Site Announcement
SITE ANNOUNCEMENT
A few months ago I took the decision to move this site from Spruz to here on Grou.ps
This has unfortunately turned out to have been an unwise decision and one which I deeply regret. In the short time this site has been open, thanks to you all, we have built up a wonderful, caring, sharing community which is a tribute to everyone involved.
However, behind the scenes things have been less than perfect and we have experienced so many issues with this site that I cannot continue to invest time and money into the future of the site on this current platform.
In addition to all the technical issues that have arisen, there are also fundamental issues with the way our information is stored on this site. For the site to be successful we need to have excellent rankings with the search engines.
It turns out that this site will never be 'search engine friendly' due to the manner in which the pages are stored.
I could have got around this by building a new wiki running on a different platform, but in the end and given the recent major issues with IE8/9, both Mirya and myself concluded that a clean break was required and that is what I have been working on for quite a few days now.
You will notice to the left there is a link to New Wiki. This new site based on TikiWiki (an open-source, widely used platform) is to become our new home.
The new site lwld.us is online and I have spent many long hours transferring articles, posts and (eventually) blogs to the new home.
This current site will close after the current billing period at the beginning of June.
I really do appreciate how annoying this move is going to be for you. I know many current members will not move at all. For those that do, there is a new learning curve, a new site to learn, new ways of doing things, changes to absorb and get used to. Please believe me that I have not taken this decision lightly.
However, if the site is to grow and to get exposure on the internet, our purpose is to reach as many people as possible, then we cannot stay with Grou.ps.
If I was a multi-million $ company I would develop my own software and web site. But I am not. I am just someone who (on disability) who has to run, pay for and support this site out of my own desire to help people. I have to rely on other software to help me achieve that goal. When I find that the software I use does not or cannot perform then I have to move on. That is the way of the world.
My hope is that moving to TikiWiki, a platform in use by millions around the world, our site will now reside on a stable, supported and maintained code-base to which I control the entire environment. There can be no code changes, updates or unannounced 'quick-fixes', because I completely control the site and it's software.
Please register on the new site and start making this your home. If you run into problems you will notice a button for Online Support. If the button shows support is online you will get a direct connection to me and we can go through any issues you are having.
As we move forward more features will be added but in the mean time give me feedback on the new place, good or bad and I will try to incorporate your views.
Once again, I am truly sorry and I take full responsibility for getting you to come here and now asking you move.
There will be more information forthcoming as we move towards the end of life for this site.
Thanks for you patience,
Craig