Dave's Garden: Rumors about changes at Dave's Garden, # 2

Terry and Melody just HAVE TO stay!! They are both great!!

Dave - I am so impressed at how you have kept your feet on the ground through all of this. Class act all the way!

Aguane, my techno-understanding is more like techno-disability. Fifteen years the net has been available from space?! Wow. That such a thing can even be done on Earth is way beyond me: I just learned one could open two or more browser windows at once a few years back :) No, I'm not kidding. So sad.... That little trick really makes web use so much more user friendly!

My kudos again to all the Admins: Terry, Melody, Joan and all for their dedication to keeping things flowing smoothly here. What started out as rumors and doubt has now cascaded into a wonderful river of affirmation for Dave and staff. Namedia was a pretty seamless ownership change, so I'm hopeful IB will follow suit.

Drapelady, fun idea on the back view photo, more names for the back cover of a calendar. We better lay off the praise now or Dave and team will be demanding white beaded gloves and limos.

Nay, not Dave!

Welcome Michael and Internet Brands!

I learned most of what I know about gardening from this site, and some of the rest of it from resources recommended by members. And I suspect that I learned it much faster than I would have from any other source. As I'm sure you already realize, it's the million-page resource that holds your hand and pats your back and cheers you on and laughs with you. And uploads a picture for you when you can't quite envision what someone's trying to explain.

I can't even begin to measure the value of learning to successfully grow my own safe, organic vegetables and fruits. And there's so much here on so many other subjects! I'm happy to be a part of this website, and I'm sure that you will, too.

Question to Micheal or Dave.
Will DG remain Firefox Friendly?

Ric

SLIGHTLY OT,
to clarify my statement
Hello Poochella,
I read an article in the Economist in the 1990's. Couldn't remember the exact date. The article was about the beginnings of the Internet in space. I thought it could have been 15 years.... but, this article says 2000.

http://www.spacedaily.com/news/internet-00l.html

Carry on... I'm confident that with the guidance of Dave And Crew, Dave's Garden will continue to Grow and provide us and many more subscribers lots of fun, education, sentiment, heart and soul for decades. Let It Be, Let It Be.........

Of course!!!

Aguane, additional info re your OT post: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100122/ap_on_hi_te/us_space_station_internet

Neat!

faeden,
Yippeeee! One can be a space traveler AND keep in touch with DG!
I think we should get NASA involved!

I'm so hopeful!.... Maybe we'll be able to travel in space and get some Moon dust and incorporate it in our 'Earthly' gardens. Dave's Garden will there so we can share Moon dust, as well as seeds.

Long Live Dave's Garden as we know it and More!

I'm never flying to outer space. Travel by airplane is bad enough for me.

Karen

Thanks Dave for answering all our questions. It's a comfort to see your responses.

If it helps, I vote for keeping Terry and Melody here!

Gee ... I've been away from the computer since yesterday afternoon and am trying to catch up here in the garden! So many wonderful folks here who have formed great friendships! I'm sure if the new owners of this site have been reading any of these threads they are realizing just what a gem they have purchased. Well, actually they must already know that or they wouldn't have bought DG in the first place, LOL ... but hopefully they will realize what a huge asset it will be to their company to keep our Dave, and his crew around for many years to come! If they don't realize that, they are not very good businessmen because they will lose a huge amount of paid subscribers.

Dave: I too had been wondering if you had to sign some type of non compete clause. We all know that you have a lot of integrity and your statement above shows just that. But, if you decide to start up a new internet community site in the future, whether garden related or otherwise, it will not compete with DG because if you aren't here, there won't be a DG. ^_^ And, as so many have previously stated, if you aren't here, we aren't here either.

I know it must be a little disheartening to have made the decision to give up ownership (to NameMedia) of something you built so successfully, but I also understand that you have a wife, kids and home that need tending ... and we all understand that is your number one priority, as it should be. We're all hoping that you will still have a say in how this site continues to run but if that doesn't happen, you know we (your on-line family) will always hold you in very high regard and if the future has you starting up a new internet community, whether garden related or otherwise, it will not compete with DG because there will no longer be a DG to compete with.

