Id still like to hear some answers to the questions already put for instance,will people end up having to pay to view OUR pictures that we put up here??????
Some answers really might be helpful right now.
Oh and when will the logo change to the crazy fucking frog???????
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I do think the SH changing hands will be beneficial to the community
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Im sitting on the fence and waiting.
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I do not think the SH changing hands will have any benefit to the community
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90 votes
Ever since I joined I wondered who paid for the site. I know a lot of voluntary work helped. I imagined that the site was run by a genius (Mark) who had it hidden it on a huge computer - like BT, say or ICI, or some such.
I can't help feeling that our ring-tone owners will not provide free membership forever.
Premium membership? Will it be long before "ordinary" membership is not woth having?
Sorry - I'm not keen on change. And I'm only a part-time member.
Mollie
I can't help feeling that our ring-tone owners will not provide free membership forever.
Premium membership? Will it be long before "ordinary" membership is not woth having?
Sorry - I'm not keen on change. And I'm only a part-time member.
Mollie
I think perhaps we should all just calm down a little and wait and see what happens 
Lots of emotion (and chocloate!) flying around right now
There are enough very clever and techincal people here to reinvent ourselves if we don't like what the next few months hold.... if Elliott and his team are as clever as they sound they'll listen. If not, then we all have a choice and, knowing some of the personalities on here, I know they will have no hesitancy in exercising it!
Lots of emotion (and chocloate!) flying around right now
There are enough very clever and techincal people here to reinvent ourselves if we don't like what the next few months hold.... if Elliott and his team are as clever as they sound they'll listen. If not, then we all have a choice and, knowing some of the personalities on here, I know they will have no hesitancy in exercising it!
Hi Elliot and all the others
Welcome to SH community.
I appreciate that there is a lot of shock in the community at the moment and peeps are wondering whether or not what you are telling us is true.
But as with all 'new members' only time will tell whether or not you/they are genuine and I am not going to rant and rave or celebrate until I know you and the others a little better
I for one will sit back and watch and hopefully you as peeps (not business) will come in and get to know us all and what a great bunch of people we are.
Yes there are a lot of questions and yes I would like to see the answers (Ice Pie has brought up some valid points as I for one am involved in that side of things)
My questions are......
will banned members be allowed back in?
Are the mods/ops keeping their positions or will you be taking this side over, will they be expected to do it for free if they do?
Anyway welcome and I hope that the community and yourselves can come to a happy balance
kaz
Welcome to SH community.
I appreciate that there is a lot of shock in the community at the moment and peeps are wondering whether or not what you are telling us is true.
But as with all 'new members' only time will tell whether or not you/they are genuine and I am not going to rant and rave or celebrate until I know you and the others a little better
I for one will sit back and watch and hopefully you as peeps (not business) will come in and get to know us all and what a great bunch of people we are.
Yes there are a lot of questions and yes I would like to see the answers (Ice Pie has brought up some valid points as I for one am involved in that side of things)
My questions are......
will banned members be allowed back in?
Are the mods/ops keeping their positions or will you be taking this side over, will they be expected to do it for free if they do?
Anyway welcome and I hope that the community and yourselves can come to a happy balance
kaz
Quote by debz4u
Our primary business is the sale of ringtones.
Congratulations. And that qualifies you to run our website how exactly?
I have just a few questions (to begin with), mainly about your suitability to declare yourself fit to breeze in out of nowhere and put yourself in charge:
1. What interest does the new owner have in the SH Community?
2. Does the new owner know anything about or care anything about the SH Community?
3. Does the new owner expect the volunteer mods, ops, and other people working for the Community voluntarily behind the scenes to carry on doing so while a commercial concern benefits from that work?
4. How does the transfer of ownership to a commercial entity affect the Page One promise that Swinging Heaven will "NEVER" be a paysite?
5. Will the new owners expect to be paid royalties for the use of SH logos on Munch badges and tie pins, or will they regard it as free advertising?
6. How will the new owner, being apparently unfamiliar with the Community, know which group gatherings to sanction as site meets and which to regard as private parties?
