Important Announcement

Takeover Good or Bad

18 Nov 2005

Elliott
I don't envy your position. This must be really difficult for you.
kiss

Just go carefully, don't change things too soon and get to know everyone. You will realsie that this is a great set of people and yes it IS a very close community, but as soon as the shock wears off, I'm sure the majority f people will be accomodating and open-minded about the changes. That's what we're all about isn't it?
:welcome: Elliott and thank you for being around to answer all of our questions

18 Nov 2005

I guess you guys don't use joysticks anymore, Elliot... :cry: :cry:

18 Nov 2005

I know I've only been here a short time in comparison to others, but I have been a member of this site for over a year and have only recently started using both the forums and chat.
I'm currently in the chat room and martin_675 is in there trying to explain what's going on.
My Internet background is very extensive in the respect I have, (in the past), ran IRC chat servers, (at a much higher access level than the SOP's currently in chat rooms), I've ran forums and I've ran a few websites in my time.
So, I know a little bit about running sites and making sure they run smoothly.
The first thing I have to say is you can't please all of the people all of the time, that's a fact and there's no getting round it.
But .... (And he's the really hard bit to get past for any new owner), there is a very strong sense of community on SH and there are a lot of 'hard core' users who go to meets, go to munches and also make great use of the forums and chat, (in some instances both).
Many years ago, I ran an IRC chat server that also had a strong sense of community spirit for an ISP. The ISP decided to get rid of its own IRC servers and rent ones from an IRC server that was/is infamous for child pornography and have many hundreds of thousands of chat users with thousands of chat rooms.
The community as it were boycotted the current servers on that ISP and moved over to a 'new community server' which I paid for. Thankfully this boycott lasted only a few weeks and eventually the ISP relented and retained its (then) current servers and format.
What concerns me about the new owner ship are:
1) The Webcams
is well known for being the cess pit of the Internet with a huge amount of males who frequent the server and trawl looking for a "cam show" and react with violent abuse when turned down.
In addition, webcam feeds require server access rights to your computer, (all they do is take a pic every second then remotely display it on another machine, basically what you see is series of compressed JPG images hence the stutter), and the newly opened ports can be exploited if you know what you're doing.
2) The Voice
Again this requires server access to your computer and opens ports that can be exploited.
3). Pay to enter
I realise that all the current members will get a years free membership, but, (and this is based on what I've read here), very few people are willing to now pay for what they have used over the last few weeks/months/years for free.
But this doesn't change the fact that if from today your membership is free, then 1 year from now you'll have to pay.
This means in a years time, a massive amount of the membership will be dropped and the people paying for the service will be the only members. So in effect existing members will be told "Thanks for all the fish"
There are a lot of people on SH who are on a budget and can't afford a monthly subscription, so they will leave. Others will leave because they won't have the means to pay because they won't have a credit or debit card.
In short, as much as you've enjoyed using this site and meeting new people, it won't mean diddly squat if you can't afford a monthly subscription or have no way of paying to remain a member.
If this site goes that way, then I see it becoming a site full of blokes who are willing to pay because they think a pay to enter site gives them a better chance of meeting someone.
But isn't true, just because you pay doesn't mean that you'll get what you want, it means you have a slightly worse chance because the site will be flooded with like minded males. The real way to run a site such as this is to listen to the users, listen to what they want and what they'd like to see implemented.
Look at the existing community and see what that has to offer, improve what you already have instead of trying to change it into something you want it to be.
SH at this time has a sense of community I have never seen before, in all my years of being on the net and all my experience of chat rooms and forums, I have never seen people come together in the way they do here.
I fear a huge part of this community will be removed if this site goes to pay to enter.
I'm in agreement with charging for the webcam and voice facilities. That way people can be tracked and if they step out of line and don't respond favourably to warnings, then they can be banned from the site. If they get really out of hand, they can be easily identified by their payment details and appropriate action could then be more easily taken by the authorities such as the police.
I do welcome change, but I fear the changes won't be to the benefit of the site, but more to its detriment because it'll encourage morons who are only after a shag, a cam show or voice 'phone sex' and if they have paid for it, then they'll have a right to use those services because they have paid for them.
Also, because they've paid for the service, they'll use it all the more.
I wouldn't like this site to go down the tubes. I have my up's and downs here, (like when I start a reasonable debate in the chat room this seems to tax some op's attention spans and they stop the debate), and I know I mainly sit on the side, but I do like a lot of the people I've talked to on here and I really wouldn't like to see that community destroyed.