Someone in an earlier post stated they hoped you had a copy of all of our e-mail addresses ... I really hope you do so that you can keep in touch ... or we'll all just have to get together and hire a PI to track you down! ^_^

Whatever the outcome may be with the sale of this website, you have a wonderful future ahead of you and I wish you and your family many blessings!

Lin

Just sending a note of support Dave! Thanks for starting this site and let's hope it continues its current form.

drapelady i love that idea. please oh please dave do that. ha ain't life grand dave?

Dave - I can't express just how much I appreciate your being so candid with all of us and replying to lingering questions we are asking. Your honesty is reassuring and so like you.

Emotionally, this has been a huge roller coaster ride for all of us but I just can't imagine being in your shoes. A few days ago a huge bomb was dropped on you and you thought that you had no job doing what you created. The very next day you were told that there is a place for you. Keeping your admin. people is still up in the air. I realize that there will be a great deal of meetings, negotiations and decisions to be made in the next few weeks.
I pray that God directs you and you find strength from his guidance.

You have been through a great deal in the past few days and I am sure that all the DG family realizes that and can empathize. We are going through a different kind of change and remain loyal to you. We have to have faith that you will make the right decision for you and for us.

I know that I will breathe easier when all the dust settles and hopefully we find you still doing the job that you excel at. You are not alone in this but the decisions you need to make are ultimately yours and yours alone to make. We are behind you 100% because of the integrity you have proved to us time and time again.

May God give you the strength you will need to get through the next few weeks.

God Bless
Hugs Elaine and Otis

I too want to give the very highest recommendation for Terry and Melody. They do have a way of getting right to the problem without injecting anything into the message that might be taken the wrong way - very hard to do in this context. Please, please keep them in the Dave's Garden admin mix. The whole group of administrators are the very finest. I truly don't think that they can be replaced either. Someone asked if Terry ever slept. I've wondered that myself. They are a very important part of this DG family.

GGK - Your photography is always wonderful, and this was your very best!! I am proud to be on it as a big Dave supporter. Thank you!

And now, I am going to wait and see what happens. Nothing good can come of worry, and threats are even worse. Keep the love coming, but please let's not incur any bad feelings from the new owners. Placed in a defensive position, people often react irrationally.

I'm rarely at a loss for words, but I have been since I received Dave's first letter. By now the support has grown, and Dave has no doubt about how we care for him. He is an humble admirable man, who has accomplished much, and will continue to accomplish even more.

Those others of his staff have also done their jobs well, and they also deserve our words of praise and thanks.

But I write articles for Dave's Garden, and have for a few years, and I have worked directly with Terry and Melody on an almost daily basis. I have known Melody for a long time, too many years to count, and my admiration for her continues to grow. She is as dependable as the sun that rises every morning.

I did not know Terry until she became our editor. I had a teaching career for nearly 40 years and worked with many professionals. I have never worked with any professional who handled her duties as adequately and skillfully and with quiet efficiency as has Terry.

Both these ladies will be more than an asset to any company that acquires them.
Thank you both, along with Dave and the rest of the staff, for all you've done for me.
I feel strongly that things will work out well for all of us who care so much for Dave's Garden.

As another member of the writing team, I'd like to add my agreement to what Larry and Sharran have already said so eloquently. Terry, Melody, and Joan have all done an exceptional job at maintaining the peaceful, friendly atmosphere in the forums. Terry has done a fantastic job of keeping the quality of the articles accepted for publication high, without putting a damper on the very different personalities of the writers. I'd like to express my hopes that IB will recognize the dedication and commitment to excellence demonstrated by the entire administrative team.

Angie

I have read every post and agree with almost everything I have read....a few things were off topic but that is to be expected. I just recently joined Dave's Garden and wish that I had done so when I first heard about this wonderful site. So far, I have participated in two swaps (hey I'm new!) and also received many surprises in the mail from generous members here. I find every question I ask is answered truthfully and quickly, no matter how stupid or newbie sounding it is, and with positive information I can use in my garden.
I went to the IB website and found a site I belong to but stopped using because of the change in format. I wondered why the change had taken place because the information, in the past was presented in a straight-forward manner. Now the opening page is full of scam leads and advertisements. It takes longer to gather the information I need, so I found another source. I truly hope that does not happen to Dave's Garden, but this is a business deal. And all businesses are in the market to grow and make money. I understand the need to sell due to lack of time or adding financial backing or even litigation purposes, but there needs to be a way for paid members to keep accessing the forum in the same way we do at present. Let non-paying members access from the front page and let members skip the front page if they so desire. If the site I used to access - now owned by Internet Brands - would do that, I would go back to the site again.
**Someone made a suggestion earlier about the members buying this site - for all intents and purposes it is a good idea but only if Dave were to keep control and the members knew he was the sole administrator capable of making all the business decisions. I would help contribute.**