7. Will the new owner respond to site-related communications addressed to the previous Administrator, or do I have to write the whole flucking lot out again?
8. To what extent has the previous Administrator's departure been influenced by the aggressive behaviour of certain members of a copycat/breakaway site, and how does the new owner propose to prevent further disruption from that source?
9. Is the new owner aware that the people who work so hard to keep SH alive and free do so out of love for the Community and loyalty to the founder? How does the new owner propose to inherit that loyalty? Has the new owner broken bread with anyone here? Does the new owner even remotely know anyone here?
10. Who are you? What is the name of your company? Is it familiar to Watchdog viewers? Why the big secret? .
Well said my post was just emotional your is to the point thanks ice xxxx
wonder if we'll get an answer to these questions or just be ignored the same as all members were in the sale of the site
Sex God
Hi to the new owners. Elliot, Nick-w, st3v3 and Martin
Maybe they just need a little more time to answer the questions, ..
There may be a lot of stuff going on in the back room we don't know about...
But I'm sure if the new owners want their investment to work, they will be back soon enough to answer the questions.
Meanwhile did someone mention choccie??????????
Maybe they just need a little more time to answer the questions, ..
There may be a lot of stuff going on in the back room we don't know about...
But I'm sure if the new owners want their investment to work, they will be back soon enough to answer the questions.
Meanwhile did someone mention choccie??????????
I am going to try with these few points....
No banned member will be allowed back, specially not as the site is being run in exactly the same way, for now anyway.
Mods and OPs really don't know what to expect any more than you do. We are mostly to shocked to decide anything :shock: But yes, any work done by a Mod or OP is still voluntary and not paid work.
Quote by kazswallows
My questions are......
will banned members be allowed back in?
Are the mods/ops keeping their positions or will you be taking this side over, will they be expected to do it for free if they do?
No banned member will be allowed back, specially not as the site is being run in exactly the same way, for now anyway.
Mods and OPs really don't know what to expect any more than you do. We are mostly to shocked to decide anything :shock: But yes, any work done by a Mod or OP is still voluntary and not paid work.
Sex God
Quote by Dawn_Mids
Meanwhile did someone mention choccie??????????
No more for me, I've eaten a packet of chocolate digestives since yesterday
That's far too many calories. I'll come round later and help you work them off.
I'm as surprised as anyone that this site has been sold, especially when all the only assets are a transient userbase, goodwill (mostly due to the free nature of the site) and a domain name.
My initial thought is that if Elliott's company bought the site expecting to turn a profit on it, then they are in for a surprise.
Traditionally, the site has only one ongoing cost, that of bandwidth and servers, and 3 revenue streams - the phone ads, the banners in the top right, and presumably some kickback from the shopping links on the left. If commercial web developers are going to be adding to the site, then they have to be paid somehow, and I simply can't see this community reaching into it's pockets to do that.
While the idea of enhancements like a video chatroom that existing members can use for free sounds initially appealing, how long will we use it for when new members come in saying they paid their money and want to see flesh?
To be honest, having a Premium membership of a pay site isn't that appealing to me, even if it is free, and that's reason I'm here and not on one of the countless pay sites that are out there.
I wait with interest to see what happens. The major thing that disappoints me so far is that Mark didn't say the site was up for sale and didn't give the community the chance to buy him out.
My initial thought is that if Elliott's company bought the site expecting to turn a profit on it, then they are in for a surprise.
Traditionally, the site has only one ongoing cost, that of bandwidth and servers, and 3 revenue streams - the phone ads, the banners in the top right, and presumably some kickback from the shopping links on the left. If commercial web developers are going to be adding to the site, then they have to be paid somehow, and I simply can't see this community reaching into it's pockets to do that.
While the idea of enhancements like a video chatroom that existing members can use for free sounds initially appealing, how long will we use it for when new members come in saying they paid their money and want to see flesh?
To be honest, having a Premium membership of a pay site isn't that appealing to me, even if it is free, and that's reason I'm here and not on one of the countless pay sites that are out there.
