InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "We like Tweak. Tweak can stay."

vh.7dragons.net (vh7dragons) wrote,
@ 2007-08-08 16:59:00

Current mood:

nostalgic

VH: past, present, and an uncertain future.
Greetings. This is "AD", your friendly neighborhood headmaster and webmistress speaking.

Due to recent events in my life, I have no option but to disconnect the VH webserver from the internet, and transfer the domain to a shared hosting account. What this means, in simplest terms, is that I've had to take the VH bulletin board offline for the time being. It is possible that I may be able to bring a version of it back online in the future. However, there are other concerns.

It's been nearly six years since VH first began, and for a very long while, it was a thriving community, with a constant influx of new members to make up for the ones who drifted away. The change in theme from Harry Potter to original concept led to a decline in new membership, as I was aware it would. However, over the past months, there's been virtually no new signups except for a steady stream of wanna-be spammers, and as far as I've been able to tell, a general decline in site usage by existing members. It seems to me, at this point, that while VH has had a glorious run, it may be time to simply let it pass into memory.

I know that VH has forged friendships that otherwise never would have been, crossing remarkable geographical boundaries. In its time, VH was something truly remarkable, and I know that I for one will never forget the impact it's had on my life - and that I am deeply saddened by the thought of its time coming to an end. And so, even though it might be sensible to let go, I'm still clinging to the thought that perhaps I'll be able to bring it back in some form... but whether I even bother trying, at this point, depends on whether anyone else still has any interest in my doing so.

So I've set up this journal as not only a means for former VHers to contact each other - but also so that I can see whether anyone even comes around, and if they do, what thoughts they might have on whether VH has a future or not.

Feel free to comment as you see fit - leave a message for other former VHers, or tell me what you think about all of this. You don't have to be a registered Insanejournal user to do so. REMEMBER, please, that any email addresses or other contact information you decide to leave here can be viewed by the general public and may fall prey to spammers, or worse.

In closing: I've always said, over the past six years, that "I love my 'kids'". And I shall continue to do so, whether VH continues or not.

Cheers,
"AD"

(Post a new comment)

(Anonymous)
2007-08-09 02:09 am UTC (link)

I feel kinder guilty now, I've always had VH as my homepage but RL has always got in the way of me spending time within it's hallowed posting boards. From time to time I would sign in and browse the threads, I would be sad to see it go but I also understand that times change and sometimes the best parts of our pasts dissappear.

I hope with all my heart that you will be able to re-vive it to the wonderful place it was, but I will also treasure the friends and memories I have from there if it does get lost within the past

NikkiWhitecraft

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	(Anonymous) 2007-11-24 09:41 pm UTC (link)
	Hi there, Nikki! And I was absolutely sure that VH is forever. If I only new that something depends on my presence I'd be there every day and night. Daighirth (Reply to this) (Parent)

(Anonymous)
2007-08-09 02:47 am UTC (link)

:( Alas, I had to part from VH due to school and work but found myself missing it and came back. It is sad to see it in the state that it is in now when I remember how it was back when I first joined. It was fun posting again, but I suppose you are right. It is time to say goodbye.

*sniffs* I can never forget VH. I made some really icehouse friends there and picked up a whole new vocabulary.

I love you, AD.

(((((((((((((((((((AD))))))))))))))))))))

(((((((((((((((((((VH))))))))))))))))))))

-Yoshi

(Reply to this)

(Anonymous)
2007-08-09 04:26 am UTC (link)

AD, no matter what happens, I shall always be one of your 'kids' and you will always be my 'AD'. I feel that I've grown with this, and grown with you, and I will always remember that and be very, very thankful.

I still have an interest in making an effort to continue the community, and my friendships with people--in some form or other--those who know how to get in contact with me, please drop me a line here, I'll probably be setting up an Insanejournal account shortly.

Thanks to everyone for making these past few years some of the most remarkable in my life--meeting VHers in real life, be it in my hometown or across oceans, has changed my perspective for the better. I believe we've all learned something amazing from this experience.

Love you all, and especially you, AD, for bringing us together.

