Not sure about what the demise of OS would mean to me, except I'd miss being part of this wacky dysfunctional family. Wouldn't miss the spam bots or the trolls, but I do love some of the dust ups... comment strings are often more interesting than the posts. In any case here's my two bits: It seems that everyone is consumed with the "OS is coming to an end" rumors this weekend, most of it stems from articles in business finance about Big Salon... hope it all works out. I joined the OS Orphans Group on Yahoo: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/orphansofopensalon/

So far 34 have signed up... I'm also double posting at Wordpress.com: http://calitexan1949.wordpress.com/

I can't imagine if OS goes dark that we won't be able to stay in touch.

Ferns, will you consider joining our Yahoo Group so we can all stay in touch? There is a fairly good chance, just enough of one, that we may all reassemble in a new venue. that's yet to be decided. Sagemerlin and his helpers keep working on a new way to go. And we here must keep together while they do their level best for us all.
If you wish to join, it's a pretty simple thing to do, costs nothing but a little time and effort, and will yield a gathering spot wherein we may all discuss freely and in a safe zone, what we are to do next.
if so, just head for Friday afternoon's post at my blog, the one about an alternative to facebook.
It's free and has fewer security issues than facebook.
Hope to see you there! I'll PM you with a phrase to use so I'll know it's you waiting to be "approved" into the active membership there.
Peace, dearie!


R

Or...you can just use jmac's URL to get there, then follow the simple instructions.

LOL

:)

I think your Murphy's Law theory just might work! I couldn't bear to see this place vanish and all of my comrades along with it. I'll DO it by george!! :-)

fernsy- if I recall this happened last year too (mega rumours) and Safe_Bet asked me to start Orphans of OS on FB and Oryoki began Meta B on there too where people could post their blogs. I do not know what is going to happen but at least we need to know where each other is.

I blog here and there on here now and 1.5 years ago I began to blog on another channel. Its hard work and sometimes next to impossible sometimes to get seen unlike here.. but it has worked out for me. BUT I still come on here every single day and read because that is where my friends are.

It's the fellowship that would be lost my friend.. and that is huge.

HUGE

Love your pics.

HUGGGGGGGGGG

Ferns,my comment got lost again.I wrote to Bobot three times today but the comment never showed up.Pleas let me have a contact address because I can't risk losing you.I keep it short to make sure it gets to your post,NOW.

PW,is Yahoo the stand of today?

It brought a lot of people together that otherwise would not have met. It brought talent into a room with people who wouldn't know it if they were hit over the head with it and others who reveled in it and felt encouraged by it. If it stays or if it goes, it has made a difference and today not many things truly do in a several of our lives. For those it reached who were unreachable, it was a lifeline of their lifetime. It gave oxygen and sustenance to a number of people and for that it was magic. Some of us are not as engaged as others here, but it is a nice place to call home for our writing. It will be missed if the end is finally here, but sometimes there are miraculous recoveries. Ha.

Could anyone write an open post so everyone on OS could be notified?
Sorry to keep this short.I keep losing comments today.

Sorry,Fernsy,YOURS IS AN OPEN CALL.

Actually I'd not misss nuttin'!!!!!

GOOD BYE GOOD RIDDANCE HOPE IT GETS RUN OVER BY A LARGE SHERMAN TANK!!!!!! SUCKS HERE!! HATE IT!!!!

Oh wait...this is not a Kansas City Royals Little League Baseball game??? ('cause we don't have big league ball here)

What??? Where ????

Oh...Open Salon???

Heck...THAT CAN'T GO ANYWHERE!!
I NEEDS OS
Is WANTS OS
Is GOTTA HAVES OS!!!

Dern it anywho!!!!

If it goes...I GO!!!
Wait......uhm.......no......im confused....the meds are kicking in.......never do root beer and demerol at the same time.......

Well, anyway this meta makes me feel beta. Otherwise I tend to be in denial about the demise of OS. At least we have a staging area at Orphans of Open Salon on Facebook where we can plan our next move.

Although I seldom post, I'd miss it very much. I'm here everyday keeping up with my friends.

That's why I'm so strongly behind sagemerlin's effort and urge everyone to support it any way they can.