I wait with interest to see what happens. The major thing that disappoints me so far is that Mark didn't say the site was up for sale and didn't give the community the chance to buy him out.
Sex God
Quote by Clare and Steve
But for instance,will people end up having to pay to view OUR pictures that we put up here??????
Actually, this brings up an important question: Since the site will now be run by a commercial entity who will be accepting payment for some premium services, will we now be required by law to comply with USC, Title 18, Section 2257 when posting sexually-explicit photos of ourselves?!
Anyone who has visited porn sites since June of this year may have noticed the little 2257 link added, indicating the site's compliance with this legislation. However, the nightmarish invasion of privacy required to maintain that compliance, not to mention the exhaustive record keeping requirements, would make it even more of a nuisance to post things like party photos here than it already is!
I anxiously await an answer to this query, with my finger poised over the "delete" button for those posts containing Vix' & my wedding photos and such. Please let us know what you're doing with regard to 2257 and, if for some reason you're not familiar with its implications, I would suggest you consult your solicitors ASAP...as this law has impacted even the most marginally-commecial sites that feature anything which could be regarded as "porn" worldwide.
Cheers,
~Reese
Ok I’m going put my 10 penny’s worth in after being disheartened by this site over the last six month. I know there is a lot of confusion and speculation on what might or might not happen...my curiourisity has the better of me so I have to ask
Once a pay site are the members allowed their express own opinions (within reason) without fear of a ban, or will they still be expected to adopt an Op's views... and is there an extra charge for this.
Also is backstabbing included in the normal membership or only for premium member’s?
Sorry but someone had to ask
:dunno: :dunno:
Once a pay site are the members allowed their express own opinions (within reason) without fear of a ban, or will they still be expected to adopt an Op's views... and is there an extra charge for this.
Also is backstabbing included in the normal membership or only for premium member’s?
Sorry but someone had to ask
:dunno: :dunno: Hmmm its never what new owner tells you have to be concerned about ..oh no its the hidden agenda that you really need to be concerned for but as we don't know if or what they are then only time will tell. Mind you I have seen Greeks bearing gifts before with another site I belonged to they made similar promises ... the result... the membership walked and the COMMERCIAL ventuer colapsed. Power to the people .. remember the new owner needs YOU! :thumbup:
Orgasminator
Quote by Bloke2005
I think perhaps we should all just calm down a little and wait and see what happens
Lots of emotion (and chocloate!) flying around right now
There are enough very clever and techincal people here to reinvent ourselves if we don't like what the next few months hold.... if Elliott and his team are as clever as they sound they'll listen. If not, then we all have a choice and, knowing some of the personalities on here, I know they will have no hesitancy in exercising it!
I think you've probably hit the nail on the head there. Setting up the infrastructure to support a site like SH in it's current form isn't difficult, so if SH is changed into something the current community doesn't like then the chances are that we'll all migrate somewhere else. It'd be a big pain in the backside and we'd lose the current content - a sort of new beginning.
If that were to happen then both the current community on here and the people that've bought SH both lose out - most of the value of SH lies in the large number of regular users that make up the communities of the forums and chatroom.
So, everyone involved on either side has quite a big incentive to work together to maintain a site and a community that is acceptable to both sides.
Personally, I'm prepared to wait and see what happens, I'm a part of another large online community that's been taken over and that's actually proven to be a relatively painless experience. Having said that, I was already a paid member of that community ($20 per year, so not a huge investment), and the new owners were sensible enough to be true to their word about maintaining access to free services.
Mod
The delay in replies will be because I was on the phone with Elliott, trying to resolve some of the issues. I'm sure he will be along soon to answer your questions. He has been warned he will have a busy weekend!
Mal
Mal
Master of Sex
Redhot -
You will have one login name, which will be for the forum, and you will be able to specify your displayed name in the chatroom.
little gem - you won't have to pay for anything, all the current features will remain free, and as an existing member you will be bumped up to premium for free also.
Phoenix - i agree nothing is broken, but there is a lot to be gained, such as more reliable, quicker photo ads, and loads of useful features.