~ Mischa.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	kleiner_drache 2007-09-12 11:52 am UTC (link)
	drops a line :o) Although I wonder if you even read this now, a month later. g And I absolutely agree with Mischa. VH has changed my life and I can't even imagine what my life would be like today if VH hadn't been there. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	vh7dragons 2007-09-12 05:03 pm UTC (link)
	Still reading. :) (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	(Anonymous) 2008-04-27 04:46 pm UTC (link)
	I always think of you guys and VH every now and then :) Very fond memories! Cherryblossom (Reply to this) (Parent)

	(Anonymous) 2007-08-09 05:55 am UTC (link)
	Thank you for creating VH. It gave me a home when I truly needed one. And though I am one of the ones who drifted away over the years, I will always remember it, you, and the people I met with love. And I am grateful that you and some others are still in my life. Amalie Ravenclaw Prefect "tasedjebbast" on livejournal (Reply to this)

	(Anonymous) 2007-08-09 08:36 am UTC (link)
	Is it ironic that I'm leaving for college almost the same day the board's going down? It's been a great six years, and VH has seen me from 12 to 18. Je vous aime. Also, glomp -QW (Reply to this) (Thread)

	(Anonymous) 2007-08-09 08:41 am UTC (link)
	Wow, you're starting school EARLY. ~eMush. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	(Anonymous) 2007-08-09 08:44 am UTC (link)
	I don't think I can put my love for VH, or the part it played in my life, to words. I love you all, even those of you I was never close with, to pieces. itty bitty pieces. ~Emily (tiarageek on LJ) (Reply to this)

(Anonymous)
2007-08-09 10:15 am UTC (link)

Dear ADtje,

I don't know what to say that won't sound corny - and I don't want it to sound like 'goodbyes' either, because we are both on LJ / AIM and I hope we'll stay in touch that way. Still, I can't help but feel a little nostalgic; VH has been a large part of my life and still plays an important role in how I live my life both online and offline. I can't thank you enough for that. As for the future - I miss the sense of community we had, and if there is a way to rebuild it, I want to help.

AD, great Jam & Mustard, I salute thee!
~your Vonny

(VH - Tamurile, LJ - swas)

(Reply to this)

	(Anonymous) 2007-08-09 04:16 pm UTC (link)
	This is my second attempt at a comment, my last one was rather naff! hee! Anyway, I'll make this short and sweet... AD thanks for all the memories, it's been a blast! ( : To all the friends I've made, you guys are all awesome! MIffy. (Reply to this)

(Anonymous)
2007-08-09 07:14 pm UTC (link)

AD - I stumbled across VH on a recommendation from a friend who told me there was this forum with a "really great Sorting Hat". Most of the people she sent here took the test, said "wow, that was great", and left, but for some reason I stayed. I'm very glad I did.

The first person I asked for advice as to how to navigate the boards and conduct myself - Kyr - has become a real life friend. I was at the University of Minnesota, she in high school, but we helped each other through some very difficult decisions via VH, and now we both attend the University of Wisconsin and couldn't be happier.

I've tried to keep VH alive, despite server timeouts and such, but one person I suppose does not a forum make. I very much regret the passing of VH, but I hope to keep the friends I've made - the few I have as the relative newbie I am. Thank you so much, AD, for giving me the channel of support and friendship that VH has been, and I wish you the very best in your not-VH life!

((((((((((((((((AD)))))))))))))))

-Hobbes

(Reply to this)

	(Anonymous) 2007-08-10 12:26 am UTC (link)
	All I can really think of to say is thank you. Thank you for all the hard work and for creating such a wonderful place. ~Ru(keirku everywhere else) (Reply to this)

(Anonymous)
2007-08-11 12:13 am UTC (link)

AD, I guess I would also just like to tell you thank you for everything you did with VH. VH was amazing--it helped get me through those tough high school years, where I always had a place to escape to find friends even when my own in RL failed me. The community was positively wonderful, and it's hard for me to express what it meant to me in words.

Needless to say, it meant a lot.

Now I'm in college, working and getting ready to travel abroad with new friends in new places, so I haven't had nearly as much time for VH as I did in the past and I've kind of strayed away and gone more into RL. But maybe in the future, if VH does ever come back from its (maybe) permanent hiatus, I know I'll be there. :)

Thank you, once again. And please keep us posted, as I'm sure you will. :)

Catherine

Solaris Prefect
silvermoonlight on LJ
etoilesdansciel on AIM

(Reply to this)

(Anonymous)
2007-08-12 01:15 pm UTC (link)

I have seen the passing of VH from my life several times for various reasons, and each time it has been a sad moment for me. I know many people have posted things here to this effect, but for some reason, VH made itself a part of my personality in a way that no other message board ever did before or has since. There's just something special about being a "VHer," and even if the board should never return, I know I will always be one. Even though my appearances on the site have thinned out considerably in the past few months, it still seems to me as the way the internet should be: a place where people can discuss important and often sensitive topics, but also relax and have fun, and more than anything else, share an intense feeling of community and companionship. I understand the need for change, but there will always be a part of me that will hope that some day, vh.7dragons.net will once again take me home.

