure that you will do what is best for them, and we can continue to enjoy the Daves Community for many more years.

Dave's is the first site I visit each morning, and the last I visit each night. If you will just peek in to some of the discussion forms, regularly, you will find that behind the screen names, there are thousands of caring gardening people who would do anything possible to help our another gardening friend. There are legends here, we have helped provide equipment for a visual impaired gardner to make her life easier, she has been introduced to earth box gardening. I could go on and on about the humanitarian things that I have been a part of since joining this wonderful group. Yes, it is about gardening, but it about more than just that, we are about caring for the people who garden, the earth we have the priviledge of tending and the flowers and veggies that we produce. The extra things from my garden go to neighbors and the community food banks.

Take away Dave and his accomplishments, and his care for all of us, and you will just have another garden site, the shell, but not the heart!!

Welcome again, and thanks for taking the time to visit with us.

Dave, we here in Australia would miss you terribly. You have allowed us to have a small space of our own .Hello Michael. Please remember we love Dave's Garden here too. We little old ladies can't be exerting ourselves looking for a new place. Pop into our Tea Room and say hello. We are all mad gardeners as are the rest of Daves friends.
Jean.

Not good news-GREAT NEWS. Dave is this site and it would never be the same without him.
Michael Welcome to Dave's Garden. It is a wonderful place where we chat and learn and make friends of similar interests and some just because. It is invaluable to us all and so is he so thank you for letting us all know Dave will continue on here. I never talk with him as I know he is so busy and don't want to bother but DAVE-YAHOO. IF THERE IS ANYTHING i OR ANY OF US CAN DO TO HELP WITH A SMOOTH TRANSITION PLEASE POST IT.

STEPH

Welcome Michael! Thank you ever so much for your post (I feel better now - lol) and congratulations on your purchase of the best gardening site in the world!!

Kelly

Edited to say your transparency is commendable!

This message was edited Jan 21, 2010 7:44 PM

Hi Michael, welcome to the family. Dave is the captain of the best team in the league and we are pleased to know he will stay in the right place.

Welcome to the Family Newbie!

Miguel if you travel anywhere in the Dave's World you will be Welcomed at every RU.
Unfortunately though until you actually attend a RU you will of course still be Newbie....lol!
It's a Right of Passage.

Hope you find some time to enjoy life here.
Ric

(Overwhelmed by the kind words of support here. I'm honored, embarrassed, and humbled. Thank you all.)

Welcome new owners... I suppose.

I'm with the majority speaking here. You change what the place is, or the guy in the big chair, we're outta here.

I suspect the amount of cash subscribers you'd lose would make an impact.

Dave, Trish, Terry - you guys go, I'm gone, and following like butter on bread.. :)
'
-Jennifer

Michael: Welcome to the Garden! Thank you so much for posting here and keeping us all informed about what is happening with your company's acquisition of the Dave's Garden site.

Dave's Garden is the first and only website I've ever subscribed to. I am one of the "older" ladies in the garden and began subscribing in the fall of 2006. I was directed to a couple of other gardening sites a year or so ago but found them a bit difficult to navigate, and I really detested all the ads and stuff jumping around the screen ... it was aggravating to say the least.

Like many others, the Plant Files database is how I came to find Dave's Garden. It seemed like every time I googled for a particular plant, the DG Plant Files entry was at the very top of the list! Then, when I decided to check out what else the site had to offer ... Wow, was I ever surprised at all the great forums and knowledgeable people, so willing to offer advice and help!

In my opinion, one of the greatest things about this site, is the integrity in which it has been operated by Dave and his crew. I have heard about other forums on the internet that are literally "free for alls", with personalities getting out of hand and horrible language and downright nastiness going on. I have seen a couple of instances that began to get out of hand on this site and Dave & Co. handled it immediately to keep this a clean place for us all. I am so grateful to Dave and his Administrative team for keeping this garden a peaceful, family place.

I hope there won't be any drastic changes to this wonderful place. Some say change is for the better but it's hard to improve on something that is already the best. I can't even think of any enhancement that could improve what Dave has already created with this site. He and his team are always there for each of us and they have tended this garden with the greatest of care. I guess only time will tell whether this will be a site that I, and many others continue to subscribe to. Many of us will be taking a "wait and see" approach and hope that DG continues on for many years to come.

