This has been a difficult week for me. I let emotions rule rather than common sense. The good part is everyone has learned something from the tension in this community. Perhaps it only served to show all of our weaknesses.

What did I learn? First was that this community has changed. I was functioning on the "old community", the way it used to be. There I just gave it away that I live in the past.

Second: Don't throw stones at glass windows. To go to a forum and spout and spew serves no purpose.

Third: Times have changed. We once were an advertising site called Adlandpro which also had a community where forums bonded people. No one posts in forums, that is in the past. Now we are blended into one site called Adlandpro where advertising is the name of the game.

Fourth: There is more than one definition to the words community, forum, personal messages, comments. How you use these tools is your business. How I define them will define how I function here.

As this forum says, "We never stop learning" and one of the ways to heal is to embrace what hurts the most. http://tomorrowisyet2come.blogspot.com/2007/10/we-never-stop-learning.html I think this little lady has it right.

For all of old timers, living in the past and looking forward to the future here's a little gift. Enjoy the music. This was sent to me by a new acquantiance from Brazil.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7utC-Gg3bm4

Peace

Hello Mary,

As one of those who's original anger triggered so much debate I have learnt a lot as well.

I have learnt more about Adland and more about myself.

This last week helped me to make some decisions and for that I'm grateful.

Change can be good and is inevitable.

The thing to learn is that, if the change is outside of your control either accept it or find another way of dealing with the consequences.

Roger

Maybe now more people will make nominations, look around for people to nominate...

Why can't people just click the dot without making an ordeal of it?

Most people wanted the electronic ballot election returned, that's all I heard when I was running the write-in election, "I just wanna click a DOT!"

BUT during the write-in, there would not have been posts on Facebook from people saying they didn't want someone taking the lead, didn't want someone to win, because during the write-ins, nobody was counting the votes during the election cycles, nobody was paying attention to it.

NOW nobody is paying attention to making nominations, and then chaos during dot-clicking!

Why?

Because people don't just want to click a dot.

They want to click a dot next to someone they chat with, someone they are familiar with.

They want to click a dot for someone near their idea of perfection.

So they better start making nominations for their perfect people.

If voters want someone who's never won before, they need to make friends with people they don't know yet, and make sure lots of other people make friends with them also.

Actually, some people who demanded the return of the electronic ballot don't even vote anymore.

Everyone wants more from the community, more traffic, more fun, more people who spend money, less arguments, and an easy election with "perfect" nominees who've never won before.

BUT is anyone bringing in new traffic? Is anyone staying here long enough to become a favorite member who's never won before?

The entire internet knows Adlandpro exists, but they don't hang around here, either because the classic members aren't big business-joiners, or all a big pile of old friends or enemies.

The first few weeks when the electronic ballot was returned this year, the highest amount of votes was around 80, then it dropped and sometimes went up a tiny bit, but has it ever been 80 again? It's never been 100, has it? Years ago it was between 150 to 175. There are still lots of people here. There should be a LOT more than 25 to 30 votes, that's a ridiculously low number. If people just want to click a dot, then click the dot. Don't gripe about the nominees. Barry liked my write-in plan, and if people argue about dot-clicking, it might just go back into the death-grip of the 7-nominee write-in, which would take more strategy to unseat the leader, or bring up a non-leader, than just bringing in a few more dot-clickers.

Enjoy the ease of the electronic ballot, it's all you dreamed of for the entire year of 2009!

Why think when you don't have to? Just click a dot and be happy there were only 4 choices!

Mary, it is good to have an 'old-timer' back and I am glad to have gotten to know you a little better.

I know we don't have the number of friends here anymore who are posting in forums and supporting the POTW. However, we do have some faithful friends and those are treasures in my opinion. I miss a lot of those who have gone on to play games in FB and other communities but that is their choice and we have no control over it.

One thing I have observed about the POTW, BFA and what used to be Foto of the Week was that each group who had it before always find fault with the present team. Which at present is not actually a TEAM, Barry does all the decison-making and the 'hard' stuff. I was asked to help which is what I was already doing anyway, so no big deal. It is like our president that is currently in office, they always get criticized no matter who it is at the time.

Roger, I agree we have all learned something from this past week. A little good and a little bad.

Kathleen, I never liked the write-in nominations but I tried to not complain and just help where I could. You know I supported you the whole time you were there. Yes, I like the dot-clicking but I am also aware of the possibility of 'cheating' because of duplicate accounts. I wish that did not happen but I feel sure it does. Why object to someone posting in FB that they have a favorite and ask for votes for them? Wouldn't you support a friend or someone you wanted to win? You know I post in FB and often times I do post a favorite, does not mean anyone has to vote for them, the choice is up to them.

So as Mary says, TODAY is the present - let's leave the past behind and move forward.

Mary, if you don't like this post, you are welcome to delete.

Spread love, hugs and smiles - we may not have a tomorrow.

Sara

Sara,

I greatly appreciate your support of my write-in election plan last year.

That would not have been necessary if people were not casting tons of votes per account, or fake accounts, or whatever, and I'm not talking about the Fogel/Allen/Padurean team, I'm talking about team Sanchez/whoever. The 2 friends/relatives of LaNell who cast 200 extra votes for her in January 2007 POTY and that went the teflon way. Then John Sanchez said he was going to choose me as his election partner soon after that but then did NOT, so then I ran my own election last year, he was supposed to be my partner but didn't want to, oh well.

Now you and Pat just DELETED 2 posts from "Adlanders in Facebook" where you were saying you couldn't believe a spammer was leading and didn't want him to win.

Why did you delete those posts? Because they were PUBLIC PROOF that you were disparaging someone you did NOT want to win.

Obviously, Francisco was in the LEAD when you and Pat made your posts at Facebook, so trying to say you were NOT disparaging 1 person is pointless.

HE WON. I'M GLAD HE WON. I would not have come in to vote if your posts hadn't shown up on my Facebook newsfeed.

I actually told Barry when I left the POTW earlier this year NOT to let you on the POTW team either in public or in private.

You are clueless and oblivous to your own hurtful commentary toward other people, I said that also to someone else last year, a mutual friend agreed with me.

Do you KNOW the things you write actually HURT peoples feelings?

Do you KNOW?

Feelings are all we have.

When you BAIT people by suggesting who NOT to vote for, and then wonder why "wolves" appear, it's because you put out BAIT for the wolves. You KNOW that. I was raised strict Catholic, whether I adhere to it or not, wrongdoing baits me, and so I came in and brought friends with me, and if I ever see any other negative posts about who NOT to vote for, you can GUARANTEE that person WILL get the votes.

Fake Christians in here, John Sanchez, Kathy Hamilton, you are not fooling anyone.

John, baiting someone with an election partnership while letting your sex-partner cheat on the election and causing other people to lose the 2007 POTY, did not go un-noticed.

Kathy, calling other peoples answering machines that play the message out loud in front of their kids, you are not a Christian either.

DONE.