~ Kyr.

(Reply to this)

Mourning
(Anonymous)
2007-08-15 01:24 am UTC (link)

I was distressed at the decline of regulars on VH over the past year or so, and it seemed that every time I logged on I was the only one on. While the site moved away from Harry Potter, I had also hoped that with the final book being released, it would spark new interest among it's members and attract genuine new members instead of the aforementioned spammers.

I was hoping that my daughter, who is now of age to join the community would have done so; to be able to get VH to span a generation, but alas, RL seems to have short-circuted that (due to my lack of providing my daughter means of getting online on her own computer) and the decline of the site itself. She does remember when I first discovered VH and how much fun I had doing live chats with Jex, Dagrak, Miffy and the others, and all the goofiness I had in the Python (Slytherin) House Tables.

I hope that RL will permit VH to rise again, like a phoenix from the ashes, but if not, then thanks for the wonderful memories, and the ties that I have continued, through other online communities like LJ.

Ferretlass
Python Prefect and troll-huntress

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	Re: Mourning (Anonymous) 2007-11-24 09:44 pm UTC (link)
	Hi there! I missed you so much! Daighirth (Reply to this) (Parent)

(Anonymous)
2007-08-17 12:23 pm UTC (link)

Hi, it's Lily Peters--I actually came back to VH looking for Gavin, a friend of mine--and I'm very sad to hear that it's closed. VH was my home when I was thirteen--I'm eighteen now. I was a Slytherin when I first came, then was resorted into one of the original content houses. All of you, in some way or another, kept me happy during a tough time in my life. I had so much fun... :D

If you want to contact me to reconnect, my info is below.

LJ username: lilypeters
Email: lilypeters2001@yahoo.com
MSN: lilypeters2001@yahoo.com

Gavin, if you happen to see this...I'd like to renew our friendship from way back when; you gave me the happiest time of my life. I haven't forgotten you and I doubt I ever will. Please email me so we can reconcile if you want. I still care.

~Lily Peters~, former Slytherin

(Reply to this)

(Anonymous)
2007-08-20 06:45 pm UTC (link)

AD,

I had some wonderful times on your magnificent site. I remember running across it when I was a tiny 13 year old, but I didn't join until two years later. It helped me through a lot of rough times, and I made a number of still loved friends (even if we have more or less lost contact).

If you were to bring it back in the future, I think I would give it another go. VH was a wonderful place for growth and friendship. The games, the banter, the discussions - I grew a lot just from hearing other's opinions, and infiltrating them with my own. Life is much brighter for this creation of yours, AD, and I think it would be a shame for it to pass into memory where the young up and coming VHers cannot find it.

As you said, perhaps you can bring back the HP theme. :) It would entice those ones unaware of what VH molded itself into.

Anyway, I wanted to thank you, AD. What you did for all of us was more than, I think I can safely say, we ever could have hoped. (Friends in Germany and Sweden? Oh my. I used to talk about them all of the time in RL. The strange looks, and otherwise "cracked?" expressions were amusing as hell.)

Take care of yourself. &hearts

~Aurora Phoenix (Solaris Student for Seven Years, and will continue to be so with or without a forum to visit. :) )

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	(Anonymous) 2007-08-21 12:07 am UTC (link)
	Also, you can catch me (Ash) on LJ/GJ and possible IJ at the UN: pale_pawn Lots of Love. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	pale_pawn 2007-09-17 10:51 am UTC (link)
	...~lame lateness~ Here it is... >.> Mwhaha. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	presentiment 2007-08-22 04:26 am UTC (link)
	It's so hard to see VH go. I hadn't been back there in years, but the knowledge that it's really gone is too painful for words. I'm always going to be so grateful for the wonderful friends I made there and what a wonderful influence the place had on me. See you at DragonCon, AD! Much love to you all, Aria Veritas Prefect livejournal: presentiment AIM: ariaguilbeau (Reply to this)