18 Nov 2005

Quote by Debbiewebs
well cum Elliott............
well one thing i like about you ............and its a start............ and .thatis you are bad at spelling
love it
But i want you to do this for me................ please in what every way you can......... keep the mods on!
you see its not just the peeps in here that make this site its the mods too........if they go ................i will warn you now........... the site will go to pot! HONIST!
I have to admit i have had a few tears..............like a lot of us........... we will give you a chance..............but you mess things up and you will have a strike on ya hands............And i am not shitting here...........we are as one in here..... and i am sorry to here that you did not spend time sitting back and taking notice on how us peeps that make this site what it is............and that wasent the first thing you looked at!............thats shocks me ...................i am a bussness women too........and its successful !............ and thats only because my partner and i spent loads of time ..........on the shop floor first!
I wish you all the luck in the world.....yes as a bussness women i am after making money too .........but not with out sacriffices.......... good luck yo you!
and i will hold my glass up to you....when and if it works out!.. hope so!!.and i mean that from the bottom of my heart and others!

I think Elliot's off getting some beer and I've only just finished reading this thread, we did look at SH for a long time and know that the community is the reason why the site is successful, we wouldn't want to do anything to change that. Also thanks to everyone that has spent a lot of time putting comments together for us.
I read earlier about concerns of privacy etc. But at this moment in time nothing has changed on the site and any changes made will have to ensure that no laws or acts or data protection or broken.

18 Nov 2005

Quote by Serendipity

Serendipity -
1) We are a small singular company, your details won't be going anywhere, they will not leave the SH server, and will be encrypted.
2) Should the site do well enough financially, then the mods and ops will benifit.
3) As this site is not our main income, and we have enough backup cashflow, we are in a strong position and are not going away soon. One things for sure the site will never be closed.

Thanks for answering those Elliot! .
not quite answerd .
Things changed .
Swinging Heaven is FREE and is staying that way .
thats what it says over there on the panel we all read when joined

18 Nov 2005

Initially -
SHOCK
HORROR
How Can They??
After reading throught the thread:
So far,
Elliot appears to be giving out as much info as he can
What he has said so far seems reasonable
He has a sense of humour (essential in here so he should fit right in)
I belong to a couple of commercial, yet free, sites that are OK, no heavy ads, spam etc that work very well (in fact I have often wondered where they make a profit but they obviously do!!), so I am not too bothered about that YET!
I'm actually away for the weekend so there is plenty of time for things to calm down and settle. I, for one, am prepared to see what happens. Surely a commercial concern will not want to break what is obviously a VERY successful formula - it wouldn't make sense.
So, a Great Big Thanks to Mark - you made, and maintained, a brilliant site. I hope you made a respectable profit and you can concentrate more on your private life/family.
To all the ops and moderators: please bear with them and see what happens - you are the structure of this site and are what makes it tick over so well. biggrin

:D :D
To the new owners - Hi, :welcome: , pull up a chair and have a chat. You've just got yourselves a big, friendly, piss-taking, loving, open-minded site with an amazingly loyal membership - try not to break it! Finally - IF you can make a profit out of me without unduly inconveniencing me then go right ahead!! If it keeps this part of SH going as it is I'm happy, just don't assume that your changes are what WE want - ASK!!!!!
Dave
Sitting on the fence waiting

18 Nov 2005

Quote by Maia
I guess you guys don't use joysticks anymore, Elliot... :cry: :cry:

Don't worry Maia, you can come fiddle with my joystick wink

while I try and get radio 1 lol

Elliot - Thanks for answering me questions, I look forward to the changes in the photo ads, in the vain hope that it improves me success rate :lol2:
edit:- Does this mean we can use larger files as avatars? :bounce:

