A big announcement from Dave

When I first read the announcement I let out a little gasp and held my breath. I love DG and didn't want anything to change. I am now breathing easier after reading the answers to all the questions. Dave I know you have put your heart and soul into this and will continue to do so. Congratulations Dave, Trish and Terry!!!! I spend many hours here every week checking in and finding new information. This is the first and last place I come to every day. Money well spent!
Bravo!
Gay Lynn

Congratulations, Dave, Trish, and Terry! We are confident that DG will only keep getting better! Enjoy!

I've been here a few years. And learned a lot, and shared a lot of what I learned.

Congratulations Dave and all. I just hope that this company realizes what they have bought.

" Gardens.com will be a learning experience for all of us and I'm sure we'll take what we learn in doing this project and apply it to future projects." Dave, if you do this, we will back you 100%.

I feel a little sad, because things will change.... but am open to the thought that the change may well be for the better.

My very best wishes to you all.

Hi Dave, Terry and Trish!
I wish you god speed and good luck in your new venture.
May your new paths bring much luck and happiness and
wealth your way.

I keep a little sticky on the front of my computer, it says
Friday 2/10/06 4pm
201,608 past 7 days 1348 joined, DG grew .67%

thats the day I joined, and every day I look at that note and
marvel at how many of us talk here with everyone else every
day, get together, help and ask questions. Its a wondrous thing.
I am very proud to be a contributing member of Daves Garden.

Do you guys have to move to Boston? oy!
Where are you now?
I used to work at Merry Gardens in Camden,ME and I thought the
climate there was the best for growing stuff. Love that North East
sea winds and moistness!
Regards,
sheri

I'd like to add my thoughts. You Admins are like family. I couldn't be happier for you.

You know what's one thing I always liked? When, right in the middle of a thread, I'd see "Terry" or "Dave", and then there'd be some special comments from one of you. Terry, I remember telling someone on a thread that you actually live in his computer and are listening to his every word at all times. Please tell us that this will still happen. Will you be reading/checking/contributing to our conversations? It sounds like you may be too busy for us in the future.

One more thing. Dave, thank you so very much for promising to hold us to the same high standards that I appreciate so much at Daves Garden. I cringe at double-meanings and crude language, and I thank you for not allowing that here.

I could say more, but won't take up any more room with the same well-wishes as everyone else.

Nancy

well think I was the last to hear this news.. congratulations all of you.. the very best in this new adventure..

Jeff welcome to..

new subs. prices start when i don't know about that.??

Welcome Jeff, I'm not as nice as a previous post. Hurt Dave, Terry or Trish and l'll come and kick you're butt!
Really, though, I've been here since the beginning, trust Dave, and all his decisions. Pfffftttt about the price change, the least of our concerns. DG has been my homepage for years, glad to have the novice "I just started a garden, what should I plant?" moved to the kindergarten page.
Carol

Wow over 3500 posts in just over 24 hours. I posted earlier, but was very interesting to read all the posts. Welcome to Jeff.

Donna

Dave,

There remains a thought-provoking question that I read but did not readily find an answer to. This is an excerpt from a post earlier in this thread (keep in mind that the time stamp is based on my time zone, Pacific Standard Time):

Congratulations, Dave and Trish......what wonderful news.

Its great to see all your hard work reap such rewards.

Looking forward to see what the future will bring..

earthling

Donna, thank you for reminding me about that. It's getting hard to track the questions!

No, we're not changing the Acceptable Use Policy (at least, not without a good reason and not without my approval). The copyright clause of the AUP has never changed and I don't see a reason for it to ever change.

We do periodically update it when needed, but only as a matter of necessity.

And can I say again: Subscribers will ALWAYS be able to keep ads and sponsorships, etc, turned OFF!! That's not changing under my watch, period. Ask Jeff if you don't believe me. :)

best,
dave

Yay!

Thank you for such a quick response, Dave! I figured it was already sleepytime in Bryan and didn't expect a response until tomorrow. You've had a long day!

