Changes to CyberHound Forums

[Heather]

Hi, Everyone:

Most of you don’t know me. My name is Heather Nadelman, and I am the owner of basset.net (both the web site itself and these forums). I wanted to let you know about some changes that will be implemented in the site soon. I have reached an agreement with a company called VerticalScope that buys online communities for commercial purposes. Very soon, VerticalScope will be the owner of basset.net and the CyberHound forums. That will inevitably mean some changes to the site: there will be advertising, and I’m sure everything will have much more of a commercial look-and-feel than it currently has. From research that I’ve done and questions that I’ve asked, I’ve gleaned that VerticalScope works with three tiers of forum visitors: nonmembers in the forums see all the ads, plain members see some ads, and “premium” members who pay a fee of some sort don’t see ads at all. (These premium members get other privileges--access to certain parts of the forum that aren’t open to all and some sort of swag like stickers and magnets and such.) Again, these details are sketchy, and I’ll share them as I learn more.

To allay one of the main worries before it emerges, let me hasten to say that I’ve had the buyers write into the contract that no advertising of dogs for sale will be permitted by any breeder who is not a BHCA member. Basset.net may become commercialized with ads for hotels and weight loss products, but it will not become a promoter of puppy mills.

I’m sure not many of you will react to this news with pleasure--nobody likes change. I don’t like change either. But I feel this step is necessary for me. Bassets were once very important to me--I showed bassets all through high school, and I had two wonderful bassets that I handled in obedience, tracking, and conformation as a young adult (both of them became Ch-TD-CDX’s, and one had two legs toward her UD). But I lost my last basset two years ago. Over the last ten years, I’ve gotten heavily involved in training and trialing working border collies. It’s an all-encompassing, engrossing, challenging hobby, and it leaves me no time to think about bassets, although of course I’ll always have a real love of the breed. But I’ve let basset.net stagnate over the last five years, and that really bothers me. A web site needs continual growth and change to be useful. I think something was going to have to be done with the site eventually, and at least this way I’ll know that it will continue to provide information to people who love basset hounds, even if that information will now come at the price of banner ads.

I remain extremely grateful to Betsy Iole and Barbara Winters, who have been the tireless moderators of this forum for many years. Any future moderators will have some big shoes to fill. I hope all of you will give VerticalScope an honest chance to do well with these forums. They might be a corporation, but they’re a corporation who will do much better at their business if their communities are happy and active. So they’re really not working at cross-purposes with us, even though dog people and Internet entrepreneurs have different goals.

I’m putting up this notice as an announcement and also posting it as a thread in the General discussion section, for those of you who want to comment. I’ll add to that thread as I learn more about what’s to come.

[MissDaisyDog]

First and most important:

Although I am fairly new to the forums, I would like to personally thank you for every thing you have done over the years to provide a great service to the basset hound lovers, owners, and new comers. The guideance, and fellowship with other basset folks has provided me with great information, and a common bond of a fantastic fellowship. I wish you the best in your future endeavors. You will be missed here.

Secondly:

I, like others do not like change. I am too set in my ways and do not not like to have to adjust to changes. I pray these new folks will provide the same "family" closeness that we enjoy now. The advertising will provide them the money and opportunity to better (if that's possible) this site. I hope all the others will join me in seeing our way through this and help encourage these new folks to provide us all continued good clean, informative, growth of the basset world.

God Bless,

Miss Daisy and her driver, Fritz

[twobassets]

Heather - Change is inevitable and everyone deserves to pursue the things in life that make them happy and help them grow. I wish you only the best . You have provided a wonderful opportunity for all of us basset hound lovers. I have enjoyed this forum for many years and if all goes well that will continue. Best of luck and thanks!

[Elvismom]

Thanks for everything you've done over the years, Heather. I hope you continue to enjoy your worht with border collies. I have one and they are a great dog! Although my bassets liek to woof at him....

And a huge thank you for banning puppy ads - I can live with everything else.

Good luck!

[Rusty Stickers Mom]

Change comes whether we want it or not. I thank you for creating this forum. This was the first online forum I joined many years ago. It has been a wonderful source of information & support to many. I wish you the best in everything you do.

[biscuit]

Change is inevitable. Cyberhound has been a part of my life for a very long time. I remember when I first found the board, years and years ago, being absolutely astonished that there was a forum where people only talked about their bassets --- and even more shocked that there were others who understood exactly how I felt about my beloved houndie, Biscuit.

I remember The Great Basset Hound Board Wars of - when - 1999 to ??? (probably still ongoing, given how heated they were ). The Exodus. The Gnashing of Teeth. The Raids on Cyberhound. The Tormenting of All Things Biscuit.

Although I'm still shocked Cyberhound wasn't a victim of The Troll Armada that struck so many forums during the height of the pirate craze a few years ago. Truth is, I was very disappointed, but I suppose basset hounds and pirate talk (arrr!) don't mix.