18 Nov 2005

okay..... first feeling is shock.... had 5 text messages on my phone saying there was something i had to read....
first of all i would like to say a huge thank you to mark....... for all of the tireless effort he has put in all these years.. i hope that he comes back to the site often so we know how he is...
I like most people feel uneasy about what is happening... but change will always do that, the premium stuff is the thing that worries me most... it is all well and good that you are saying that the existing membership is protected in most changes, however old members leaves fresh people with fresh ideas always come to take their place... if the premium stuff deters that then we will have lost out.......
please remember that your biggest commodity in all that has happened is us... without all the people on the website, there is no swinging heaven regardless and if the changes go too far then i am sure people will vote with there feet eventually.....and i am sure you would not have paid a lot of money just to watch the place fold.....
my kneejerk reaction was to head for the emergency stash of 24 beers i have in my fridge... but my rational side has begun to kick in.....
a lot of us are going to probably going to play a wait and see game like most others...
Welcome to the site and I hope that everything goes well......
sean xxxxxxxxxxxx

18 Nov 2005

FFS........i take a few days off and the bloody place moves from under me <>(looks which way the rats are running).
for once ive read through an entire post smile

welcome to the new owners
well...it was nice meeitng so many of you lovely people....
sorry...not trying to be fatalistic but i look at the facts..
first and foremost.......SH has been bought out.......by a COMMERCIAL ENTITY......
these said companies DO NOT in any which way or form exist for our pleasure...
adam is employing the oldest psycho analyctic approach and its gazumped over 90% of you......hes probably a nice guy but i think he forgets that we are not in the under 50 IQ club (postie aside)...
i will answer yor questions approach is as said the oldest trick in the book...the 1s which can be answered are answered....the 1s which cant (like reeses) will not and in others the round the houses approach is used with no answer at the end as youve forgotten the question biggrin

.....
this site has been "BOUGHT" not given,lent or borrowed....that money must be returned and a profit shown...here adam youve played a decent game....offering us FREE membership with nothing to pay....well...for a year at least...
i appreciate that you cannot comment on the reasons and ways for the acquisition and planned charges to be brought in.....
mark ran this site ofr the community and god bless him for it......
but the death knell has sounded as i for 1 have a lot of experience with this type of company....no bad feelings though adam...you saw a niche opportunity and youve took it....good luck to you...
SH as we knew it will cease to exist within a month...MARK MY WORDS :shock: :shock: sad

:( :(

18 Nov 2005

Quote by st3v3
I read earlier about concerns of privacy etc. But at this moment in time nothing has changed on the site and any changes made will have to ensure that no laws or acts or data protection or broken.

Errrmm... there's more to it than that! We're not talking about laws etc here. This site has achieved a very delicate balance of trust and discretion that many people have realised over months of confidence building. I've got to say that your appearance draws all of that into question. You can't achieve the same level of confidence merely by giving assurances - it is peoples' experiences that will guide them. I appreciate you can't or don't want to say what your ultimate aims are, but if you produce something unpalatable over time then things will erode and the 'community' will disperse to the four corners - if you are up front now and it is unpalatable then people will upsticks and go somewhere else - maybe as an entity - in which case something might be preserved. Your call, I guess.

18 Nov 2005

Spent the last 40 mins reading all these posts. Ive been using the SH ads for a couple of years, and been on the forums since earlier this year and have been getting into the social side of the community and made some really good mates.
Elliot....Please dont ruin this site and put it in the categories of all the other pay to use sites which end up a total waste of time. There are hundreds of very genuine people on here that have a fantastic social community as well as the swinging and you have to realise its all these people that make this site the success that it is now, so please dont piss us all off just to make a quick buck!

18 Nov 2005

Quote by st3v3
I think Elliot's off getting some beer and I've only just finished reading this thread, we did look at SH for a long time.
.

18 Nov 2005

Quote by Elliot
Fred aka Medic 1 - i signed up for 30 seconds the other day, placed a simple ad, and had a quick 5 min look in the chatroom. We didn't really need to see the site to much, as we were in discussions with Mark regarding its stats, which is what we needed to know first off.

:shock: :shock: see above my post!
A gain i ask please keep the mods on .............. DONT JUST FOB THEM OFF AND SAY................. ITS THERE DICISION!!............. you have to work at keep them here
what effort have you made?

18 Nov 2005

Quote by Fred aka Medic 1

I think Elliot's off getting some beer and I've only just finished reading this thread, we did look at SH for a long time.
.

18 Nov 2005

Quote by Debbiewebs
A gain i ask please keep the mods on .............. DONT JUST FOB THEM OFF AND SAY................. ITS THERE DICISION!!............. you have to work at keep them here
what effort have you made?

The mods and chat room ops have done and continue to do an incredible job on SH, we are talking to them and have no intentions of fobbing them off, we want to work with them.