Dave would have found a way to buy back DG in a heartbeat! The problem, of course, was that he had no idea it was for sale! He received a call from his boss a couple of weeks ago that basically said "oh, we sold Dave's Garden". It was like a rock fell on our house. I'll also mention that Name Media sold off all of their home websites. They want to focus on their main business of buying and selling domain names.

I'm guessing that Internet Brands doesn't want to sell DG ;)

Well, at least we have a lot too read while waiting for the soil and air to warm enough for planting.

i also would like to voice my opinion. i also really hope that Melody and Terry will be allowed to stay on. they are a wonderful staff, and i hope IB understands this. Dave, you have started a wonderful site, and if you leave this site, i will follow.
Michael, i hope you understand that we are a family here, and please don't try to change that. i love all my DG friends, and i don't want to go without them.
if you don't make big changes, i am sure everyone will remain happy, i am sure.
take care all,
isaac

Trish, I am sorry that the sale came as a total surprise to you and Dave.
I can imagine how you felt, and I hope that it will all get resolved in a good and pleasant way for all concerned.
Josephine.

The sad thing about corporations (and I know first hand as I work for a very large one) is the only thing that matters to them is the bottom dollar. The very least they could have done was to inform Dave before the sale letting him know they were going to sell DG but like I said it all comes down to the bottom dollar unfortunately.

Oasis is I read in the long thread that I thought was the perfect description of DG.
I went uh-oh when I saw the Nasdaq letters for this company. I belonged to Garden.com a long time ago. Probably before Dave's even started up. They went public on their own, not part of another company. They over-reached and went bankrupt. It took awhile but I found both Dave's and Gardennet, until I was Disneyed, lol.
For Michael, it looks like you show some interest in gardening. The best way to start is soil preporation. If you have an excellent, maleable, tested and true base, then things will grow.

This message was edited Jan 24, 2010 10:19 AM

i'd like to speak out my mind.
After all, i have been in this DG for almost ten years, where i learned a lot of useful things on gardening, and made a lot of friends too. And I am thinking of another 10 years' subscripation. But when i heard DG will be fixed and there is no room for the founder Dave any longer, my heart sank.
Confucius he says 'If the name be not correct, language accords not with truth. If language accords not with truth, affairs cannot achieve success.' What would it be like if Dave's Garden with no Dave to be involved in? i wish someone could think it again before leaping.
At last, may DG be from good to better and to best!
Jianhua

Considering that the DG website comes up when doing just about any gardening internet searches, I bet it was a premium buy! :-) Isn't gardening one of the top five past times/hobbies in the world?

I, too, have been on other sites that eventually tacked on too many spams, so I just quit using them. Most of us are very busy with jobs, family, and friends ... not to mention other activities such as gardening, crafts, photography, pets, etc. that we don't have the time to wait and wait while pop-ups load and clutter our computer screen. I DEFINITELY won't buy from spam pop-up advertisements! The minute they slow my computer down and cover my monitor screen with their annoying distractions, I make a mental note not to search that site again. There are plenty of other good sites that don't try to shove advertisements down my throat. I am also one of those people that "mute" commercials on TV and use it as a break to do something else for those few minutes. :-)

With the current recession, I think more people are being very selective about what they buy. I figure that if a company is spending a lot on advertising, they are passing that cost onto the consumer. So it becomes too pricey for me! Usually if a product is really good, they don't HAVE to spend major bucks on advertising. I go by word of mouth these days. And the Watchdog forum here on DG is excellent. I want to spend my money wisely. I think that will become the new (U.S. and possibly worldwide) way for people to spend their hard-earned money. Here in the USA, the baby boomers are getting ready to retire or already have and they aren't easily fooled by advertising. They do their homework and research, too! But most get the thumbs up by word of mouth. So if companies want to sell their products, they need to sell a good product that is cost effective! If it is junk, word spreads just as quickly!

