Begin at the beginning....

This may come as a surprise, but I would like you all to know that the fansite is now up on auction.

Paul Wood (owner) posted this notice on the forum at 1:58PM EST on May 16th 2010. Members were surprised and concerned. What would happen to the site and community they had participated in and contributed to since April 11, 2009?

A discussion of options began and one member named Dyebat proposed an idea. Perhaps the members could put together a bid and run the site as a non-profit venture?

How wonderful, I thought. And so did many others.

But did they know what they are getting into? I knew that they would need some serious technical support. The sites were very labor-intensive.

The members were eager. They deserved it.

They had contributed thousands of videos, and over 250,000 posts in a year! Any mention of Susan Boyle in print or online or on air was reported in the forum. In almost real time. Members from over 120 different countries made sure that all fans were kept informed and up to date on any Susan Boyle news. Members created videos and posters and kept track of global record sales, awards and achievements, video statistics, detailed weekly summaries, and much more. 

I knew it would take a month to get everything transferred, configured, and documented so that Staff could maintain the sites themselves. I had over 20 years of similar experience in doing this. I knew it would be hard. Did I want to volunteer my time for this project?

After all, it's just a pile of code. They could rebuild somewhere else with much less effort. In 2 -3 days. And start fresh.

But, they really cared about this forum. They didn't want another place. They had built a community. With a truly unique, global demographic. There was nothing like it anywhere online.

May 16, 2010 at  7:34PM EST, I posted a message

dyebat, please call me.

That was 6 months ago.

I am still here. We are all, more or less, still here. We have been through a lot together. Some of it joyous and some of it very very painful.

So much has happened.

The emotion I have felt most in the past 6 months is frustration.

What should have been, and could have been, is not.

So many conflicts and so much confusion. We need to communicate more. Talk with each other more.

I have been lied to and lied about for 6 months. So have many others.

This is my story.

It feels quite similar to the story of Alice in Wonderland.  I fell down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world filled with peculiarities.

As Alice said "It would be so nice if something made sense for a change."

Maybe writing it out will help.