18 Nov 2005

Quote by st3v3

I think Elliot's off getting some beer and I've only just finished reading this thread, we did look at SH for a long time.
.

Steve (3) I do not doubt your sincerity but that is not what elliot said in this thread ??
Elliot said >>>
Fred aka Medic 1 - i signed up for 30 seconds the other day, placed a simple ad, and had a quick 5 min look in the chatroom..
To me that does not equate to a long time.
Fred (devils advocate some say)
Noted, Elliot is telling the truth when he said 'I' and so am I when I say we, we are a company and we did look at SH a long time, we were impressed which is why we are here.
Did you read the post underneath mine. It had the whole quote, and in it was the word"We"I think possibly refering to you all (as a company maybe?) but not as an individual aye.
Fred :- said me bit now I will shut up like a good boy.
Fred

18 Nov 2005

Quote by st3v3

A gain i ask please keep the mods on .............. DONT JUST FOB THEM OFF AND SAY................. ITS THERE DICISION!!............. you have to work at keep them here
what effort have you made?

The mods and chat room ops have done and continue to do an incredible job on SH, we are talking to them and have no intentions of fobbing them off, we want to work with them.
Debs,
Don't have any misconceptions. The Mods you have seen so far are dedicated selfless people who wanted to help 'Mark' out. It is unlikely that they will want to continue to offer their services free for what will inevitably become a profit making enterprise. So, they may take the shilling and continue, but will then be under the direction of the Management or they will say 'No thanks'. Either way it ain't gonna be the same!

18 Nov 2005

Amber12 - Wow, huge post! I also have had an extensive time on irc in previous years, and have been very close with online friends. As ive said a few times in this thread, we will do everything we can to keep the community alive, and there will be no reason what so ever for it so drift apart. With regards to the webcams and voice - without getting to technical, there are various forms of transport mechinisms that video and audio can take, im afriad you cannot simply state they require ports openining and that represents a threat, you have port 80 open for http, is that a threat? Well the cam and video protocals are no more or no less. Infact, in 99.9% of circimstances, no port changes are required, because the ports are already open for other apps, or because it employs http tunneling should it not get through on the standard ports. Secondly, there will be non video, couples only, and private rooms on the chatroom, this means that any form of privicy can be gained for anyone at any level.
Pay to enter - The years free is a minimum, this could extend further if the site is doing well enough, coupled with the fact that as ive said in the first post you will not be paying for anything you have already - for a free member the facilities will be as they are now on the site.
debz4u - i agree that is what it says, but those are the words of Mark, not ours. Please remember the site and its facilities as you know it will remain free.
wirral_guy - All changes will be cleared with the mods, and major changes aird on the forum. We wont change it without feedback. I will also be adding a 'suggestions' thread on monday, so we can get an idea of what people want to see on SH in the future.
Osmosis - We will see regarding the larger av's. i think we should take a poll on it as some people may get increably annoyed at the longer download times smile

Fabio groovrider - I already have hit the stash of beers and am going through them in aim for the bottle of southern comfort sitting on the shelf :)
dargento - im slightly confused by your post, if by adam you mean me, then i think i understand, must say i think your jumping to conclusions, SH will be here for a long time yet, and will go from strength to strength.
redgirlmanc - we have no intention into turning this into a standard run of the mill site, you can expect new featurers on the site to help you, not cause problems, that is our aim.
Fred aka Medic 1 - The reason i said that is because i don't want you to think i have been slyly making my way around the site talking to people in an effort to take it over. Everyone at our company new what SH was like, and the web presence and community it has. We wouldnt have blindly taken over the site, we spoke to Mark often, and made a decision from there. In reality we have been following SH for around a year (at least) we just didnt venture into the chatroom, forums etc etc.
debbiwebs - i have been on the phone to Mal, and we are having lengthy discussions in the mods and ops areas, i woudl love for all mods to stay and things to carry on as they are, but we cannot force people to stay.
FInially - im sorry im having to reply like this all the way through the thread, but there are so many questions being asked i need to do a 'list' reply so to speak, when things slow down a bit ill get to replying normally, please don't think im being rude :P

18 Nov 2005

Quote by westerross
Don't have any misconceptions. The Mods you have seen so far are dedicated selfless people who wanted to help 'Mark' out. It is unlikely that they will want to continue to offer their services free for what will inevitably become a profit making enterprise. So, they may take the shilling and continue, but will then be under the direction of the Management or they will say 'No thanks'. Either way it ain't gonna be the same!

