A personal post
Two bits of personal info to share with the community.
* * *
The first is that this summer my family and I are moving to Vancouver, BC.
As some recall, we spent last summer in Vancouver. Dorota and I fell in love with the city. I was born in Montreal, making my kids and I dual US/Canadian citizens, but I haven't lived in Canada since I was wee. I've always thought about it — though I grew up in California, I took hockey lessons in grade school and studied French rather than Spanish in high school — but it never seemed like the right time.
After this summer we decided that if this is something we want to do we need to just do it, so we began the immigration process last fall. We've now cleared enough of those hurdles that we are preparing to relocate there soon. We are super excited about it, though quite nervous, since it is still unclear precisely where we'll live, where and how much work I'll find, where my kids will go to school, pretty much everything about what our new life will look like. We have leads for some of these, but still this is a big step into the unknown for us. Wish us luck!
* * *
The second bit is that recently I was approached by a suitor wanting to buy The Fresh Loaf. This happens from time-to-time, but this was the most credible, substantial offer I've received. After much thought and many conversations, I turned the offer down.
The suitor currently owns a number of other websites and online forums. They purchase web properties with high Google PageRank and good growth potential, both in terms of traffic and advertising revenue. "Online value investing" is the way I think of it. TFL is a good candidate for that kind of portfolio.
I declined the offer because I wasn't convinced that this company's management would continue to prioritize the well-being of the community. Mind you, I don't believe they would intentionally do it harm - among other things, they offered to include in the contract the hiring of a professional moderation service (I didn't know such a thing existed either) to help keep things civil here. But I wasn't sufficiently convinced that their approach to site management would foster a thriving community. Increasing the amount of anonymous traffic and ad views here is clearly the easiest way to monetize the site and there is plenty of good content on the site already to sustain traffic growth for many years, even if the community disappeared tomorrow. The financial incentives to maximize the one type of traffic at the expense of the other are high and seem nearly irresistable to anyone not passionate about the community side of this site.
So I let the opportunity pass. That was hard, given the uncertainty of our near future. Vancouver is one of the least affordable cities in North America — if not the world — and we are not wealthy. I work for non-profits, rewarding work but not terribly lucrative. That money would certainly have made our transition to Vancouver easier. But still I think I made the right decision.
Maybe it is just my ego, but I feel like there is more to this site than what's captured in the traffic stats. It isn't just another website or message board, it is different: it's a tight-knit community, a community of folks who share a passion and try to treat each other with support, courtesy, and respect whether they are baking newbies, serious amateurs, or professionals and regardless of age or country of origin. That makes it really special to me and, I think, a lot of other folks too. I don't want to see that get messed up.
* * *
Through this period I've reflected a lot about the future of TFL, what TFL means to me and what I mean to the community, and what would be be best for both my family and for the TFL community.
Without question, I am an imperfect manager of this site. I am not a terribly advanced baker, and I personally don't have the capacity or capital to put as much energy into improving this site as I think it deserves. There is a lot of cool stuff that could be done here, things like making the site easier to use on mobile devices and better integrated with social and multimedia, and that is just on the technical side. There are tons of cool things, editorial and content-wise, that could be done here. Or I could imagine getting more involved helping organize community get-togethers like Lumos did recently. The possibilities seem endless.
Amazingly, despite my recent negligence due to all of my other commitments (two jobs, two kids, the immigration process), site traffic continues to grow.
My plan is to chip away at some of these projects this summer, after my family's transition to Vancouver. Let me rephrase that: my hope is to chip away at some of these projects this summer. I can't offer a plan or a promise until my family is well-situated and provided for in our new home. But, that said, if you or someone you know is looking for an interesting business opportunity and has the time, energy, interest, and capital to do it right, by all means, get in touch with me. Were the conditions right, I would not be adverse to passing on the baton to another individual or company. You wouldn't need to convince me that you'd steward the site exactly as I have, only that you'd continue to keep the well-being of the community foremost in your mind as you carried on.
-Floyd
Comments
All the best for your move Floyd ... and thanks for all the time and effort you have poured into this website and community.
cheers,
Phil
Thank you, Phil.
