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Jundee80
join:2012-11-06
Canada

1 edit

Jundee80 to chrnits

Member

to chrnits

Re: Holmes Fan Forum closed !?!

The following is not theory but fact.

The moderators were told by their administrator that discussions were held by the office (nobody specified) to determine what to do

The following options were mentioned:

Archive the forum which had over 1/4 million posts.

Hire a new administrator which would have to be paid.

Place advertising on the forum to cover the cost.

As I mentioned in previous posts, there was no mention of shutting the forum down completely.

I even offered to have my son, who is an IT specialist with IBM, fix the spam problem for them, without any cost to them.

I received a polite thank you.

I find it hard to believe too but over 9 years Mike posted exactly once on the forum, a Christmas message the first
year.

As long as we don't get an explanation, all we can do is make assumptions

Jundee

rickardsred
join:2004-08-20
St Catharines, ON

rickardsred

Member

I too am disappointed to see the Holmes Forum shut down. I was a member there going back a number of years, and usually enjoyed reading through the posts, and jumping in when I could contribute something worthwhile.

I gotta give the mods there credit (Jundee, Navyguy et al....) for keeping the threads on-topic, keeping the spam and flamewars to a minimum and basically making it an enjoyable forum to participate in. A thankless job, especially considering they were all volunteers.

I can understand the Holmes group's reasoning for pulling the plug though. If they don't have direct control over the content, and don't have the time/budget to pay someone to oversee it, I can see why they wouldn't want their name associated with it. Perhaps they could have renamed it the 'Unofficial Mike Holmes Fan Forum' if they were concerned about protecting the Holmes brand image?
Jundee80
join:2012-11-06
Canada

Jundee80

Member

The fan forum was independant before Holmes decided to take it over.

As far as control is concerned, Mike's daughter was administrator & you can rest assured she didn't hesitate to pull the moderators short if she deemed it neccessary.

We also all had to sign an agreement to adhere to certain rules when they took over ownership.

Jundee

Pairodocs
@bhn.net

Pairodocs to LazMan

Anon

to LazMan
Hey Jundee, and LazMan!
I was completely shocked by the removal of the forum. I had been a "member" since 2007. I found it to be the most civil forum I had ever visited on the internet. I learned a lot, and I'd like to think I was able to give some helpful advice to some people as well. For them to nix the forum as suddenly as they did, I have to assume that the lawyers got involved somehow, and thought it was too much of a liability. I wish that the Holmes Group would give an explanation.
Jundee80
join:2012-11-06
Canada

Jundee80

Member

Quote:" I wish that the Holmes Group would give an explanation."Unquote

A lot of people are wishing for that. I'm not on Facebook but could see all the comments that have been made so far & the vast majority of the people are puzzled, upset & disappointed.

A lot of assumptions have been made, all of which I believe are nonsense.

Stuff like "Mike had no control," or "he didn't want to have his name associated with it," or "the lawyers got involved," or " it was a lot of woork to run the forum".

To know anything about the forum you have to be a registered member. All first posts are blocked until a moderator reads them to determine if they are legitimate or spam & approves or disapproves them.

All of the moderators were with the forum for years & not one of them left.

Nobody from the office was a member except for Mike, who never went there, some of his regular contractors, and a couple of his crew. They either never or very seldom posted.

What did they know about the forum, how popular & successful it was?? Nothing. Because it didn't produce a profit on their annual report it wasn't worth bothering with?

None of the speculations that have been offered so far justify the abrupt closure of the forum without any explanation whatever.

What puzzled me the most is that this appears to have been done without Mike's knowledge or approval. He's the boss of the outfit. It just doesn't fit his character to let something like this happen.

There has been no response from anybody from the Holmes Group & Mike, who got sick during his trip to Central America,
apparently is still recovering.

If I learn of anything new I'll post it here.

Jundee

Pairodocs
@bhn.net

Pairodocs

Anon

Ok,Linkmeister. We're relying on you. After all, you are definitely closer to the group than any of us, and I'm sure that you will get to the bottom of this as soon as possible. I hope that Mike feels better soon. Those GI disorders that one can contract from Central America are pretty nasty. Us North Americans just aren't built to drink that Central American water. We can't even use it to brush our teeth!
Jundee80
join:2012-11-06
Canada

Jundee80

Member

If you go to Facebook there are about 128 comments, over 90% feel the way we do.