Sorry TE but have you honestly seen any of the Mods/OP's saying that they are handing their badges back??
I for one am not!
Shireen

18 Nov 2005

Quote by Elliot
FInially - im sorry im having to reply like this all the way through the thread, but there are so many questions being asked i need to do a 'list' reply so to speak, when things slow down a bit ill get to replying normally, please don't think im being rude :P

Elliot I may seem to be picking on you, I am not and your post above (partly quoted by me) in no way appears rude.
BUT I will continue to question you if I think it is needed.
Thank you for your reply.
Fred (the hole picker, lol)

18 Nov 2005

I think SH will be here for a while yet. Welcome the new lads (and lasses), please persuade them to join :twisted: :twisted:. As numerous people on here have said before, people don't like change. Privacy and discretion is utmost too.
The people who generally say "Go away" or "it's the end" (myself included) are those who're pessimistic or have either been in a similar situation or are applying a general model to this site. Ignore their comments, listen to the positive ones and soon you'll have everyone lauding your work and commitment. A change in management and ownership is always a period of uncertainty, but I would focus on advertisement and cheaper membership than other sites as a primary means of income from here.
If you add certain options like other sites have, such as paying membership to contact people, paying membership to view larger photos or even paying membership to view profiles, this site will go down faster than insert name here at a GG party.
P.S. A business plan or similar would be nice to see, if that's possible.
P.P.S. I can see someone's Christmas tree across the road from my flat, I'm going to go and shoot them mad

:x :x
P.P.P.S. I'm not the pessimist any more cool

18 Nov 2005

Quote by Shireen_Mids
Don't have any misconceptions. The Mods you have seen so far are dedicated selfless people who wanted to help 'Mark' out. It is unlikely that they will want to continue to offer their services free for what will inevitably become a profit making enterprise. So, they may take the shilling and continue, but will then be under the direction of the Management or they will say 'No thanks'. Either way it ain't gonna be the same!

Sorry TE but have you honestly seen any of the Mods/OP's saying that they are handing their badges back??
I for one am not!
Shireen
Not yet, no. And it is entirely up to the individual as to whether they want to devote their time for nothing to making money for someone else.

18 Nov 2005

Ok after digesting this since ive been home there are possible benefits to the site being taken over.
As most of you know me and Clare have hed very good ups and some downs here on had our time of absolutely loving it and being post whores and we have had our times of being disilusioned with this is the kick up the backside this site needs and maybe things will turn out for the better for the majority on here.
Of course this is a maybe and possibly a big maybe,depending on what the new owners have in mind for the though they will do the best by us and keep it free for us and offer more all of this happens then we'll be more than happy and maybe ill get back to posting more often.
All this of course will only happen if it remains on the whole free for all coz if it doesnt there will be a shed load of people leaving.
Steve xxx

18 Nov 2005

HI All
Martin here the CEO of the company that has the pleasure in working with this community our company is called "Symbios Group" have a look on the net for us, we wanted to tell members of our other sites about you before you all did. So sorry about the delay on the company details bit, everything happened so fast that we just could not keep up with events. The handover was only completed late yesterday. Here are a few points that I have picked up on that might help a little.
1. We love you all just give us a chance to proove it!!! rolleyes