Sleep well, dear man.
Donna

Dave, Terry & Trish, Congratulations! I am still hanging around and had to speak up for such a huge event! This is just not a time in my life when I have a lot of time to spend on line with all of the garden family. But, I do check in and keep an eye on what's going on and yearn for the day when I will be able to be more involved. This is still my favorite place on the www! Thanks for always keeping it special! Doris

Thanks Donna. It's been a huge day and as it's coming to a close I'll say it was one of the most thrilling days since creating DG.

NameMedia has read every post in this thread and they are as happy as I am about the way you all have accepted them into the fold. They will work to gain the trust of those who need it and in time we will all see that this will work out very well.

I better try to get to bed soon, though; I have a conference call with NM in 8 hours from now...

dave

One more question that I don't think I answered: When does the new subscription rate become effective?

The answer is: February 15th. Prior to that time, anyone is welcome to resubscribe and add a year to their existing subscription at the current rate. After that the new rate will be in effect. Maybe your DH can give you a valentine's day present. :)

Dave

Or your DW! ;-)

I declare, I just can't keep out of this thread! I've clicked on it, re-clicked, and re-re-clicked!

So much positivity and wonderful input going on here! I love it! And the questions that are being asked are being answered with words we all want to hear. Yay! Lots of comfort in those answers!

Seems to me that DG will continue being DG and any changes, if/when they happen, will be governed by Dave's usual philosophy of "will it be good for everyone?".

Thanks to all of you for opening up so many perspectives and outlooks. Thanks to Dave for coming through with the answers. Wonderful! Just wonderful!

Shoe.

I'm like Shoe, I can't stay away, either. :)

One more comment here and then I promise I'm heading out:

Anyone who wants to be included in a beta test of Gardens.com, dmail me. :) I'm planning to start having beta tests tomorrow afternoon.

dave

I can't speak for Terry, but I know that I've been here all day and read all of the posts. You've all been so supportive, it's really been wonderful to read all of the posts! (I'll not get mushy......but it really has given me warm fuzzies!) I've let Dave man the questions, as he is THE Dave :)

Many of you have brought up the exact same questions and concerns that have dominated the conversations at our house over the past months. What will things really be like???? You have to understand that for us, personally, this is a huge step as well. Dave's been self-employed for nearly all of our married lives. As we've been able to work through all of our questions, we've become more and more excited. Rest assured, we never would have taken this step if we didn't feel confident in Name Media, both personally and for DG. We certainly wouldn't want to throw away all of our years of work! Not to mention the relationships that we have with all of you, and you have with each other- none of which we take for granted. All of us are together in watching DG take this step. Holding our breath, yes....in a way. But it is a very very excited breath :)

We're thrilled to be able to watch DG grow in ways we never could have done alone. (Our little baby is growing up....sniffle). To have watched DG become what it is today....which I believe is what web community ought to be....is a privilege. I look forward to the future, for sure!

Personally, for me, I look forward to being able to spend more time on the forums. Years ago, I was much more active. Without the burden of the mounds of paperwork and such, it will be wonderful to free to pursue the forums once again.

We are greatfull for the technology that allows us to stay in Texas. I'm not sure that Boston is ready for a Southern Gal such as myself, anyway *grin* Not to mention I'd never blend in.....they'd spot my accent a mile away :)

We've always run DG in way that we'd enjoy. We don't enjoy ads, either :) That's why we've had the option of turning them off, and why we insisted that that option stay. Don't get us started on Spyware! Not on this site! If we wouldn't want it, we know none of you would either.

We fully intend to hold true to our "roots", so to speak. We do this with the full support and encouragement from Name Media. We're thrilled that they hold to the same standards as we do, and from everything that we've seen from them, they are all class acts! (Otherwise, we never would have joined up)

Well, I could write more, but I'll spare you :) Thank all of you again for your encouragement and support. We feel very blessed by all of it. It's been very overwhelming today seeing how much DG means to all of you, as much as it does to us. It's a great feeling :)

Trish

How cool! I'll Dmail ya!

Now...get to bed! Glad you had a great day! I think a lot of us did, too! (And I think just this thread alone is a record!)

Nighty night!

Shoe.

Edited because Trish and I were posting at the same time:

Thanks a gazillion for posting those words, Trish! It really is great to hear how much you've all been involved with the planning, the thinking of not just your family but also the greater DG Family and the site overall.

And yes, I hope to see you once again finding time to be more active on the threads, you'll enjoy it again! (And just think of the piles of paperwork you'll be free of!)

