Gav said:

It's a "personal hobby" that had thousands and thousands of members in it. We deserved better than this because he got us involved in his "hobby". I compared the end of HQ to the end of NPGMC, not the sites as a whole so relax.

purplecam said:

I'm sorry Cam, I think you're being unfair to compare the closing of the two.

Yes HQ closed very suddenly, in fact I didn't even know myself until someone emailed me, however it was always within Aaron's right. When the NPGMC closed, there was largely outrage due to the "lifetime membership" statement that had been made and the money that had changed hands.

Maybe some may feel they deserved better but I think Aaron deserved even more than that for staying with it for so long in the face of adversity.

BigDaddyHQ said:

As I said, the banner was a MINOR issue that caused mails to go back and forth.

We'd previously been given a guideline that we not use prince' face or any copyrighted images in the header. Regardless of whether the "symbol" is legally copyrighted (a whole issue in itself) then from a LEGAL standpoint, the banner used was within the law (it used the soapstone alchemy symbol with a flower on the top - not "Prince's" symbol).

We then received an email TELLING us to change it from one of his staff who has a habit of not working WITH the fans to solve things. This was quickly jumped by a member of staff who does have interpersonal skills and we were discussing what would and what wouldn't offend P - actually to good effect and we were resolving things.

However, as I've stated on this thread an others, Aaron had been feeling pretty down about HQ for some time and had been thinking about closing the site for over a year now. When I started to discuss the latest issue at hand, I think Aaron asked himself the question "why do I do this?" and couldn't really answer the question - a fair call if you ask me.

So to answer the question - was this about a header ? The blunt answer is "no" as it was about Prince's many many requests (trust me, you don't see 99% of the issues that come up on a regular basis), however the banner was just the straw that broke the camel's back.

You know the most annoying thing about this ? People that say "I told you so" when it achieves nothing - it just makes them look like a smart-arsed 10 year old. If that's how people get kicks then fair enough but me - I just try to look out for fellow fans, that's all. I guess some people just have empty lives, oh well.

Anyway, it's nice to be "fully" back on the org - please pardon my temporary departure for a few years

A great documentation site is lost, hopefully some of its contents will be exposed somewhere else

But on the simple aspects of was there trouble from using the header.. and did members like Serge predict there may have been trouble by using the header.... the answer to both are yes. The issue doesn't need to escalate past that.

So, big question, is the Org allowed to use the name prince in prince.org ??

xenophobia2002 said:

i have always wondered why Prince was cool with that. If anything, i would think he would want to take down a site that has his NAME in the title (not that i hope that happens in any way)

That's what i just don't get about the whole web control thing. I can do a search on aol for Prince and pull up a video and yet the wrong avatar somewhere can cause him to go loco.... it's so random what seems to go against his "rules"

I still have to adjust to the org. I just wish HQ didnt have to close so sudden. Aaron couldve at least give a warning, so members could adjust to the idea. Besides that I fully respect and understand Aaron's decision. It's just a hobby after all and who needs the constant hassle.
Somehow I still hope HQ or something similar will return. After being 7 years on that site on a daily basis I feel like ready for rehab

i think everyone is just shocked and sort of in mourning if you will. It's emotional to have the doors to your second home padlocked with an eviction notice on the door.

^^^^^that makes perfect sense. Thanks for the answer.

xenophobia2002 said:

Thanks for bringing that up again. I think we were making great stuff with the resource guide. Thanks again to all members who added information. It is a shame that it got lost in the form it was (developing) in.

Where are you ... Kostas, Cateto, Modernaire, Discplay ... just to mention a few?

...Even though i'm a member of the org since 2002, i got used to Hq and hardly visited this place.....no offence of course
[Edited 2/3/09 8:14am]

^ Hey there. I just tried to put on my flag avatar and wait for the approval

Even though i'm a member of the org since 2002, i got used to Hq and hardly visited this place.....no offence of course
[Edited 2/3/09 8:14am]

and although I often disagreed with Cateto's opinion on P's recent output, I still enjoyed reading his OTT opinions on it.

Hope you guys stick around and continue to contribute with your comments!