UPDATE August 13, 2011...

Well, golly. I couldn’t have picked a worse time to try to sell something.

My initial call for bids to buy Glen-Ellyn.com and Glen-Ellyn.org (This GEBB) had a cutoff date of August 12, but I didn’t receive any offers that I found acceptable...

So, the For Sale sign is still out. First come, first served (no deadline this time) but, as before, the domain names, URLs, content, work files, archives — the whole ball o' web wax — are offered as a package deal.

Again, all offers will be considered and I’m open to “creative financing” ideas. Email or call me for details or with questions...

Ted Eselgroth
Ted@Eselgroth.com
630-469-7200

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Ted E.,

I've mentioned this before, but it merits repeating...

If there is one or more posters whose opinions you don't ever want to see again, you can block their messages from your screen.

When signed in... go to Go ==> Personal Zone ==> Ignore List. Enter the username(s) whose posts you no longer wish to have displayed, and Presto! They vanish from your view of the GEBB as if they never existed.

Try that with Fox News or MSNBC.*

Enjoy! —Ted E.

* Don't bother. It won't work.

Despite the good things about this website, there is a lot of crap also. You can mention filtering out a poster's comments, but what about someone new to the BB that starts reading some of the drivel as fact, not knowing every else is ignoring their posts?

Why don't you list home many users are ignoring posts by certain participants.

Ted, you appear to be defending Mr. Ackerman and removing posts from anyone that fights fire with fire.

ackerman, what does "cretin" mean?

quote:

"If the future of this bulletin board will primarily contain the misanthropic rants of cretins like "ackerman" and DTM's reposting of right wing news outlets, it will be hard to justify the visit.

Do you want " go daddy . com?"

quote:

Originally posted by ackerman:
You don't like it, why not? Are you one of the perpetrators? Or just happy with the crap on a stick that we get fed by many of our public officials?

After reading what you have written on the BB and how you interact with people, all I can say is I don't like you and it does not matter if you perceive yourself as a white knight. Your persona as a leper is self induced.

And no, I am not a politician.

quote:

...what about someone new to the BB that starts reading some of the drivel as fact...

Good grief, it's 2011... are there still people who believe everything they read on the internet?

In any case, at the top of every GEBB page it sats,

quote:

vNOTE: The comments posted on this message board represent the individual opinions of their respective posters only and — unless specifically claimed otherwise — are not to be construed as statements of proven or alleged fact.

I don't know what more I can do to defend people from their own imaginations.

quote:

Why don't you list home many users are ignoring posts by certain participants.

Because I have no idea how many are doing it, or to whom. I also have no idea how many users subscribe to the email version of the GEBB, and thus receive posts (for selected forums and/or threads) without ever having to actually visit the web site itself. It's probably uncounted millions... all uncounted in the monthly stats.

quote:

Ted, you appear to be defending Mr. Ackerman and removing posts from anyone that fights fire with fire.

No... most of the time, Ack attacks policies, procedures and positions, and not other GEBBers, personally. (although, I have occasionally slapped his wrists, as well as those of others, for starting unwanted flame wars).

Messages that I edit or delete are generally flames that attack a poster personally, rather than his or her position. There's a difference, although I admit the line is often gray.

In any case... civil discourse is always welcome, no matter which side is represents.. Flame wars, personal insults and the like have never been welcome... whether I agree with them or not. —Ted E.

quote:

Originally posted by Ted E.:
Messages that I edit or delete are generally flames that attack a poster personally, rather than his or her position. There's a difference, although I admit the line is often gray.

So "Ackerman's posts make him seem like an A**Hat" is OK, but "Ackerman is an A**Hat" is not.

Do I have this straight?

Ack - Thanks for the kind words!

I'm contacted every so often by people from elsewhere who want to start a similar site in their own community... I'm happy to share the how-to mechanics of the process, but when they invariably ask, “And how do we get the same sort of traffic you have?” I can only suggest they get a time machine, go back to 1996, and start it then. The means of promoting something new on the internet back then was very different than it is now.

Actually, Glen-Ellyn.com was my second community site. Before returning to Glen Ellyn in 1996 we lived outside of Atlanta, where I set up The Cherokee County Web Site — Cherokee County then being the nation's fasted-growing county. (At the same time I was trying to buy a small community AM/FM radio station there, figuring radio (audio) plus a web site (visual) would make a great multimedia pairing.)

Anyway, the radio deal fell through, and when we moved back here I just shut down the web site and walked away from it... too much trouble at the time to think about doing anything else. I still hear from people who miss it, though. —Ted E.

quote:

Do I have this straight?

Pretty much. To oversimplify, “That's a stupid idea” (focus on the position) is okay, but “You're stupid” (focus on the GEBBer who posted it) is a no-no.

My favorite classic Saturday Night Live bit remains the Jane, you ignorant slut sketch. —Ted E.

I never got the impression this site was run for a profit but as a service to the community therefore I'm a bit surprised about the for sale vs a call for qualified and capable person willing to maintain and continue.
Best wishes.

Actually, when I started the site, I figured I'd sell local advertising, or perhaps seek an arms-length sole sponsor.

But my real business was webdesign. As the site's de facto sole sponsor, I found that it quickly generated more web development business than I could accept. Since I much preferred to do web work than sell advertising, I concentrated my focus on serving the clients the site brought to me.

If I simply gave it away, the next operator could immediately monitize the site (based on 1,000,000 page views per month and its #1 search engine rank) by selling advertising or partnering with one or two arm's length sponsors.

My wife would kill me.

quote:

Originally posted by Ted E.:
If I simply gave it away, the next operator could immediately monitize the site (based on 1,000,000 page views per month and its #1 search engine rank) by selling advertising or partnering with one or two arm's length sponsors.

My wife would kill me.

Interesting.

I'm no expert in the area of things webby, but is there no way to complete a transfer which includes binding prohibitions against monitizing the site?

You could, but he does not want to do that. Which is understandable. It's his product and he can let it live or die as he wishes. God Bless the GEBB as it lumbers through its last week!

I'm trying to determine what avatar photo I want to have as my lasting memory. St. Louis cardinals to irk Middle for all eternity? or back to my U of I roots? decisions....

Here you go, DTM

I wonder if my avatar is owned by the site or by me?

Good point DTM. Time to go back to the original avatar.

Clam, since you stole the AV to begin with I'm pretty sure neither of you own it. If you want to make sure ask Fan. Speaking of... Fan should bring back the original Fan AV!

quote:

...my avatar is owned by the site or by me?

Legally, it is owned by the artist who created it. In the use of an avitar on the GEBB... posters are responsible for their avitar (as they are for the content of their messages), but text and graphics remain on the GEBB (or any other privately operated message board) at the whim* of the administrator.

Don't get too excited about your avitars being archived for all eternity. I have to reduce the amount of space the GEBB takes up on my ISPs servers... avitars will probably have to go.

Even my picture. Which I took with my own camera set on “timer” and own outright. —Ted E.

* Technical term.