Thanks for your part down this 6 year road!

Shoe
(And just think, you don't have to move again! That means you won't have to make new curtains for yet another house and won't have to start all over with flower beds, herb beds, veggie garden!)

This message was edited Jan 25, 2007 12:34 AM

Dave, Trish and Terry,

What more can I add that hasn't already been said above?

Although I've been MIA recently, DG has been the first site I come to each morning for the past 4 years and I expect that the next 4 years will be even more rewarding.

I am looking forward to any changes you make, and I'm feeling a sense of excitement for us all!

Welcome, Jeff! You will be meeting a lot of wonderful people here at The Garden!

My hearty congratulations to all of you!

Gracie

First of all, congratulations Dave, Trish and Terry!! You have worked very hard to make this site what it has been and is right now. I'm sure that you, Dave have put a lot of thought on this decision. The well being of your family has to be paramount.

Having said that, I have many concerns. One of them is the issue that Tutti-Frutti and Ilima brought up. Like them I want to find out if the Terms of Agreement concerning copyright will remain the same in the future. I would not be happy at all if those terms were violated in any way. I have never subscribed to any other site and have never shared my photos or words anywhere else. I have happily posted hundreds of pictures to share with this gardening community with the implicit knowledge that I was protected under those terms.

Another point is the issue of privacy. I would like to be reassured that my personal information is kept within the confines of Dave's Garden and not sold to advertisers or spammers. I would also like to know if information like credit card numbers, etc, are kept secure.

I'm very suspicious of large corporations. Having worked for several large corporations, i know that the most important factor for them is profit. The human side is always forgotten, stepped over, diregarded, etc. in lieu of the mighty $$. Is it naive of us to trust that things will remain basically the same? I trust that Dave, who has always made very good sound decisions for the benefit of this community, has given this a lot of thought. It's not that I'm against companies making a profit, but the utter greed of corporations is one the biggest ailments that our world is experiencing lately.

I still have many concerns which I will bring up if I see the need. Maybe age and experience have made me cynical and distrustful, but I just can't help it when it comes to the greed of corporations.
I want to remain hopeful that all these changes will only be for our mutual benefit. I'm all for change that is beneficial to the community at large.

I feel better now that my question has been answered. Thanks Tutti for bringing it back up and Dave for answering.

ilima

Dave, thank you for answering some of those questions. I was writing my post so I didn't see the answers until after I posted (I write slow LOL).

Congrats to the best!

Congratulations on the big news. It sounds like you'll be freed up to enjoy your job a bit more.

Can I assume that there will now be more resources to put toward enhancing the tools (functionality) of the site? I've got some enhancements (and a few discrepancies) that I'd love to see implemented.

May 2007 be a prosperous and healthy year for you,
mw

wonderful news ,
I'm glad you all will be able too be here, there, and everywhere, on Dave's now, and have more time to enjoy.
all the best, all the way,
warm regards Boots

Best Wishes to a Great Team, Corky. aka Marilynne

even with all the questions answered i am still unsure about this. i still have a few questions but will wait and see. this is a big step for everyone and its a wait and see thing.

Dave, I can't get the link to come up and I'm consumed with curiousity--what can I do?

I just need to put my two cents in.
I have not been with Dave's all that long. Had there been a generalized garden fourm sooner I might have gotten into gardening sooner. I am still relatively new to gardening in general even though I hybridize iris and Daylilies, there is so much I just do not know and depend on Dave's and the people here to help me over the rough spots.

I can see only good from this move for Dave and crew and those of us who think of this as our internet home. A beginner fourm, to me would only encourage more people to invest in Dave's eventually and bring new and exciting ideas to the forums.

I wish you all the best
:)
Anita

Someone pointed out I had been kinda quiet on this thread ;o)

Yesterday was a busy day behind the scenes, and I didn't want poor Dave to be tripping over my petite size 5 feet (errr.....words) at every turn, so I stayed busy doing other things so he could focus on answering your questions and letting all of you see his enthusiasm for this new phase of DG.