»www.facebook.com/make.it ··· &fref=ts

You don't have to be a member to see the comments. Just go to Google, type in Facebook Mike Holmes & then scroll down, on the left side to Nov. 1 where he start with "Hi, everyone"

Did you notice that they now call it the "Official Mike Holmes Forum"? They dropped the word "Fan".

Maybe they should replace it with "Gullible Admirers".

Jundee
Expand your moderator at work

Pabs
@gc.ca

Pabs to Jundee80

Anon

to Jundee80

Re: Holmes Fan Forum closed !?!

Hi Jundee

nice to see your name! I felt like I was left out in the cold after the shutdown...that site was invaluable to me for advice, for validation, etc... it was a wonderful resource and it`s very sad to see it go

thank you and all the other mods for all the work you put in over the years

Pabs

cdru
Go Colts
MVM
join:2003-05-14
Fort Wayne, IN

cdru to Jundee80

MVM

to Jundee80
said by Jundee80:

None of the speculations that have been offered so far justify the abrupt closure of the forum without any explanation whatever.

It's a private forum ran by a private company. They don't have to offer any justification or explanation. It's their prerogative.

Whether they posted there or not, it still cost money to operate the server. If they don't make money off of it, and it costs money, that means it loses money. It's not rocket science in today's economy that if you aren't making money at something (either directly or indirectly), then you probably shouldn't be doing it.

If there is such a huge need for such a forum, set one up. If Holmes Group post as little as you say and have such a non-presence, then you should be just as successful as the old forum were. Bellyaching about it in another forum isn't going to get you the answers that you want.

Jack_in_VA
Premium Member
join:2007-11-26
North, VA

Jack_in_VA

Premium Member

said by cdru:

said by Jundee80:

None of the speculations that have been offered so far justify the abrupt closure of the forum without any explanation whatever.

It's a private forum ran by a private company. They don't have to offer any justification or explanation. It's their prerogative.

Whether they posted there or not, it still cost money to operate the server. If they don't make money off of it, and it costs money, that means it loses money. It's not rocket science in today's economy that if you aren't making money at something (either directly or indirectly), then you probably shouldn't be doing it.

If there is such a huge need for such a forum, set one up. If Holmes Group post as little as you say and have such a non-presence, then you should be just as successful as the old forum were. Bellyaching about it in another forum isn't going to get you the answers that you want.

+1 I was thinking the same thing

LazMan
Premium Member
join:2003-03-26
Beverly Hills, CA

LazMan

Premium Member

I don't think anyone is complaining about the forum being shut down - my personal complaint, and I believe others feel the same, is HOW it was handled...

A little notice, and an explanation, could have maintained some good will, rather then just pulling the plug, and leaving everyone to wonder what happened...

At the end of the day, you're both absolutely right - they have every right to shut it down; the users, however, also have the right to dislike the way it was handled... That's where I'm at, myself.

Jack_in_VA
Premium Member
join:2007-11-26
North, VA

1 edit

Jack_in_VA

Premium Member

said by LazMan:

I don't think anyone is complaining about the forum being shut down - my personal complaint, and I believe others feel the same, is HOW it was handled...

A little notice, and an explanation, could have maintained some good will, rather then just pulling the plug, and leaving everyone to wonder what happened...

At the end of the day, you're both absolutely right - they have every right to shut it down; the users, however, also have the right to dislike the way it was handled... That's where I'm at, myself.

I sympathize with your frustration but is here the correct venue to "Let it out"? Just asking. I always considered Holmes as arrogant and overbearing.
Expand your moderator at work

Pabs
@gc.ca

Pabs to Jack_in_VA

Anon

to Jack_in_VA

Re: Holmes Fan Forum closed !?!

yes they have the right to do this...the government also has the right to take my land away to build a highway on it and pay me what it deems fair... just because they have the right to do something doesn't mean they should and that we should like it

I've been to many reno forums over the years but always went back to that one for solid and prompt info on the many projects I've worked on...that's the resource I'm sad is gone...the group of people that made up that forum.
I know that Mike Holmes wasn't replying to anything on there...and didn't care..wasn't really about him anyway

Pabs
Jundee80
join:2012-11-06
Canada

Jundee80 to Jack_in_VA

Member

to Jack_in_VA
The Fan Forum created revenue indirectly from members buying books, DVD's & other merchandise. They attended his appearances & viewed his shows. (A larger TV audience generates higher advertising revenue.) Any forum costs should viewed as advertising and/or promotion for the Holmes brand.