Clare and Steve - the mods were notified last night, and the ops this morning, we would have liked to have given them more notice, but Mark mailed them sooner than we was expecting to let them know.
Bloke2005 - Thanks for your kind words, im glad you have grasped what we are trying to achieve and the benifit to all the members.
debz4u - I think you will be surprised how much better this site as the potential to become. We are an experienced development company, and have the ability to push this site to new features. The payment is needed because, as a company, we still have to pay the bills, but anything that is ALREADY free, will remain FREE.
Ice pie-
1) We also run dating sites and are experienced with online dating and communities, we decided to branch out into Swinging niche.
2) Yes we do care about the SH community, and are trying to learn about it and understand it as much as poss.
3) Not at all, moderation is voluntary, this is something that we will be discussing with the mods and ops.
4) SH will remain free as it is now with all its current features, we are simply adding on aditional features that we need to charge for to cover our outgoings.
5) Not in the slightest.
6) We don't and will look for guidance from the mods and regular members.
7) We have taken over the email address, but not Marks forum account, please PM me if you wish.
8) If you want to break away its entirley up to you, but you will be missing out in the end.
9) We area ware, and no we have not broken bread, or know anyone here, and is something we aim to change overtime.
10) There is no big secret, the company name will be known as soon as i am given the ok to let it out, this is for legal reasons.
scooter99 - Mark decided he had had enough, to run the site him self is a large burdon.
blonde - not yet
kazswallows - Banned members will remain banned. Mods and ops will retain positions should they wish.
Apologies to the questions i have missed, there are a lot, please post again if i missed them or was not clear enough.
I hope the above clears some stuff up, im not your enemy, honest :)
Elliot
You will have one login name, which will be for the forum, and you will be able to specify your displayed name in the chatroom.
little gem - you won't have to pay for anything, all the current features will remain free, and as an existing member you will be bumped up to premium for free also.
Phoenix - i agree nothing is broken, but there is a lot to be gained, such as more reliable, quicker photo ads, and loads of useful features.
Clare and Steve - the mods were notified last night, and the ops this morning, we would have liked to have given them more notice, but Mark mailed them sooner than we was expecting to let them know.
Bloke2005 - Thanks for your kind words, im glad you have grasped what we are trying to achieve and the benifit to all the members.
debz4u - I think you will be surprised how much better this site as the potential to become. We are an experienced development company, and have the ability to push this site to new features. The payment is needed because, as a company, we still have to pay the bills, but anything that is ALREADY free, will remain FREE.
Ice pie-
1) We also run dating sites and are experienced with online dating and communities, we decided to branch out into Swinging niche.
2) Yes we do care about the SH community, and are trying to learn about it and understand it as much as poss.
3) Not at all, moderation is voluntary, this is something that we will be discussing with the mods and ops.
4) SH will remain free as it is now with all its current features, we are simply adding on aditional features that we need to charge for to cover our outgoings.
5) Not in the slightest.
6) We don't and will look for guidance from the mods and regular members.
7) We have taken over the email address, but not Marks forum account, please PM me if you wish.
8) If you want to break away its entirley up to you, but you will be missing out in the end.
9) We area ware, and no we have not broken bread, or know anyone here, and is something we aim to change overtime.
10) There is no big secret, the company name will be known as soon as i am given the ok to let it out, this is for legal reasons.
scooter99 - Mark decided he had had enough, to run the site him self is a large burdon.
blonde - not yet
kazswallows - Banned members will remain banned. Mods and ops will retain positions should they wish.
Apologies to the questions i have missed, there are a lot, please post again if i missed them or was not clear enough.
I hope the above clears some stuff up, im not your enemy, honest :)
Elliot
Hello Elliot and Welcome to the site!!!
What a shame the past owner didnt introduce you personally.
Lets not condem the guy and his company untill we know the full details, let face it no amount of shouting is going to undoe the present situation.
Sh is good, but it is not perfect. The idea of a private premium membership area quiet appeals to me. Hopefully this would lend itself to greater security (important for some of us who need to protect our identities) and like someone else said, more tolerance of non conformist views.