-Floyd
my idea of a place to live but lovely all the same!
My comment on the forum is this beats About forums all hallow! While they might be the most up to date etc, and certainly must make money or they would have folded by now, they just don't have the same feel.
I am perfectly content to not have social media availability, I am not that social that I have to tweet every 10 minutes or facebook every day. I enjoy the format, the people and the ambiance. Yes there are things that might be better in many ways, but it works, and if it ain't broke don't worry about it, when it breaks you fix it, and I don't hear a lot of complaints about things other than a few extra notices etc. Sometimes we complain when its not the site, but the net as a whole, our servers, and so forth. I finally upgraded my internet server connections and don't have that annoying half a picture problem anymore.
Thanks, Eva.
-Floyd
I would be happy to contribute, if TFL became a subscription - to make it possible for you, Floyd, to continue hosting this site. With so many members a subscription could come at a very affordable price for everyone.
Or, perhaps, working with donations might be an option. When I had my PC I used the free "Spybot Search & Destroy" program, and donated every year something, because I thought the service was really worth it.
Best wishes,
Karin
Thank you, Karin. Certainly something I may consider.
-Floyd
and let's try to keep bread in the subject matter -- always interesting and surprising and a new way to look at bread & crumbs.
Over the years, thru many different locations, I've seen TFL as a virtual kitchen table with plenty of chairs to go around. How goes that saying? You know you're at home when you've been invited into the kitchen. Membership has given me a kitchen table spot, a place to search and share. As soon as I'm linked (right now in Reinosa, Spain) travel worries disappear and from my TFL kitchen chair (and lap top) I feel part of something bigger than myself. Thank you Floyd for providing the kitchen table and the welcoming invitation to it. It goes without saying that you can paint the table, add some notches, sand or polish it, remove a layer, throw on a tablecloth or cover with more flour, the table... the TFL kitchen table, remains.
Moving can be fun, I personally thrive on the energy. New places, perspectives, new awareness, new ideas! Enjoy the journey! It is also a great opportunity to "de-junk." Don't forget to mark down the kid's growth scale if written inside a door jamb. :)
Mini
Thanks, Mini. I love having you at the table here and am excited about the prospects of the move.
-Floyd
Congratulations and best of luck Floyd to you and your family on the big move.
Personally with regard to the site I think one of the many reasons it is the way it is, is because you are at the heart of it and I think that is a direct reflection. Hard call I'd imagine on your part but I am glad you are happy with your decision and hope that it all works out to everything you dare imagine.
Be well.
Paul
Thanks, Paul.
-Floyd
I'm appreciative of FloydM's work with the Fresh Loaf. Family is a higher priority though. I'd feel guilty reading TFL if it seemed that time with the children and spouse and in support of the family budget were instead spent on this forum. Perhaps generating enough revenue to hire someone to work alongside FloydM and share the load is an option.
EvaGal (between VancouverBC and Portland)
Thanks, Eva.
-Floyd
Years ago, before the internet and blogs, a move meant losing touch with friends. Now because of this wonderful blog you have created, no matter where you move we won't lose touch with you. Good luck with the apartment hunting. Pam
Heh. Quite true.
Thanks!
-Floyd
Floyd, firstly, wish you all the best in your move. secondly, thanks for not giving up the site, allowing it to be commercialised.
you've done an excellent job in pulling this community together, from all over the world, from east to west. this site had been so free flow with lots of information, helpful people, and you - great moderator when things get a little out of hand. I like the simplicity of the site, no flashy advertisement that keeps flying across your screen, no complex set up that makes it difficult for anyone to post. simple and great.
we have a couple of "senior (I mean seasoned) bakers" that provides us amateur the answers that we need as and when we needed. such a great community that you've developed. As what Karin had suggested, I for one will push the button on donations if there's one to keep this going as it is.
Good luck and all the best!
Thank you, Jenny.
-Floyd
I whish to add my voice to all of the precedent TFL members who had said what they have said about this site and what you have managed to do with it. By the look of the numbers of pages you can see that we all love what you have done and are all sincerely grateful.