- Mark

Hi Ferns -- you've covered much of what I love about OS, much of what losing OS would mean to me, but today I am thinking of what I found here, how I have changed over time here, how I think of myself differently, and I'm grateful.
Must run, but hope to be more specific in a later post -- if not, then You, Ferns, are the perfect example of what I found here on OS that has enhanced my life, and you also are a perfect example of what I would miss here.

Thank you, dear Fernsy. We needn't speculate about what
is in baby james's bottle. It aint apple juice.

Well, if os goes down tonight, at least the joker in the deck,,
namely me,
clogged up the damn feed, in a mini meta-post.

That would be a fitting end to os. And yet, no...

No, not yet...

Anyway, i agree entirely: re. your two propositions:

'I do my arguing in silence,
cause my headspace can't afford any futher controversy.

and
Boy, do I make some salient points up in there!

Wait, when did JD turn into Tink?

I'm on it. Must let this stew in my brain for a bit.

Jmac,could you give the Yahooorg.a better name?I would not want to be in an orphans'club.

Sorry...I was channeling the great and furry cat!
cough cough...
furball......wheeze......gasp..........where's that water hose???

Matt,do you really think FB will do it for us?Who named the alternative "Orphans" ?

I've got my eyes closed, my fingers crossed and a rabbits foot hanging from my neck. Nope OS ain't going nowhere!
If I were a religious person I would even pray. I do hope someone puts the fear of God or maybe the Devil in to those in charge tho.
What would the demise of OS mean to me. Well l would not have a lot of English conversation with all you OS folks. That would mean I'd have to call some of my relatives in America more often. That's something I nor they would want to happen.
R

Mark,can you give some concrete details about Sage's attemt?

sweetfeet: That's *exactly* what I thought!?!?
JD has turned into Tink !
Then I wondered if I was the last to catch on to this...

@Heidi: It's one way to go, yes. You're welcome to join us, if you care to. Some of us use the Yahoo Group as well as facebook, so they can keep in touch with everybody who's joined both .
It's an option.
Others just want Yahoo, because they disagree with facebook's policies.
The choice is yours.
:)

out on a limb: I'm in America and that's partly why I found OS --

" That would mean I'd have to call some of my relatives in America more often. That's something I nor they would want to happen."

Ha! Pre-OS, I did call, email, write family and friends -- one relative would reply, she's my favorite one -- I'll leave her all my money -- even so-called good friends never reply to emails -- fuck 'em.
My OS friends comment, support, argue, reply : )

Is that you in the baby carriage, say back in the seventies, or eighties? Very cute~

What it will it mean to me? Total devastation. Loss of community. And now dammit I have this thing that makes me write and I WILL have to continue, and to not post those things HERE will hurt terribly. AND I will miss YOU!

@Heidi It;s probably better to read Alan's post ansd all the cooments. I don't want to accidently misrepresent it,

In a nutshell - buy OS from Salon Media Group, or re-create it somewhere else. The first hurdle is money - revenue and expenses. Alan is trying to buy Salon Media Group stock in order to have access to the details. Even though it's penny stock, it isn't easy to buy - most transactions are between insiders.

For buying it, Alan says he has access to investors. But. we'd have to have a solid plan to show they'd not be taking too great a risk.

For re-creating it, there'd have to be enough ad income to support paying for a hosting site, developers/DBAs, tech support, maintenance, refreshment, etc.

If the nubers look good, then Alan or someone else with the necessary experience can proceed with creating a non-profit group under which the new OS would operate.

- Mark

I’ve been part of OS for less than a year but in the time I’ve made some very positive connections and read some amazing works. I also believe that my skills as a write have improved. I’d hate to lose that.

"Numbers", not "nubers".

http://open.salon.com/blog/sagemerlin/

My typing is crap today!

Bizarre I wrote a long comment and it didn't show up.
I'll try again.
Jmac: 34 is a decent number. Let's hope it takes off. The more I think about it the sadder it seems.
PW: I sure will, sweets. Will check my PM the minute I can. xoo. I do not intend to lose touch with you.
PavanneVeltman: You've been here from the start. By george, I hope you do. Great to see you.

Linda: You have the energy of a thousand men. It is the fellowship . Big HUGGG to you.
HeidiB: Will pm you asap. I hope this comment shows up ;)
Sheila: Beautifully put. It worked and many of is got comfort and beauty from it. You are one its stars.