2. You will all get free "Premium Memberships when they are launched"
3. After a year you will either drop to the features that you have here now, or we will extend or review it. What might happen is that people who contribute to the community, and post articles, or write reviews, or storys (active members of this community!!) will continue to get free premium membership for ever.....
4. People who are not an integral part of this site and this community would still have all the features that you have now after a year, and then they would need to top up to premium membership.
5. Details for 4 could be based on say 48 forum posts in a year etc etc, I am not sure of more than that at the moment but we have over a year (by the time we make the initial changes) to work together on it.
6. Worst case that you come here and never post, or write, or get involved then you will have a full 12 months with all the new bells and whistles then after that you go back to what you have now.
7. We will make this the best site of this nature in the world, by doing it properly we will work together to ensure that it conforms to all legal issues and has every feature that you ever wanted.
8. As a company we have spent a lot of time and effort to work with you all.
9. This site was previously owned by a company (just a little bit smaller) so this site has always been commercially owned!!
10. I completely understand how you feel, I can tell you the beating I just got in the chat room was severe to start with!!.
11. The first changes will be as follows in around 2-4 Weeks
Here are the changes that you will see
1. A central log in with a site mail account, this is to reduce spam and offer some discretion to people (BTW we will never spam you thats a promise). The only mail you will get from us in there will be to get your input on matters or inform you of updates. You will be able to select if you want notes forwarded to your e-mail etc or just have site mail.
2. You will get to choose what user name you keep from your existing ones when this goes live.
3. A new chat room, this will be video enabled, as well as audio etc. These have prooved to be really useful as some men pretend to be women etc. They can also be a lot of fun later in the evening. The one now has really nice people using it but it is difficult to get in and requires a seperate log in. We believe that we can improve what we have here by having the ops help us make the best experience possible
4. A location based search that will give you the distance between area etc, this will also have a wider range of search criteria to ensure that it is targeted towards your prefrences.
5. Forum as is except for a few bugs that need fixing like the need to put a space after the word for the Emoticons to work.
6. A facility to send other peeps pics that are not available for public view, if you like a private gallery for your profiles that you give and remove access to.
7. A video facility so you can e-mail or have a video on your profile, this goes a long way towards maybe getting noticed or delivering a personal message to other peeps.
8. A system so you can leave other users comments on their profiles, (these are friendly and will be reviewed at submission) they can also be removed by profile owner. This is a great way to show other members how genuine people are.
Stuff you will not see
1. The slow picture loading
2. The site loading problems
3. A new MOD and OPS area filled with anything that will make their lives easier
4. New hosting arrangements to ensure that the site is backed up regularly
5. Us dealing with all the mods and oops
we promise
1. We will not spam, or sell any data
2. We will not sell anything that you submit on the site
3. We will not be selling you ringtones
4. There will be no pop ups
Wait and see.... thats all..... give us a try......
If you have any other questions then PM me and I will try and get a completed list posted. We do think that all these changes will genuinely aid the community. Can I please just ask one thing. Can you please just stop accusing us of all sorts of stuff that we have not done or will not do. If we break any of the above then feel free but please remember that we take the shape of the human form as well, and we get hurt if insulted, and frustrated if not believed.
The Mods and OOPS have done a great job with this site so far!!!, We want them involved in its future, we want there voice and their views. There will be a munch at our office for them in the next few weeks to work out the details.
Anything else drop me a PM
Thanks
Martin
biggrin

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

18 Nov 2005

Quote by Elliot
2) Should the site do well enough financially, then the mods and ops will benifit.

This is going to get me slated, but I have to say it anyway.
Some of the mods/ops I know slighty, some not and I am not saying ANY of them would
BUT does that mean that in the future we may get mod/op decisions based purely on financial gain unjust, unfair and not in the interest of our community