Thank you for keeping it and keeping this wonderful community you have created to stay the same.
I will be happy to push the button for donation or membership. Please do it. In the past I have paid to sites that ended to be rubbish and had cancelled with great difficulty.... feeling a total idiot...and avoid to do this since - but your site deserve it everyone who is a regular reader and user of it know your total good will and integrity.
Thank to you and this site I began to be a home baker and I can even be proud that two shops are waiting for my breads to arrive every week. I don't do it for the money but for the enormous pleasure I feel when I see the sign out of the door of the Organic shop or the Speciality Cheese shop annoucing that the special Rye bread is in... and it gave me the opportunity to meet new people. It is the only site I follow closely a part from Google news ! I have abandoned the surfing of the French sites long time ago as I can find every answer to my questions on this site.
Finally I whish you and your family an easy move. I moved several times in my life and on the side of technical difficulties there are great moments, building anew, having feelings of a new energy that we thought we had lost. And with TFL you are not going to lose any of your vibrant community.
Bea
Thank you, Bea. I will look into setting up some kind of donation system.
-Floyd
I completely concure with Bea's comment. Stu Borken
Thank you, Stu.
-Floyd
Floyd,
Vancouver is a beautiful city, as you know! Once, before they made crossing the borders difficult, a friend and I decided to drive up there for the evening to get a cup of coffee. As it turns out, the coffee in a Canadian Denny's is pretty much the same as a coffee in a US Denny's: Not worth driving 200 miles for. But the trip wasn't really about the destination. It was more about the journey and the look on the faces of customs officials when we told them why we were going to Canada...priceless.
Best of luck to you in your new city.
Thank you for sticking with the site. I've been admin for a community when the owner of the site decided to sell, and I've been a member at a couple more. It's always a rough transition. I'm sure that, when the time does come for you to move on, you'll find someone who cares just as much about the site and its community as you or any of us do.
G
Thanks, G-man.
-Floyd
Floyd,
You have created something wonderful here - I have been a daily visitor for a few years now! I would gladly pay for the benefits that being a part of this community provide to me on a daily basis! Good luck to you and your family on your upcoming move and thank you for your work on making TFL my favorite place on the net!
Cami
Thank you, Cami.
-Floyd
Floyd,
I see others have suggested a donation system, exactly what I was going to say. I am a member of a another online single-interest communities (that one a listmail and a website) much like TFL, run by someone like yourself -- an interested party, not someone in it for the profit. The owner eventually just said, "Hey, to keep this list alive, I'm going to need some money. What would you be willing to pay?" Members enthusiastically (to judge from responses) offered up contributions to keep the conversation flowing. We understand it takes your time and effort to keep TFL alive, just like it takes flour to feed a sourdough starter. So if you'd like some "bread" from us, just ask.
Jonathan (AKA jaywillie)
Thank you, Jonathan. I will definitely take that suggestion into consideration.
-Floyd
Your integrity and your passion ...and they are uniquely combined to keep many of your followers coming back to this site time and time again..
All the best to you Floyd and THANK YOU for your commitment and dedication.
Belle
Thank you Belle.
-Floyd
Hi Floyd,
You're not exactly bugging out, just the next thing to it - changing countries.
The entity that you started here has grown in ways that you probably never expected when you first started it. Having two stories in the WSJ under your belt is something that not many sites can lay claim too. The community, naturally formed here, is somewhat phenomenal in the annals of food sites let alone selecting bread as the lone entity on which it's based.
This site has assisted more people in their entry into bread and its types than any cook book could ever hope to achieve. The ongoing community that is ready and willing to help others in trouble is one of the singular "great reasons" for this site. There is nothing like achieving success after suffering through the dismal failures of learning. I see this site as the very thing that's missing from books on the subject - it is the living subject of bakers and by the bakers and you've made it all possible.
I wish you and your family the greatest of luck in your move but want to remind you that you have many of us at your back.
Sincerely, Wild-Yeast
Thank you, Wild-Yeast.
-Floyd
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