I'm JTink....I'm JTink!!!!
Fur flying on my poetry!
Love poetry from the paws of a cat

I could have written this myself Ferns. it would be strange, I would have so much more time, I would probably stop writing except for my journal again.
I have found community here late at night, when depressed or lonely and comfort and support for the poems and crazy parties I sometimes put up.
Hoping it is just nonsense that it is going down.

Okay, it showed up . Good.
JD Tink: Root beer and demorol does have a strange affect on you.You have been here from the start for me . Ah, fond memories.
Matt: I was in denial too but then ... yikes. I guess I will have to join some things I've avoided.
James: That baby is me not babyjames . Thanks for agreeing with my propositions.
Sweetfeet: Another fine blast from the past! Glad you are it. I await.
MarkinKentuckia: Sagemerlin's post on this is too business savvy for my non business head but I too hope any plan of his works.
JT: Looking very forward to that post. As for the rest of your comment: So mutual it isn't funny. Such a lovely comment. Thank you.

So many people that are shut-ins truly rely on this sort of media.

I am a recluse by design and when I read these threats my heart broke and I too, sadly, got into the hype.

My goal was to show the execs at Salon that we are a serious group and are willing to be part of the solution.

I may not post as often, but I read daily.

God fernsy, I hate thinking about it. I don't hang with my friends because they're hottie babes who throw wonderful themed bashes and serve good food... though that's somehow all true. I hang with them because they make me feel good, about them and about myself. I guess that's uncool but what good is having an appearance of cool if I feel bad about myself and bad about the people I hang with. For me to be any less interested in looking cool, I'd have to be dead.

I hate moving or divorce and this possible loss of OS is what preparing for a long distance move feels like to me. I'm going to lose so many people I like and love. I hate how it feels but it is what it is.

I'm wild about you too dear fernsy, I'm honored to have a friend like you. I should have stayed away today, I sprung a leak and now there is water running out of my eyes. I would miss you very much.

(Sorry, had to break it into to parts, I am so excited to comment!)
I look for my favorite funnies;

tink, accidental dad,
james emmerling ,

Then pictures Stahti Stahti,
Algis And Linda Seccaspina to just name a few,

and then my Serious reading Ande Bliss

and of course Jonathan Wolfman,

all the fiction I want and so many others, please, no-one be insulted, there is just so much room.

But that is exactly what I am saying.

And of course, I would miss you!

This is just a short typed and not proofread note- I've been away trying deal with Mike, and organizing my thought s to try to do some major writing, and a medical thing that's come up, and I come back to hear of the the demise of OS.

Still don't have much time to read and act ontyhis, but anybody out there who is organizing alternate site- ways to stay in touch, please let me know

will try to write more at legth later

Thanks

Bob

Sweetfeet: I meant glad you are on it.
It is official JD is now Tink
Rita: I'd miss you something fierce. Let's hope it's nonsense. But the gut says... not. The gut is not always so trusty, thank god. I've portended doom too many times to mention.

Trig! Somehow your comment got lost. Yes that's me at the H.E.S summer camp where my silly parents where counselors. It's early seventies. I would miss you too. Damn it!
Outon a limb: I'm addled. Losing OS might be the last marble.

To lose OS would be a tremendous loss of community. I've only been on here maybe 5-6 months and have almost 20 blogs, a drop in the hat compared to many. The network we have here is priceless, really.

I'm reminded of the last plant closing I went through. At least with that you saw it coming even though the level of denial was pretty high. Here it feels very day to day.

I've lost total control of the comments.
M.C.S: So many I'd still like to discover. Let's hope.
DianeSL: Even if one is not a shut in there are cooler people here per capita than out there. At least, LA.
Dorisdear: I have lost control of the comments and now am all teary after reading your comment. Plus, I need to find a way to make a dinner! Help. Will write more later, buddy girl.

Poetry nip!!! I love poetry nip!!!
Hafta write something wonderful now.....uhm.......

"If OS does dark and the lights go out,
I'll sharpen my claws and rip their guts out!!!!"
goes out into the bushes now.....

Them?

Yep them!!!!
No no no...not those THEMs!!!!
The other THEMS!!!!
The ones sitting in the root cellar administrating this site with bottles of moonshine in their laps and listening to RedNex playing on their IPADS signing "Cotton Eyed Joe" and scratching their balls!!!

No no..not THOSE balls!!!!
The EYE balls. of course.
Not Cotton Eyed singers right?