All change is not always bad, we have no option but to see what happens, lets hope it goes well and as I said earlier welcome to the site Elliot and Co !!!
What a shame the past owner didnt introduce you personally.
Lets not condem the guy and his company untill we know the full details, let face it no amount of shouting is going to undoe the present situation.
Sh is good, but it is not perfect. The idea of a private premium membership area quiet appeals to me. Hopefully this would lend itself to greater security (important for some of us who need to protect our identities) and like someone else said, more tolerance of non conformist views.
All change is not always bad, we have no option but to see what happens, lets hope it goes well and as I said earlier welcome to the site Elliot and Co !!!
Elliots reply goes someway to calming me down.
If the forum/ads/chat stays roughly the same and doesn't impinge on the community, lets wait and see what the "extra cost" proposals are and how it may affect those already on here.
For example, Pop up ads for ringtones and so on could be a pain, but can be coped with.
If the forum/ads/chat stays roughly the same and doesn't impinge on the community, lets wait and see what the "extra cost" proposals are and how it may affect those already on here.
For example, Pop up ads for ringtones and so on could be a pain, but can be coped with.
Orgasminator
Hold on..........
Nope its NOT APril 1st.!!!
Hold on............
Nope Jeremy BeadleISN'Toutside with a boom mike!! and NO Peter Kay ISN'T doing research for a new show.
First.
I'd like to echo the general feelings of i think most people on here. Thank you Mark.
Whatever Marks reasons for 'leaving' in this way they are HIS reasons. Jags and Missy have mentioned personal/family reasons and i think we ALL agree that at the end of the day THAT it what counts the most. I only met Mark once, it was a privilage and thats how I choose to remember him.
Second
Ditto ICE, That guy just has a way with words.
Now we ALL await the answers.
Third
The idea of our beloved SH being run commerically disturbs me, to put it politely.
IT DOESNT MATTER IF WE HAVE TO PAY OR NOT! The site WILL be run commercially!! :shock: :shock:
The spirit of the site eminates from the fact that, to pinch a movie line...
Its run by the swingers, for the swingers and is of the swingers!
Fourth
Wheres my chocolate?????
: :?:
Nope its NOT APril 1st.!!!
Hold on............
Nope Jeremy BeadleISN'Toutside with a boom mike!! and NO Peter Kay ISN'T doing research for a new show.
First.
I'd like to echo the general feelings of i think most people on here. Thank you Mark.
Whatever Marks reasons for 'leaving' in this way they are HIS reasons. Jags and Missy have mentioned personal/family reasons and i think we ALL agree that at the end of the day THAT it what counts the most. I only met Mark once, it was a privilage and thats how I choose to remember him.
Second
Ditto ICE, That guy just has a way with words.
Now we ALL await the answers.Third
The idea of our beloved SH being run commerically disturbs me, to put it politely.
IT DOESNT MATTER IF WE HAVE TO PAY OR NOT! The site WILL be run commercially!! :shock: :shock:
The spirit of the site eminates from the fact that, to pinch a movie line...
Its run by the swingers, for the swingers and is of the swingers!
Fourth
Wheres my chocolate?????
: :?: Like treasurechest says maybe....and thats a big maybe for some. But maybe we could give it a try...
Everyones scared of the unknown..... :shock:
And l for one dont wanna lose all the good friends l've made over the month l've been here....
:upset:
*Runs and hides before the rotten fruit and veg starts flying* :giveup:
Everyones scared of the unknown..... :shock:
And l for one dont wanna lose all the good friends l've made over the month l've been here....
:upset: *Runs and hides before the rotten fruit and veg starts flying* :giveup:
Orgasminator
I'm concerned about the privacy issue... it is one thing putting your trust in fellow swingers but quite another when a commercial entity becomes involved. Do we have your word that you will not sell our email addresses to marketeers for instance?
Quote by WibblyWobbly
I'm concerned about the privacy issue... it is one thing putting your trust in fellow swingers but quite another when a commercial entity becomes involved. Do we have your word that you will not sell our email addresses to marketeers for instance?
Very good point
So exactly which parts of the site will be payment based only????????????
