Wow, hardly any posts today!

[Jason Dunn]

I've been gone away from my PC all day, and I was a little surprised to see that other than Marlof's early morning posts, nothing else was posted. Looks like my team was as busy as me. It's funny though - this eBook thread and the resulting hostility it evoked on both sides really made me lose interest in the site. When something that is supposed to be fun causes you grief and frustration, suddenly it's no longer at the top of your list of priorities. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/images/smiles/icon_confused.gif" />. The time and energy it takes to slug it out with the people who feel it's necessary to tear someone and their work down is getting to be too much. My work on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0735618739/jasondunn-20/">the book</a> is suffering because of it, and in general it's putting me in a bad mood.<br /><br />So, I'm going to take a couple of days off. The rest of the team may or may not post - it's up to them. Keep using the forums and enjoying yourself, but I need a break - this is no longer fun for me, and that scares me a little.

[humphrey22]

Sounds like a great plan!

[harry]

when i feel the way you do jason there is only one cure for me: beer, camping, bbqing something, mtn biking to the point of passing out, chasing the girlfriend around the house, and listening to NOFX. the latter 2 can be combined :wink: and since it's a 3 day weekend here in the lower 48 i'm gonna try to get them all done!

[danmanmayer]

Sorry that you have gotten upset. But to post in a public place people will always attack. One of the problems of trying to shares ones thoughts and beliefs. I know this from a few attacks i have recieved and a few i have probably made. Enjoy your vacation everyone deserves one once and a while. P.S. out of curiousity what kind of servers do you run the site on? Linux, WIN, BSD?

[gracar]

I hope you enjoy your break but I also hope that you use the time to reflect on your reasons for getting involved in Pocket PC Thoughts in the first place. I think you are on a curve that all start up businesses go through - you have passed the point of "start up fun" and are now into the reality of a large customer base and significant anounts of administrative time. Some people can't hack the change and move on to a new start up. I hope you won't take that path.

The straw that broke your back was related to an e-book posting and I think the people who initially responed in the negative ought to ask why they are involved in this site. The majority of people who read the posts - I would guess - are new or newish to the PPC and look for help in getting the best from the device. I think these and many other posts of a similar nature are a great help. If the "experts" want to knock peoples efforts why don't they go off somewhere else and leave the rest of the readers to enjoy and learn. I downloaded a great tutorial on BT connection and would have gladly paid $10 for it. Free has no value and I admire people who recognise the value of their work and make a nominal charge for it.

I'd offer a few thoughts to you Jason:-

1. Write down the original objectives of the site and consider whether they are being met at this time.

2. Get things back on track by setting some ground rules with your team. Have the postings become to "off topic" or "political" is the site still relevant to the original objectives?

3. Recognise that you are past a "few friends" and don't take things personally.

4. Keep up the good work and believe that the vast majority of your readers do not want to see the likes of you and Dale Coffing give up.

[krisbrown]

Forums are the home of the flame I guess,
but really people, if you have the intelligence to post an opinion, then you have the intelligence to realise the context in which these books are presented, mouthing off the bleedin obvious in such a derogatory way doesn't do anyone any good.
Jeez you'd think someone was forcing you to buy them.
Do you people march round Toys 'r' Us shouting about theprice of the lowbrow literature!!
Don't worry flame boys, JD will get you back!

Listern to the Sunscreen song mate, utter cliche, but sooo true, every line.

[jsjxyz]

Keep your head cool, your site is still number one sources for Pocket PC quick info, it can be seen by the thoughts submitted in each topic you posted it.
To be on the top of the hills it is not easy
Regards,
Jerry
Pocket PC eBooks Watch

[Jonathan1]

Jason I just want to apologize for the 550 review thread and the little scuffle Boxster and I got into. I lost my temper and interpreted Boxster post as hostile which in retrospect it wasn't. Sorry. :?

[Ashley Dunn]

P.S. out of curiousity what kind of servers do you run the site on? Linux, WIN, BSD?

I'm not sure if Jason will venture in here today, so I thought I'd take the liberty of answering your question. He's running a Linux based server, and will continue to for quite some time. :-)

There was talk of moving to a Windows box, but due to the high cost of running such a server, he opted to stick with Linux.

[ledowning]

I have only been using a Pocket PC for about a year and am by no means an expert. I visit sites like yours to learn more about Pocket PC uses and to find out about different programs and developments that affect the Pocket PC world and what may be useful to me. It never ceases to amaze me, some of the comments that show up in the forums.

Do some people have nothing better to do than respond to forums all day? I know that I don't have time to respond or question everything I read. I think that some people have way too much free time.

Forums are useful discussion areas for many topics, but I don't think that they should be used to openly criticize anyone for their work. Just because you don't like something or wouldn't buy something doesn't mean someone else won't.

I hope that Jason and all the others who run this site don't get too discouraged, I for one really like this site and its diversity.

Have a good few days off Jason.



"Life Is What Happens While You're Making Other Plans"

[BogdanK]

Hope you have few good days off. You are doing a great job. Have fun and relax.

Just one of tag lines you might want to keep in mind:
Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is serious.

[golfingtigger]

Didn't this same type of adolescent behavior occur with Steve over at Brighthand? I know that for a while, he also considered jumping out of his PDA site.

I'm glad to see that he went through a couple reformats and is still catering to the user as opposed to the industry (He had mentioned moving to a more business/corporate themed site).