Well, some of y'all know I'm a talker but I really didn't mean to ramble on like this. It's all been said in every posting before mine.

Michael, I'm sure after reading this entire page, you realize this is MORE than just a gardening website, This Is Family!

Lin

Dave, whatever happens, you and your family are in my prayers.

This message was edited Jan 21, 2010 9:10 PM

Coming in at what appears to have been a very long day...

Dave, I am glad that all is not as horrid as it originally appeared. I have to repeat the general concensus: No Dave... no Dave's Garden!

Welcome Michael, to our little corner of the world! :o) I amsure you can see that this is a close-knit group of people from all walks of life, from all corners of our earth, with many things in common! And we love it here!

Dave you shouldn't be any of the things you posted. You are well loved and respected for the work that has gone into making this the BEST garden site on the web.

You have chosen your administration well, and they have been a great asset to DG. You have many things to be proud of, and many more things that you could boast about, but you are not the boasting kind.

Just continue to be the same Dave that we have all come to know and love, and Michale and his company will be bowled over by your personality and your caring for this site.

You have been to the mat many times for us, and we will go there for you.

Welcome Michael
I to love this site and the wonderful people here.

Sandy and Andre the demon child who also says hi

Dave, when I stumbled on this garden site, I had given up on life altogether. My health was so bad, my dr. even had given up that I would be here this long. After a few days of lurking, I joined up and soon started making friends and finally had a reason to go on. My gardens that I loved so much was dead and weeds had taken over. I pushed myself to get up and move around and hurt awful but kept going and by summer, I had lost 30 some pounds and where I was on a verge of a stroke and in so much pain, I began to feel better and had a purpose again. I grew a beautiful garden of flowers and made another small pond and got a life. Something I hadn't had in several years. My dr. can't believe the change in me and I know it has added extra time to my life. The people here are more than traders or lurkers, we're a big family that cares and shares and grows every day. YOU made it so we could, and DG wouldn't be DG without you and I would follow you where ever you start over IF it comes to that, just like all the others. I thank my lucky stars every day for this site and my friends and especially you. THANK YOU DAVE.
Mekos

Hola, Miguel.
I did time in Encino.... Woodley Ave., years ago.
We love Dave and the crew here at DAVE's Garden.
Behave yourself. Hear? I spend my money very carefully and very selectively. There are other forums.

Dave, you have no reason to be embarrassed by any of the words written here ... you deserve every single accolade!

This garden of friendship and fellowship that you created cannot be matched by anyone. It takes a lot to run a website of this magnitude and you have done so, very successfully. I can only imagine the tedious work it must take on a daily basis, to keep this site up and running smoothly and I have always been amazed that with such a small staff it is done so well. I've been surprised at how quickly Admin. has come to my aid, to answer a question, or correct an entry I've made somewhere. You, Trish, Melody, Terry, the Plant Files Administrators, the Bird Files folks ... you all do an outstanding job! You are the best!

Thanks, Miguel, but no Dave, no DG.

big group hug!!!!!!

We all love you Dave for what you have done with this website.. and it wouldn't be right if you were not here to carry on.. it would not be Dave's Garden without you!!!!

I hope that it will be business as usual ... and no drastic changes!!.. because of you and your site I have learned so much over the years and created so many wonderful friendships.. It would be devastating if things would not remain the way we are so familiar with..

good thoughts & prayers to you and your family... and the family you helped us create here!!!!

As some of you might have read, Internet Brands prides itself on having, per Wikipedia, "sizeable virtual communities." Even though they show 48M unique visitors per month at ALL their sites, the smaller ones cited in Wikipedia aren't even HALF as large as the membership of DG. I think that it behooves Internet Brands' management to keep this in mind when making decisions regarding changes. In addition, I'll bet that most of the individual communities cited don't have the GROWTH that DG has either - almost half a million members, with .21% (1,057) new members signed up in just the last week!

"I will follow you, wherever you may go", I know there is a song out there and can remember just a few words. I've enjoyed being a part of DG and I don't like change.

I came to this thread late, but I agree with all No Dave, No Dave's Garden. I have been with Dave for almost 10 years now and surely would hate not to to be able to come here often. Thanks Dave for all you have done for all of us over the years.

Welcome to Michael, and I do hope you and your company take what we say and feel to heart.

Donna