18 Nov 2005

Quote by Martin_M
HI All
Martin here the CEO of the company that has the pleasure in working with this community our company is called "Symbios Group" have a look on the net for us, we wanted to tell members of our other sites about you before you all did. So sorry about the delay on the company details bit, everything happened so fast that we just could not keep up with events. The handover was only completed late yesterday. Here are a few points that I have picked up on that might help a little.
1. We love you all just give us a chance to proove it!!!
2. You will all get free "Premium Memberships when they are launched"
3. After a year you will either drop to the features that you have here now, or we will extend or review it. What might happen is that people who contribute to the community, and post articles, or write reviews, or storys (active members of this community!!) will continue to get free premium membership for ever.....
4. People who are not an integral part of this site and this community would still have all the features that you have now after a year, and then they would need to top up to premium membership.
5. Details for 4 could be based on say 48 forum posts in a year etc etc, I am not sure of more than that at the moment but we have over a year (by the time we make the initial changes) to work together on it.
6. Worst case that you come here and never post, or write, or get involved then you will have a full 12 months with all the new bells and whistles then after that you go back to what you have now.
7. We will make this the best site of this nature in the world, by doing it properly we will work together to ensure that it conforms to all legal issues and has every feature that you ever wanted.
8. As a company we have spent a lot of time and effort to work with you all.
9. This site was previously owned by a company (just a little bit smaller) so this site has always been commercially owned!!
10. I completely understand how you feel, I can tell you the beating I just got in the chat room was severe to start with!!.
11. The first changes will be as follows in around 2-4 Weeks
Here are the changes that you will see
1. A central log in with a site mail account, this is to reduce spam and offer some discretion to people (BTW we will never spam you thats a promise). The only mail you will get from us in there will be to get your input on matters or inform you of updates. You will be able to select if you want notes forwarded to your e-mail etc or just have site mail.
2. You will get to choose what user name you keep from your existing ones when this goes live.
3. A new chat room, this will be video enabled, as well as audio etc. These have prooved to be really useful as some men pretend to be women etc. They can also be a lot of fun later in the evening. The one now has really nice people using it but it is difficult to get in and requires a seperate log in. We believe that we can improve what we have here by having the oops help us make the best experience possible
4. A location based search that will give you the distance between area etc, this will also have a wider range of search criteria to ensure that it is targeted towards your prefrences.
5. Forum as is except for a few bugs that need fixing like the need to put a space after the word for the Emoticons to work.
6. A facility to send other peeps pics that are not available for public view, if you like a private gallery for your profiles that you give and remove access to.
7. A video facility so you can e-mail or have a video on your profile, this goes a long way towards maybe getting noticed or delivering a personal message to other peeps.
8. A system so you can leave other users comments on their profiles, (these are friendly and will be reviewed at submission) they can also be removed by profile owner. This is a great way to show other members how genuine people are.
Stuff you will not see
1. The slow picture loading
2. The site loading problems
3. A new MOD and OOPS area filled with anything that will make their lives easier
4. New hosting arrangements to ensure that the site is backed up regularly
5. Us dealing with all the mods and oops
we promise
1. We will not spam, or sell any data
2. We will not sell anything that you submit on the site
3. We will not be selling you ringtones
4. There will be no pop ups
Wait and see.... thats all..... give us a try......
If you have any other questions then PM me and I will try and get a completed list posted. We do think that all these changes will genuinely aid the community. Can I please just ask one thing. Can you please just stop accusing us of all sorts of stuff that we have not done or will not do. If we break any of the above then feel free but please remember that we take the shape of the human form as well, and we get hurt if insulted, and frustrated if not believed.
The Mods and OOPS have done a great job with this site so far!!!, We want them involved in its future, we want there voice and their views. There will be a munch at our office for them in the next few weeks to work out the details.
Anything else drop me a PM
Thanks
Martin
:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

Hmmmmm - that's the way I behave in the office!! wink

Do you really want a PM??

18 Nov 2005

Quote by Martin_M
7. We will make this the best site of this nature in the world,

I have excellent news for you. You have been saved the effort.
It already IS the best. biggrin

18 Nov 2005

What martin has said, sounds reasonable, but what has worried me, was what Elliot has said a bit earlier.
Elliot said:
'Pay to enter - The years free is a minimum, this could extend further if the site is doing well enough, coupled with the fact that as ive said in the first post you will not be paying for anything you have already - for a free member the facilities will be as they are now on the site.'
I was just wondering, in the worst case scenario, if the site is not doing well enough, what would happen then confused

18 Nov 2005

Quote by Martin_M
3. A new chat room, this will be video enabled, as well as audio etc. These have prooved to be really useful as some men pretend to be women etc. They can also be a lot of fun later in the evening. The one now has really nice people using it but it is difficult to get in and requires a seperate log in. We believe that we can improve what we have here by having the ops help us make the best experience possible

So you lied to the Chatroom OP's then??
We have been told that there will be 2 rooms run side by side, one video enabled and one not..... I have just spent my spare time assuring people in the chatroom that there will be no changes to the chatroom at all and they will still be able to chat as they do now, yet you are now saying that they wont!
Access to the chatroom is so easy it takes me less than a minute to register a new nick..... It is simple to use and works very well thank you very much....
I only got this far in your post and launched on the quote button so I may well have more to add..... But so far I am not impressed mad

Shireen

18 Nov 2005

Quote by Martin_M
Here are the changes that you will see
8. A system so you can leave other users comments on their profiles, (these are friendly and will be reviewed at submission) they can also be removed by profile owner. This is a great way to show other members how genuine people are.

I picked up on this one..... if you think this one is going to go down well, you may be in for a surprise.......
please don't open that pandora's box again.........i am sure others will point you in the direction of why this may well turn into something very contentious......