I would never have survived without this place and I guess I should write about it...I will think hard on this and thank you for the open call!

What a great OC idea! I will be contributing as soon as possible, because I think you're right - we need to show our love to this place. Maybe it'll be heard by someone - or maybe just for Murphy's Law purposes. Hopefully it'll work.

I also love what you wrote in answer to your OC - so clever and funny and moving all at once.

And the baby picture - perfect - though hopefully there'll be no need to wave goodbye to OS....

have a love/hate relationship with OS. I do it partly for the comments & IMs & ratings, but a lot of it is for the thousands of hits by people who never comment or rate (at a large 10x ratio or so). do not want to see an upset in the status quo. but the status quo really s*cks a lot of the time. is kerry lauerman still around? can someone hunt down emily and ask her what the #$%& is going on?

i blog here
there
other places
OS gave me:
an online identity
a new love
a soon to be new house
more white hair
laughs
cries
wonderful friends
meaning
and soon to be sadness

If OS fails, I'm afraid I'll quit writing and start watching even more reality TV than I already do. And I don't even like those people. I like everyone here.

First off, I'm not sure the demise of OS is imminent. Salon has been drowning in red ink for awhile but has continued to keep swimming somehow.

Second, since I have been spending less time on OS in recent weeks, part of me has already been saying goodbye. The people here whose friendship I treasure have been able to converse with me on Facebook or by email.

That said, I will say that I have started blogs on other websites but none of them compare to OS. There is more traffic here, more interaction with readers, as well as an interesting diversity of thought. OS

Ach, I hit enter before I finished. I was trying to say that OS has always felt like a community, a feeling I haven't gotten at any of the other sites.

I'd lose all the crazy shit I wrote. Can't figure out (yet) how to back it up.

Fernsey, I would feel such loss if OS were to die. I joined with the encouragement of Erica K to write about my animal rescue. I wanted to help the critters and I found so much more here. I met talented writers and artists and a crazy cat and real people who made me laugh and warmed my heart. I made real friends who I got to meet in a NYC meet up. And now I've seen a writer turn Into or channel that crazy cat!!! I would like to join the orphans too on yahoo or Facebook because if you all disappeared it would be a great loss.

You are very cute in that carriage. I hope it's not goodbye.

Murphy my Irish comrade do your work!!!!!!

Fernsey, I would feel such loss if OS were to die. I joined with the encouragement of Erica K to write about my animal rescue. I wanted to help the critters and I found so much more here. I met talented writers and artists and a crazy cat and real people who made me laugh and warmed my heart. I made real friends who I got to meet in a NYC meet up. And now I've seen a writer turn Into or channel that crazy cat!!! I would like to join the orphans too on yahoo or Facebook because if you all disappeared it would be a great loss.

You are very cute in that carriage. I hope it's not goodbye.

Murphy my Irish comrade do your work!!!!!!

I would very much miss OS, fernsy. Heck I met you through it and we had that crazy meet-up in February! I don't think anything I can write about what OS means to me will measure up to what you just penned, though. xo

i built a site 'just in case' with much of the same functionality as here. people are beginning to gather and so far (though its only been a day or so) the reviews are good.
the yahoo group is also great... a staging area in case here goes tits up. i support that effort also.

i hope we dont go in too many different directions... if we do go.

my(our) site is here: http://oursalon.ning.com/

I'd miss the camaraderie and I'm miss reading the consistently great writing. Whatever it is you like to read - it's here. I'm hoping this is just another false alarm.

heya, Fernsy! Day Late and Dollar short reporting in from Austin. I just got here. ( I mean a month on OS and an hour today. Yikes. An hour? Yes, because I've just read interesting things by interesting people.)
Like Asia rein said. It's been super-welcoming.

but wait: before you all wander off and leave me wondering if I smell bad or something - what is meta? What else should I know about the empire?

Mostly, don't wander off. I just got here and am having a real good time. Keep writing to me/for me! Please!