I remember Biscuit's love affair with Toughy's cousin!

I remember all the support this board offered when I lost Biscuit, thanks to my own stupidity in not using tick repellent year round. Ticks in the fall and winter? You bet, and now we all know.

And I remember all the incredible offline support I got when Lady came down with Old Dog Vestibular Disease, support that was so good that I have even had opportunities to pass it along to a few others whose dogs have been stricken by this absolutely bizarre malady.

Cyberhound helped me through the final stages of an extremely contentious Masters and even helped me decide not to continue my PhD - I could have easily become an ivory tower isolate, nose trapped in the books, had it not been for the antics of real life, including what I saw on these boards.

So it's the end of an era for me, but not the end of my presence on Cyberhound. It will be interesting to see what the new owners bring to the table and how the board changes (or not).

For now, though, I think it's only appropriate I post a picture of my namesake and the nemesis of so many :

<div align="center">The Fearsome Biscuit! Friend of Nature, Nemesis of Everyone Else!

</div>

[Beverly Anne]

I remember well the days when Francis was a pup and I needed help deperately and lo! and behold I found Cyberhound. Francis is now almost 11 years old and I still check in. This forum helped me cope when Fran developed canine glaucoma (lots and lots of good advice and TONS of sympathy) I love this forum.
Thank you ever so much, Heather. for this great service. Best of luck in your new endeavors.

[BubbaLeroy]

I, too, want to say "Thank you" for keeping this forum active and being such a great source of info on Bassets. I have learned so much about the breed, and I have made many wonderful cyber friends. The support of everyone when we lost Bubba to cancer four years ago was awesome. The Christmas card exchange has been so much fun over the years and it has meant so much to so many on the forum. I hope the change will be positive and all will remain to try out the new froum and its changes. Like Biscuit said this will be the end of an "era", and we wish you well!!!

[shallhb]

Hi, Everyone:

Most of you don’t know me. My name is Heather Nadelman, and I am the owner of basset.net (both the web site itself and these forums). I wanted to let you know about some changes that will be implemented in the site soon. I have reached an agreement with a company called VerticalScope that buys online communities for commercial purposes. Very soon, VerticalScope will be the owner of basset.net and the CyberHound forums. That will inevitably mean some changes to the site: there will be advertising, and I’m sure everything will have much more of a commercial look-and-feel than it currently has. From research that I’ve done and questions that I’ve asked, I’ve gleaned that VerticalScope works with three tiers of forum visitors: nonmembers in the forums see all the ads, plain members see some ads, and “premium” members who pay a fee of some sort don’t see ads at all. (These premium members get other privileges--access to certain parts of the forum that aren’t open to all and some sort of swag like stickers and magnets and such.) Again, these details are sketchy, and I’ll share them as I learn more.

To allay one of the main worries before it emerges, let me hasten to say that I’ve had the buyers write into the contract that no advertising of dogs for sale will be permitted by any breeder who is not a BHCA member. Basset.net may become commercialized with ads for hotels and weight loss products, but it will not become a promoter of puppy mills.

I’m sure not many of you will react to this news with pleasure--nobody likes change. I don’t like change either. But I feel this step is necessary for me. Bassets were once very important to me--I showed bassets all through high school, and I had two wonderful bassets that I handled in obedience, tracking, and conformation as a young adult (both of them became Ch-TD-CDX’s, and one had two legs toward her UD). But I lost my last basset two years ago. Over the last ten years, I’ve gotten heavily involved in training and trialing working border collies. It’s an all-encompassing, engrossing, challenging hobby, and it leaves me no time to think about bassets, although of course I’ll always have a real love of the breed. But I’ve let basset.net stagnate over the last five years, and that really bothers me. A web site needs continual growth and change to be useful. I think something was going to have to be done with the site eventually, and at least this way I’ll know that it will continue to provide information to people who love basset hounds, even if that information will now come at the price of banner ads.

I remain extremely grateful to Betsy Iole and Barbara Winters, who have been the tireless moderators of this forum for many years. Any future moderators will have some big shoes to fill. I hope all of you will give VerticalScope an honest chance to do well with these forums. They might be a corporation, but they’re a corporation who will do much better at their business if their communities are happy and active. So they’re really not working at cross-purposes with us, even though dog people and Internet entrepreneurs have different goals.

I’m putting up this notice as an announcement and also posting it as a thread in the General discussion section, for those of you who want to comment. I’ll add to that thread as I learn more about what’s to come.[/b]

[shallhb]

I also just wanted to say 'thank you'...I've really enjoyed Cyberhound over the 5 or so years I've been a member. The moderators have done a great job, and it's a very sane Basset site. I, too, hope we can keep going. Best of luck with your Border Collies--didn't I read a post from Front and Finish years ago about the relative intelligence of Bassets and Border Collies?