I would think that DG pretty much pays for itself because it sells an online subscription that I feel is offered at a fair price. I know for a fact that if the annual subscription rate increases, you may lose members who can't afford the increase. So if IB has plans of gorging us by raising the subscription cost, DG may lose loyal members.

That's my .10 worth! I hope IB is listening. :-)

Just seeing this thread...been off for a while. Glad to know the new owners see Dave's worth to us. His family and staff are invaluable to the website. I have met him and countless others through the closeness of this website and the Round Ups here in TX. I hope it remains as it is now "for gardeners..by gardeners".

I too love the picture GardenGuyKin, and know I am one of the members that have Dave's back.
Sheila

I'm dizzy from reading all the posts. Everything I'm thinking has already been said. I love the picture. Thanks GardenGuy for all work you put into it.

I love this site. It's the first place I go to in the morning. When you have a problem, someone is always there to tell you it's ok and fixable. When your heart is broken by the passing of a pet, you can always count on members to help you through the many days of sadness ahead. There's a hundred other reasons why I'm a member and want the site not to change.

Love you Dave and staff.

Well it is my turn I guess...I read all the above..and ditto to all of you..

Welcome Michael..hope you are reading..all about of family...here..Dave and his staff are great..and it would not be the same..without them..I am here..everyday, and a few times..during..It gives me a place to relax...

Hope it stays the same for sure..

smiles..Diana...

Whew!!! Just spent the past few hours reading all 474 posts. I had not checked in for a couple of days & did not know about all this happening.
I just want all to know that this is the best source of gardening information. I've been a member for awhile. I do not post very often but lurk a lot. I've made some very nice trades with other folks here and hope DG changes only for the better.

Michael, Welcome to DG.
I don't know how much input you have in what IB does to this site. If this is like most big businesses, you probably get your orders from higher up. Please try to keep DG the way it is. My biggist fear is that there will be many ads and pop ups. Don't let this happen!

Dave and Staff,
We love you all. I hope all of you continue to make this site the wonder that it is.

Rose

Yankeecat - ditto - I don't pay to hang out anywhere else.

Oh and I see my name is on the great shirt-picture too - THANKS.

We have nearly half a million (that is HALF A MILLION) members on this site. There truly is something for everyone and if you don't want to visit a certain forum you don't have to ^_^ there are plenty of others.

Here's to Dave's Gardenweb staying much the same as it is today. Where else would I go with my morning tea?

Dutchlady1,
A gentle nudge....
Just "Dave's Garden" will do ... with ALL do respect to you!
GW is Spike's site.

I finally found a great gardening info site and can't believe what has happened hopefully the "NEW" owners will let the site continue as it has functioned in the past... I'm like a child in a FREE candy shop so much to read and absorb I don't know where to start

Aguane, GW USED to be Spike's site, hasn't been his for a long time. Once he sold it, it truly became iVillage's site, complete with iVillage Idiots who ran around like chickens with their heads cut off...completely clueless on how to do much of anything. Let us hope a similar fate will never fall upon a great site like Dave's Garden.

Who bought GW from ivillage...was it NBC? Jo

I have mostly fear about this buyout. Even more than before, after this year
of financial disasters based on outright fraud and lies, I don't trust the new
owners to take our fondness of Dave into consideration when $$$ is the bottom line. If, however, membership became more expensive, then the profit margin might look good to the new owners. Perhaps some of the regular non-members could consider this as a way to help save DG? It's just an idea.

Las Vegas is now green because of DG. We desert gardeners need all the help we can get and DG's is the only place to find it. Good luck Dave and all the DG family.

I must confess ... one of the main things bothering me about all of this is WHY? didn't NameMedia (or is it MediaName? LOL) even bother to clue Dave in on the sale of DG? And then why the 2 week delay before IB contacted him? I mean ... come on! What's it take to make a phone call? Is there some underlying reason that wasn't done? That really sends red flags up to me.

I just went through some more of IB's sites. Slick, highly commercialized and cold. Ugh!