Herr: I want to find out exactly what is going on with Mike. Hope everything is okay out there and Ms. deeds has grown a soul somehow. Unlikely.
AisaR: You've been a great addition I gotta say. Lots of good energy about your OS presence.
LL: Looking forward to read what you will write.
Alysamydear: Can't wait to read yours. Me as a sloppy baby might be just waving hello to the camera. Thanks for your sweet comment.
vzn: For me it's been relatively love love. And, I'm usually a conflicted type. Emily is history it seems.
ChuckStetson: Wow. It really gave you a lot. It's always been laced with sadness. So many come and go and just never heard from again. And, the deaths and the sicknesses. But when it's gone for good-- very sad.
JL: Ha. I'll be in the same predicament. I'll no it's really dire when I sit in front of the cupcake wars.

I am hopelessly addicted to Open Salon, to everyone here, and to the pirate wimmins in particular. Of course, we can all take shelter some place else, but like all refugee camps, odds are, it won't be like home.

Frankly, OS is helping to save my sanity. You guys are my friends, which is why I couldn't handle the constant "OS is dying" that was going on. But, I have joined two of the groups so far, as well as the FB pages, so I will just learn to talk in a different cafe, huh.

You inspired me, girl! Just posted something. xo

:( fish outta water *flop, flop, gasp, flop*
Mostly doing the denial thing though.

Cranky: Hope you are right. I haven't had a chance to investigate much but suspect that there is nothing similar available.
Littlewillie: Another fine blast from the past. You copy and paste it into a word document. Well, that's the way I do it.
Joanne: I was hoping to get to know you better. Any friend of Erica is good people. Murphy's law is the most accurate law going ;>(
Erica: Give it a try, dear. It feels as if OS has so much more life in her. We'll see. Meeting you and the offline friendships really made it something.
Lorianne: A fine fine blast from the past. I remember a comment of yours till today. Will definately check that link out. Thanks for giving me the heads up.
Bell: Yep. Hope you join whatever group forms.
PamelaSBach: You smell wonderful. Sorry you had to arrive when it's so messy. Hope to read you soon.

"It's seems uncool to say that for me it has been a lifesaver on occassion "
Well, then I'm with your Fernsey - Uncool.

Thanks for your story. This has been a place to find friends.

who luvs ya', baby?

~R~

Who started this shit?. Where it is written that OS is going to close. This is the third time I've been through this. All because someone read about Salon's finances? I really don't think they care if they make money on OS. As long as it breaks even or doesn't lose too much, I think It will stay around. Anyway, like mac. I did join the Orphans (if they'll have me) but I do hope it's all for naught!

Who started this shit?. Where it is written that OS is going to close. This is the third time I've been through this. All because someone read about Salon's finances? I really don't think they care if they make money on OS. As long as it breaks even or doesn't lose too much, I think It will stay around. Anyway, like mac. I did join the Orphans (if they'll have me) but I do hope it's all for naught!

Haven't got enough time to follow your OC with a post, so I'll attempt a brief answer here.

OS has been, for me, a place to restore courage and take the plunge into more self-expression. I learn from all you people. This has been like a thought haven and a school and a vacation from ordinary life all in one.
ferns, I'm awful glad I know you. We had some grand times with Amanda and the others there for a while didn't we?
;)
Love ya, hon!

The thing I'll value about this place regardless of what happens is that pretty much anyone could contribute and comment back and forth. Other than specific message boards, you generally don't find that kind of site these days.

it would mean no more pirate wimmin.

Nilesite: Definately addictive. A refugee camp? I see potential in that.
Justphyliss: Sanity must be saved! a cafe refugee camp? It's sounding promising.
Erica: It was great.
justJulie: The whole gang is really here. gasp flop gasp too ;)
Trilogy: Uncool is cool then.
Eyespye: Luvs ya and yaz know it.
MaryS: Yes, and other good things.
PW: I remember them as if they were yesterday. All the drunken reverie. You threw some surreal and wondeful parties. Love that Amanda though she has long been away. Love ya too dear. Thanks for everything.
Duane: Yep and it attracts attractive characters. We get a full fledged maniac here and there but it's the exception. And, I'm not talking about those fun maniacs.
Thegnome! Cyril, i swear to god i thought of you and how now we just need the gnome to return. And, there is the best gnome ever known . So glad the gnome has come home.
Scanner: If it's all for naught than this will all be just a strange but fond memory in ten years.

@Scanner - Of course, no one in any official capacity to do so has said OS is going down for good. On the other hand, no one is likely to annouce it when it really does happen.