I really feel for pt. He's a really bright, energetic guy who has his head on straight. He does a great job at flashenabled.com. Heck, I would work with him. He just wanted to provide a service and got slammed for it (at least that's what I got from the 15 posts that I could stomach).

[stareja]

Jason,

Don't let them get to you. Just remember that your real reader-base will always support you! :D

[sundown]

Man I must have missed something. Guess I'll have to read the ebook thread. I appreciate this site and thank you for the effort. It's one of the few I make a point to visit every day. Enjoy your vacation. And just because we're not posting, it doesn't mean we're not reading :wink:

[puithove]

Jason,

While I admit I am usually a "Lurker", I highly value this site for news and info related to my favorite toy/tool.

I think we all understand the need to get away sometimes - whether it be our jobs, our hobbies, our spouses, whatever.

Hope your break gives you a chance to re-evaluate. Hope you return soon.

:drinking:

[PPCRules]

Jason,

I've been around here for a while, a bit before I started posting, and it seems like you broadened your subject matter since the time that PDABuzz fell apart. If that was indeed intentional, an attempt to meet a need that had arisen, I would say that it was a wise move that was helpful to the online community. I sense that there is a lot more traffic here now, and I have enjoyed the broader thoughts subjects. I read all the front page stuff, but if a subject isn't so up my alley, I don't read the forums on it. I didn't read the ebook stuff, I didn't reply to get in on the case race, and I only read the first few replies on the Aspertame thread. But if these broader subjects are also bringing in people that have nothing better to do than spout off to hear themselves type, maybe it's not worth it. Maybe letting things go back to more closely PPC-related subject matter could cause the troublemakers to go somewhere else. On the other hand, if rapid and continuous growth is desired, I'm afraid these things are inevitable and will need to be closely moderated and edited (eek! censorship! oh, my, the internet will die!). And, I agree, that's not my idea of fun, either.

Eitherway, your spirit has showed in this site. If your spirit is not in it, it won't be any fun to come here, either.

[The586Express]

Jason,

I look forward to this site every day. And I know I'm not alone in saying that your hard work is greatly appreciated.

At the same time, the more successful you are at what you do, the more people will notice it. With a "few" loyal readers, you might get one or two bad apples, but I suspect there are now so many people coming to this site that the "negativity factor" (seen in any size group) is rearing it's ugly head.

I've heard the same excuses before by so-called "honest" people - you know, about how they "just tell it like it is." Well, there's no excuse for being rude. I've seen words thrown around in the eBook thread like "junk" and "worthless". Well, you're right...there's no place for that garbage. I've never understood why people get involved in posting on a topic that doesn't interest them...paranoia? "I'm not interested in this so no one would find it interesting, so it must be a scam. I MUST EXPOSE IT TO THE WORLD!!" :twisted: ??

Whatever the reason, it's not because of the content on this site, and it's not because of you, so don't take it upon yourself. These are people who aren't happy unless they're miserable. You can't fix that, so don't beat yourself up over it. Don't let them drag you into their misery.

Sheesh I sound like somebody's mother. :oops:

Keep up the good work, man. 8)

[jdhill]

Jason,

You know that the vast majority of your readers respect you and your site and want you to continue doing the same thing you have been doing. Don't change a thing.

I don't have the exact words of the so-called "serenity prayer" handy, but you know the gist: "Give me the power to change the things I can, the serenity to accept the things I can't change, and the good grace to know the difference between the two" (or something like that).

Don't let a lack of good manners by a few people spoil it for you.

You da PPC man !!! Come back in a few days and get back to work !!! Ed, Marlof, Andy, Brad and the others can't hold down the site alone forever !!!

[Jonathon Watkins]

Jason - your hard work is appreciated. Please don't take it personally when people vent off about stuff. I like the mix of stuff you and the Mods put up on the front page - but we've already had that discussion before.

We appreciated you. I hopped on board during the trouble with “The website formerly run by Wes Salmon” as yours was the best PPC site I could find. I still think it is. As others have said – have a break for a few days, think about things, and then I hope you will come back. Some people have no manners and big mouths. Such is life. :?

You have lots of manners, a big mind and a great website – which is why we come back here.

We’re thinking of you. :idea:

[DrtyBlvd]

Listern to the Sunscreen song mate, utter cliche, but sooo true, every line.

Which one?

[DrtyBlvd]

So, I'm going to take a couple of days off. The rest of the team may or may not post - it's up to them. Keep using the forums and enjoying yourself, but I need a break...

Now that's interesting.

I used to read this page everyday; have done for a while - but (and I don't use this as a point, merely a quantitive reference), since the Aspartamene thread, my interest & entusiasm has tailed off markedly - And I was surprised to realise it!

Why? Not sure really - It's not as simple as saying "Oh, I got jumped on for voicing an opinion on warez" (Same time-ish as Aspartamene), or "I've gone off it due to this/that"

And I all I have to do is read the site, not create it's content! Do you produce site stats detailing user posts? Like how many in so long? Are they down for the site in general? I don't think you can lead with the contributors not posting as much for example - it's that time of year when people are realising it's coming to the end again and as such there's always a lot on - but perhaps user stats support that? IE you're not the only one who needs a holiday? :wink:

"Fun". That's exactly what it should be - this isn't a trial run; this is the one and only run - life is too short.

Trust you have had a good break when you return - and feel like you did too - I have no doubts you'll be back.

Eat more sugar :D