A Word on Friendship and History

This is a copy of what a friend has written. She speaks so well about what a number of us think and originally posted this to the Creating Keepsakes Message board. I am proud to pass on her message.

"I don’t know how many folks remember me – I started on this mb in 2000, and used to be a real high-numbers poster – I practically lived here. I left, unofficially, about six months ago, and haven’t seen or heard of a ‘whatever happened to…’ post about me since. I do keep up with the goings-on over here, and have tried to tentatively step back in a time or two, but it is with great regret that I find that this is no longer a place I want to be associated with, much less spend time with.
In the coming months, “Chicken Soup for the Scrapbooker’s Soul” will be published, and in it will be a story from me about this mb – a story about how we pulled together as a group to help someone in need. That’s the mb I will remember and miss – the one where we had Early Bird coffee together, played on the beaches at the Cabana Boy parties, met for afternoon coffee, chatted with the night owls, scrapped all day in our jammies, and partied all day when QVC was on and we were spending tons of money – together. We saw each other through marriages, moves, illnesses, births, and deaths.
It seems that CK has created a new message board that is totally devoid of history and that history was HUGE for many people. In CKMB's quest for a new beginning, they have wiped the board clean and started over and created a whole new environment and it seems that is exactly what they wanted. In doing this, they have disbanded former bonds that had been created that were very important to people and made new rules and guidelines for their new "city". It IS very apparent that CK is after new blood. Yes, they are providing some nice new attractions like the gallery, contests, spotlights, etc, but in doing this, they didn't ADD to what they had but seem to have deleted all the old, for the new. They have created a totally new board and I think that is what they wanted.
The people who have been on this board 5+ years in some cases and thousands of posts, have been swept aside and they were the people who made this board what is was and who promoted this board, CK products and its' projects. Scrapbooking is about history, first and foremost and they have recreated the history to their satisfaction.
The layouts being picked for POTD, although mostly very good work, seem to come predominantly from new members who aren’t very involved in this community and seem to be from more professional-type scrappers than true newbies who have just now joined the mb for fun and companionship. If they are going to spotlight someone, I don't think it's too much to expect them to CONTRIBUTE to the MB so that people can learn to do some of the things they do and get to know them. Members of other message board communities are putting their LO's out there for one reason- to have CK pick them up for publication. Period. That is their goal. Is it wrong? I don't know but again, I think CK will drive away others if they continually do this and never recognize people that are faithful to the ck community at large. Also, many of them are not the type of scrapping that the "average" person who buys CK, does. What is wrong with sometimes picking LO"s that are just pretty or have techniques that people might want to try that don't involve going to 10 classes to learn or spending a lot of money in extra embellishments?
I think the "hostess" needs to be more tactful and I also think the board should not revolve just around her, which it seems to do now. The relentless banning of anyone who speaks, even mildly, against this mb, or questions the guidelines or CK authority figures only enforces the feeling that a whole new board with all new members is the goal. The guidelines have been tossed aside and members are being banned with no warning, nor are they given an explanation as to why they were banned. If those in authority don't follow their own guidelines, they can't expect their membership to know what is and is not allowed from one day to the next. If this continues, the board will be in the same boat a couple of years down the road, and the search will be on once again for what made this community the family it used to be. When will they see that it's not the moderators or the hostess or the guidelines, but the members who posted here that made it a warm and welcoming place. Many of those family members were banned, and those who weren't banned have left home. The CK board will never be the same again.
Frankly, I think ck could care less what people think as long as their revenues are up." Va Scrapper (Kath)

Thanks Kath!