What triggered this panic was an outage Thursday that lasted several hours. The usual total lack of communication from The Powers That be added to the uneasiness. Leading up to the outage, there was news that one of the big financial journals had included Salon Media Group in a list of 10 most likely to go under this year. Add to that the fact the the CEO and another C level recently left, and that the brand new CIO was moved to CEO, and you had fertile ground for rumors.

sagemerlin did a post revisiting his idea of buying OS, or re-creating it.

All these things brought forth the flood of posts we've all seen and some people got panicky.

All in all, I think it has been positive. It got people thinking about alternatives - OS will die some day and we will not be given advance notice. It lead people to set up and others to join meet up sites. It got people backing up their work. It shook people out of complacency about OS and what means to them.

- Mark

Somebody should back up placebostudman's better posts.
If only I had enough time for it! I've just got one too many things going....

:(

One other postive thing to come of it. It flushed rictresa out from lurking. He joined Poor Woman's Yahoo! forum.

you said it. hope os stays.

I mostly write about labor and working class economics, but I love to read the highly personal stuff that other people write about. Some of it is joyful. Some of it is painful and some a mixture of both.

It's reality blogging and we need more of it. I wish that the comments were threaded as it's hard to have a real conversation, but I appreciate those who keep trying. I do chime in from time to time.

As far as trying to keep Open Salon going, it's a long shot if Salon keels over, but long shots do win once in a while. Open Salon, for all of its technical snafus is a unique place on the web. I'd hate to see it go down without a fight. Not likely given the wild bunch who post here...

Since I am about to unplug for the month of July, I'll have a taste of OS not being around. Or rather, me not being around OS. If there truly were a demise, I would miss so many of my favorites, including you, as you well know. I do believe in the saying when one door closes, another opens. So I'd like to keep a positive outlook, whatever happens.

Most of all, it means missing the hell out of great friends like yourself; and missing great writers and wonderful bloggers. I wish to God these are just rumors. What a beautiful and cute fernsy pic! R

A great OC, fernsy. Losing OS would be a big loss for me even though my posts tend to be sporadic. But the connections here inspire me, and I love having an outlet for this writing thing that came to me in my 50's.

MarkinKentuckiana: It's sad that we can't rely on them to give us notice. This place has flourished even with such apathy and disregard on the part of management. That in itself is a cool thing.
Mariaheng: yep.
Bob Simpson: I never liked memoirs too much but I
really enjoy the bloggers who focus on their real day to day lives. Here's to long shots!
Dreidel: A positive outlook can't hurt. As you know, I'd miss you and make sure you signed up to some group somewhere.xo
Toth: Doesn't that pig have a cute belly. I'd miss you too pal. We can all find a place to write but it would be the loss of the community built over time that would really hurt.xo
Lshmoopie: Your postings may be sporadic but you've been a very valuable member for a long time.

I haven't heard much if anything about it going kaput until reading a couple posts including this and a couple other posts; after a quick Google search I didn't find anything major to indicate there is anything to it, I hope.

But still it would be unfortunate if I turn out to be mistaken. I started out Blogging to focus on important issues someplace where I could get some attention; now that I'm finally getting a little traffic it would be annoying to have to start all over again at a new location where no one knows where to look.

Also even though keeping up with the social activity on OS and the poetry, photography, literature, art etc. wasn't my primary objective I have found that a lot of it is worthwhile and if I have time it would be worth it to look at more although I wouldn't want to spend too much time on the computer.

My best guess is with Scanner it probably isn't happening so you and James should probably wave hello. :-)

Would be a serious loss for me. I have signed up with the yahoo orphan's site.

"It seems uncool to say that for me it has been a lifesaver on occassion . It seems desperately uncool to go on and on about how much I'll miss it if it sinks. I'm not in the mood to be even more uncool just now, but I know many of you reading this will know that the gush would have been directed at them had I succumbed to impulse...." You've said it for all of us, sistah!!

Brilliant.

Yup. Most of the above.

R♥

I found OS through a friend who is an excellent writer. I never identified as a writer, even though from time to time I enjoyed journaling, the occasional scathing letter to the editor or scumbucket of a customer service. I've given it a few tries here on OS, and I'll be sad and a bit lost if I lose this forum and community. I have no funds or savvy to help with any attempted rescue, but I will closely follow any and all efforts, and throw in my two cents when it seems useful.

A toast to all of you for the gift of your creativity, and thanks to those who have read and commented on my feeble efforts. Vive l'OS!!

