GaryD 1,118 Posted February 13 Report Share Posted February 13 I started this forum (as Aquaponics HQ) in collaboration with Murray Hallam back in 2007 or thereabouts. Murray eventually peeled off to build his business and to become the most widely-regognised face of Aquaponics in the world...and I carried on as the sole owner of APHQ. In 2013, Google destroyed our Page 1 ranking and I ran out of steam. I gifted the forum to Kellen...who assumed its stewardship, and put it back on a sound technical footing. Long story short...a few days ago, he offered it back to me...and I accepted the offer. kellenw and ande 2 Link to post Share on other sites
GaryD 1,118 Posted February 13 Author Report Share Posted February 13 In the coming posts, I'll update you on what I've been up to for the past six years...and what led to my decision to resume stewardship of the forum. I'd like to get a sense of the state of things before we start to breathe some life back into APN. First, I'd like to get a sense of how many of our old members are still standing...and to pay my respects to our moderator team. Feel free to chime in...and let me know you're still here. ande 1 Link to post Share on other sites
ande 896 Posted February 13 Report Share Posted February 13 Hi Gary Still here 😀 cheers GaryD 1 Link to post Share on other sites
GaryD 1,118 Posted February 13 Author Report Share Posted February 13 I've been looking at the people who have visited the forum in the past 24 hours. We've clearly got some characters in that list that shouldn't be here...largely spam bots that have crashed the forum security arrangements. As soon as resources permit, we'll upgrade the forum software and that will give us better control of the bots. Link to post Share on other sites
ande 896 Posted February 13 Report Share Posted February 13 Hi Sounds good, I just flagged 3 new bot signups that registered the last hour 🤬 cheers GaryD 1 Link to post Share on other sites
bigdaddy 252 Posted February 14 Report Share Posted February 14 Hi Gary, I'm still playing around in the sand pit. Cheers. GaryD 1 Link to post Share on other sites
GaryD 1,118 Posted March 7 Author Report Share Posted March 7 Ande and bigdaddy....We're still standing...after all this time. Sounds like the stuff. of a song.😉 Link to post Share on other sites
GaryD 1,118 Posted March 8 Author Report Share Posted March 8 I want to talk about the operational status of the forum. In so doing, I want to be very clear. I infer no judgements...and I assume all due responsibility for its current state. I have no undue feeling about the past seven years...the period of Kellen's ownership. I can make no judgments about the failings of others when it comes to taking on too much. I live in that zone. Whatever acts of fate conspired to cause Kellen to choose the precise moment to reach out to me...and for me to be of the mindset that I was...I am grateful beyond words. Everything that we say about the history of APHQ/Nation is for the purposes of benchmarking and the quest for ongoing improvement. There is no good or bad...or right or wrong...there's simply what can be learned. Kellen is currently giving me all of the time that he can to help me get APN sorted from a technical standpoint. I'm making good use of his counsel...and I really appreciate his generosity. With his help on the back end of the forum, I can focus on the front. In the meantime, I'll stay focussed on content and enhancing the visitor experience. The vision is still unfolding but it's becoming clearer. I'll share that with you soon. bigdaddy 1 Link to post Share on other sites
GaryD 1,118 Posted March 8 Author Report Share Posted March 8 2020 was a weird time for the world...one game-changer after another...scary times for many people! What we should all take away from 2020 is that simple living and self-reliance are our protection against life's challenges. Knowing how to grow our own food...provide our own shelter/utilities...design, make and mend...and acquire the means of exchange...are the cornerstones of freedom and security. Helping others to acquire that knowledge - and to develop those skills - is our reason for being. We started (as APHQ) back in 2007, as an aquaponics forum...but we quickly broadened to include other things like micro-livestock and all manner of other things...and we are about to become even broader. I've changed the Forum menu to reflect that broader approach. A name change...to better reflect what we do...is also imminent. I'm pondering several possibilities. Link to post Share on other sites
GaryD 1,118 Posted March 28 Author Report Share Posted March 28 The structure of APN is slowly expanding to enable it to address a broader audience. I've been freshening up the existing content and introducing some new stuff. Kellen has been upgrading the forum platform and updating our service agreements. Our moderators have kept the perimeters tidy. We're about to undergo a name change...and then it's time for us to rouse our sleeping membership and invite them to a new relationship with APN. I've decided locate my personal headquarters at APN (or whatever we call it)...and members of my two websites and both Facebook groups will be invited to to join APN, too. Feel free to comment on the changes - and ask questions. Link to post Share on other sites
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