When Mike travels for shows, appearances, book signings, etc., there is a cost involved for travel, hotels, etc., all of which is part of promoting & advertising the brand.
Jundee80

Jundee80 to LazMan

Member

to LazMan
Exactly how I feel.

dolphins
Clean Up Our Oceans
Premium Member
join:2001-08-22
Westville, NJ

1 recommendation

dolphins to LazMan

Premium Member

to LazMan
To those former members of the Holmes Fan forum, I welcome you. I'm sure some of you will be a very helpful addition to our forums. I understand the need to have a voice and to express yourself. Take all the time you need to sort things out.

To those of whom have taken it upon themselves to moderate this thread. Move along, no one wants to hear your opinions but yourselves.

NeTwOrKDawg
Networking is a lifestyle
join:2005-04-25
Brantford, ON

1 edit

NeTwOrKDawg to LazMan

Member

to LazMan
This is sad.. I was also a member there, and even had the pleasure of meeting Jundee in person, when he gave me a Holmes dog tag for my son several years ago in Mississauga.

Mike Holmes daughter even arranged for autographs for my son thanks for the forum.

I went to go back and visit the forums as I was not very regular there, and found it closed..
Jundee80
join:2012-11-06
Canada

Jundee80

Member

I remember. You were working in that office building with the impressive indoor garden.

Your son must have grown some by now.

Nice to hear from you after all these years.

Jundee
cjski
The Wheel Weaves As The Wheel Will
Premium Member
join:2001-01-04
Sun City, CA

1 recommendation

cjski to dolphins

Premium Member

to dolphins
said by dolphins:

To those of whom have taken it upon themselves to moderate this thread. Move along, no one wants to hear your opinions but yourselves.

This^
Goofy1
join:2012-12-06
Ste Rose Du Lac, MB

Goofy1 to Jundee80

Member

to Jundee80
I am shocked as well the forum is shut down. Was fun going there on giving tips,also I needed some as well. Too bad, I needed to ask a question yesterday and thats how I found out it is closed. Jundee80 I remember you, you shut down a couple of my posts because of Ameripro and I getting into some heated discussions. Thanks for doing that, sometimes things go a little far. As for a forum, couldn't we make our own forum and call it Contractors Corner, or some where on the lines?

Cho Baka
MVM
join:2000-11-23
there

Cho Baka

MVM

You are welcome to post here.
rich3236
join:2006-08-22
Fort Lauderdale, FL

rich3236

Member

who cares ? his forum wont be missed

LazMan
Premium Member
join:2003-03-26
Beverly Hills, CA

LazMan

Premium Member

said by rich3236:

who cares ? his forum wont be missed

Well, there's about 3 pages of posts here, and a good number on his Facebook that disagree...

I'm not a particular fan of his - but the forum had a lot of good activity, and collective knowledge available...

Anyways...

Jack_in_VA
Premium Member
join:2007-11-26
North, VA

1 recommendation

Jack_in_VA

Premium Member

said by LazMan:

said by rich3236:

who cares ? his forum wont be missed

Well, there's about 3 pages of posts here, and a good number on his Facebook that disagree...

I'm not a particular fan of his - but the forum had a lot of good activity, and collective knowledge available...

Anyways...

3 pages from maybe 5 core posters. The forum is closed and gone.

Here on the "Home Improvement" thread would be a good place for those folks to post.

Cho Baka
MVM
join:2000-11-23
there

1 recommendation

Cho Baka to rich3236

MVM

to rich3236
said by rich3236:

who cares ? his forum wont be missed

Neither would responses like yours.
Expand your moderator at work

John Galt6
Forward, March
Premium Member
join:2004-09-30
Happy Camp

John Galt6 to LazMan

Premium Member

to LazMan

Re: Holmes Fan Forum closed !?!

Jundee80 See Profile check your IM messages..
Jundee80
join:2012-11-06
Canada

Jundee80 to Goofy1

Member

to Goofy1
I'm glad you didn't hold a grudge, Goofy1. When things got to heated, sometimes we had to step in. Just part of a Mod's job.
The first thing you learn as a Mod is that you'll never please everybody. Since we had a private message feature, I always thought that people should argue their differences that way.

If I were younger, I would start a new forum. But I don't know how much time I have left & doing this job for 9 years meant neglecting a lot of other things I used to do.