First, to address the topic: OS has been the one place so far where I've been able to get my work out in front of the public while trying to hone the quality. Still working on it. As the saying goes, the best story I've written is the next one. What I'd miss the most is some of the connections I've made here and/or bloggers I try to follow: (in no particular order) Tink, Cranky, Linda Seccaspina, Stathi Stathi, the OS Fiction Club, Duane Gundrum, David Brin, Graham Sale, just to name a few off the top of my head. Some of the dustups have actually seemed amusing (although I'm sure the participants didn't see it that way.) I've seen some great humor, and things that made my brain work overtime trying to digest all the nuances.

As far as the death knells for OS: some people act like Chicken Little, some like Scanner disbelieve the possibility. I don't have any inside info one way or the other. I ask you all to think only of this: Of the websites you toured, say 10 years ago, how many are still there? And if they've survived the past decade, how much have they changed?

Bottom line, change is inevitable. You can prepare for it, or you can continually play catch-up.

Looks like it's time for me to put the finishing touches on my WordPress site.

Thanks for the OC, Fernsy. I've meant to check into your blog for some time and never got around to it.

-R-

I would loose the opportunity to show off my gorgeous body if OS closed before I posted this. Lets see if I can make it?
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fernsey, thank you, very much appreciated. I stalked the site for 4-5 months before I posted my first blog from an OC on the economy. Kinda barfed it out and got an EP, my one and only. At the time it was embarrassing because I'm a true amateur. But I've made connections from being here and the site seems very novel to me. I think many people don't get it at first then see the true potential upon further investigation, that was me at least. Happy to be here and sure don't want to be forced to find a new gig!

Oh Ferns!! I wrote such an uncool comment on the new editor's intro and immediately braced myself for the impact. But here's the thing - I really really like it here too and the love i feel for you guys is real and the conversations, relationships, experiences have all meant a great deal to me. I love your guts - there I said it - and will send you my contact info via PM so that we can always keep in touch. Thank you for the solidarity of uncoolness. You are one of the heartstrings that has kept me from ever complaining.

Zachary: Cooler heads have prevailed and now we have a new editor I understand. But, where's the feed? Anyone know.
Luminousmuse: My ADD coupled with PTSD makes any extra step too hard so I hope we all just can stay here.
Brazen: You are one of the premier reasons I'd miss this place. Thank you, sweet senorita.
Fusun: I'd so miss those fancy hearts.

JettNoire: Another excellent blast from the past. Where you been?
LEMerithew: It is inevetiable but it still is really unwelcome in this instance. Hope the place stays and we both get to discover eachoters blogs.
Algis: You go!
Asia: You just do appear as a good vibe sort of person and those types are always a treat. Plus you are intelligetn and a good writer.No appreciation necessary. Just speaking my truth, as they say. :)
Jaime: Check your Pm but I love your guts too, mija!

Fernsy: Dunno, chere. As I say, never really called myself "writer," although every once in while the muse grabs me, turns me upside down, and something cool falls out of my pockets. So, I've been so pleased to have this forum and community, and will be royally peeved and sad if we lose it. Nonetheless, thanks for asking and thanks for sharing your gifts, which are considerable.

Murphy's law now says that if we write dramatic goodbyes to OS, OS will last for eternity, just to make us look like fools. So, I hope you participate/

that is my strategy. look what i have accomplished!
uh, something that tomorrow will be ancient history, my ep..but
still...

demise of os would be a serious crimp in my gentlemanly
voyeuristic hobbies.
my nosy nose.
my great love for them i am nosy about,sure, but..
a nosey guy? creepy.

ha. not the way i do it!

Jett: Loved the way you described the muse and writing. So relate. Then some months just nada and back to being an uncreative oaf. Since I read your first blog and saw your delightfully zany avatar I've had a strong fondness for you. Thank you for your sweet and cheering comment.
James: I'm as nosy as it gets. Want to be reincarnated as a fly on the walls. Just fly around from wall to wall. Heaven.Not creepy to be nosy in my opinion. I guy who walks around naked and is nosy maybe but not just a regular curious typa fella. Talk about curiosity: Where in the hell did the feed go? Are they taking away our toys because we got a littel peevish with them or is this some grand money making thing we can't yet understand?

I would be devistated. The only platform I've found for the insanity I spout would be gone.

It's unthinkable!