Make no mistake though....I am extremely happy and pleased that the decision Dave made for us in choosing to team up with NameMedia, and the opportunities they're giving us to focus our energies and attention on making DG and Gardens.com into the best online communities imagineable. As you can see from Dave's announcement, he puts a LOT of thought into his decisions, and that has made it easy to place my trust and confidence in his judgment to do what is best for DG's members and us as stewards. I'm indebted to him and Trish for placing their confidence in me back in 2001 when they offered me a position here at DG. I'm also indebted to the members (aka friends) here who make it fun to "go" to work (*chuckle* my commute is about 50 feet from my bedroom to my office, with a sidetrip to the kitchen for coffee in my DG mug, of course! ;o)

Dave and I both spent a few days this month in Boston, meeting the NameMedia team and laying the groundwork for Gardens.com - I can personally attest to what Dave wrote: they're enthusiastic, professional, friendly, and passionate about what they do. They're very good at what they do, and they deeply respect what we've created with DG - I think it's going to be a really good mix of skills and talents. I know our community is going to grow in very positive ways (as it has for the past six years), I can't wait to see how everything unfolds!

But in the meantime, things should remain pretty much "business as usual" here at DG - you'll still see Dave, Trish and me pop into various threads, and see little tweaks and improvements here and there and everywhere ;o)

Happy gardening!
Terry

First of all- congratulations! I'm happy for the three of you that you are finally reaping the rewards of all your hard work. I'm happy that you will be able to garden and participate more in your creation.

I'm sure as an entrepreneur you did not decide to work for someone else without a great deal of thought and I doubt that just money could even be a motivating force for people of your caliber. I trust your judgement and plan to stay a subscriber as long as you are on-board. The price jump is fine because I've always thought it was underpriced, I do think it's a lot at one time for some people. I actually am looking forward to the availability of ads- as long as I can seek them out rather than be clobbered with them. Ads should be limited to those who pass muster of GWD and GWD should never be censored to avoid offending an advertiser.

Now that some of the tedious stuff will be off your plate- do you think we could have DG coffeemugs again? I would never think of asking if you guys would be stuck with it but I know there are so many that want them.

Maggie

Congratulations Dave, Trish, and Terry! I'm always happy when good things happen to good people.

Jeff:

Welcome to DG. If you're not a gardener, we'll make a gardener out of you. :-)

How interesting! I must say I fully support the move and feel it can only be a good thing. Happy to wait and see anyway and I will be renewing my subscription. Good luck to you Dave and thanks for an already great site!

Speaking of welcoming people to DG....

Dave, you said in an earlier post that the folks at NameMedia had been following this thread and reading all of the posts. I would like to take the time now to welcome all of them into the fold as well. Perhaps we can entice some of them out of their "lurking" positions to come on down and say hi.....maybe even Mark, the creative designer of Gardens.com. 'Twould be nice to "meet" some more of the new people.

--Ginny

Dave, Trish, & Terry,

What can I say: You have prided yourselfs on the growth & beauty of nature, not to mention the friendlyness, helpfulness (well to some it up the GREAT BIG family you have created and grown throu the 6 yrs. How could you not move on to greater expections. I have only been with DG less than a year and I cant imagine living without it. My hubby says that I am a nut but he likes the results in our yard and it would have never been done without the DGers of the world. Which would have never existed if it wasn't for the geniousness of Dave. I have never seen a greater bunch of people. It is so nice to know that there is still alot of careing and sharing left in this world.

My Congrats to you in your growth the last 6 years and the greater growth that you will accomplish now.


Beck

Wow......Everyone has said it all, pretty much......I will wish the 3 of you, Dave Trish, Terry, the best, and lets just hope DG stays the same.....:-)

Dave, Trish, & Terry,

I have so enjoyed becoming a part of Dave's Garden and am looking forward to you having the time to pop in more often. I have learned so much about gardening and met so many new friends. Congratulations on the new move and looking forward to seeing you more often.

Welcome to the folks at NameMedia.

Dave,
Thanks for the opportunity to purchase one more year at the current price! As my subscription is soon to be up for renewal, I went ahead and took advantage of the current rate offer.

In my opinion, the value gained from DG membership is far more than $25. Would you consider making a new thread to announce the rate change effective date and the opportunity to "lock in" with the current rate if renewal is done before 2/15? This thread is rapidly getting so long, many people may not read the whole thing!