	mhmm (Anonymous) 2007-08-22 11:29 am UTC (link)
	I will be more than happy to come back if thats what you choose to do AD. you are right...it thrived for the time it could and i will be behined any desicion you make. Im here for you and everyone else forever! D-Money :) AKA...Delwyn Raleigh Sunbird...i got that off your little name generator thing ;) Miss yah! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	Re: mhmm (Anonymous) 2007-08-22 11:37 am UTC (link)
	PS i will do anything to help get it back up. As i get older and realize how much of a difference it made for me and helped me out to be a part of a great community of people is some thing i want most kids to have. Let me know if there is anything i can do. my aim is IM BuDDHAS BRO and my email is david_leme@hotmail.com. Please let me know! (Reply to this) (Parent)

(Anonymous)
2007-08-24 04:35 am UTC (link)

wow. i totally just got an urge to go on VH and write a haiku, saw that page and just... GAH!

granted, i guess i'm not surprised, and certainly not on the verge of a nervous breakdown. i haven't had the time to dedicate myself to the boards - so it feels right to end it here...for now!

i was what...11 when i started? (sorry, i couldn't obey the law if it meant not being on vh!) and now i'm almost 17 and i can see so clearly how much my vh life has affected my real life...from in-person meetups (i want more!) to certain musical tastes to crazy terminology... i just felt very special here. i will miss it. i'd tried a lot of different HP message boards, but vh was certainly the best... nothing else like it!!

and plus, we had the best sorting hat around! and oraclaws always were in the lead for the cup mwhahaha! :D

good times.
Tyna
(s00sh on LJ)

(Reply to this)

A place with love and loss
(Anonymous)
2007-08-27 04:20 am UTC (link)

Hey AD,

I was kinda sad when Vh started to die a while back, I have to admit I am in a way partially responsible cause well... I left to. I had my reasons, lets just say it involved my love life.

I met the girl of my dreams on VH and for that VH will ALWAYS be a fond place in my heart, but the girl left me and vh died. *sighs* Kinda sad really.

I met some close friends on VH, though I never got to know you very well AD, I was an avid member of the Wasteland Inn Crew, a player in the ancient rome and the pirate game.

*Hugs and kisses to all the vhers and crew. and a couple of tears over life in general*

Lots of love...

Galaktia.

(Reply to this)

	(Anonymous) 2007-08-31 12:09 am UTC (link)
	I kind of drifted away from VH in its later years, but I'm still sad to see it go. It remains one of the most friendly and intelligent sites I've ever seen, and I feel privileged to have been part of its community for a few years. You did an excellent job, AD. I'll remember it with fondness, and it would be lovely if it ever made a return. Thanks for everything. - Ferret Norton (Reply to this)

	(Anonymous) 2007-09-08 12:00 am UTC (link)
	I feel so Bad now...I haven't had time for VH or my own blog...and now its gone... Thanks AD for everything. *I will remember... Clan Destiny* and SPAT - Society for the Preservation of Absurd Titles and the "Never-Ending threads"** -Anyanka Halliwell (Reply to this)

	From Rachel (Anonymous) 2007-10-12 01:07 pm UTC (link)
	Man, I just found back to this page, and realised VH is history... I drifted away from VH after a while, but I still remember it very well, and I've been thinking about going back often. Unfortunately my real life is pretty hectic so I opted away from it (also I couldn't remember the webaddress) ;) Lots of Love from Rachel 'In Denial' Dragonrider, Pround Member of Oracle. (Reply to this)

(Anonymous)
2007-10-17 06:20 am UTC (link)

VH...what a great way to become introduced to not only a community of special and extremely likeable people, but to the whole internet system of communication. I joined VH when I was just realizing its potential, so VH kind of represents that for me. I liked dropping in and ambush-glomping old familiars for the past couple of years...I'll miss that feeling of affinity. That part creepy internet feeling that goes with everything we do on the internet now, and half intensely affectionate and warm feeling towards people I'd never have talked to otherwise who really liked harry potter that much (at first), but actually just about being absolutely ridiculous.

I remember a couple of fun rpg's and some great people that will stick in my mind for probably a lot longer than the tangible VH itself existed. Maybe I'll see it around again...thanks again, AD, and everyone who made it awesome. Cheers for now!

Josh,
lovable puddle o' grog.

Hufflep...er...Veritas forever

(Reply to this)

	(Anonymous) 2007-10-17 09:31 am UTC (link)
	I drifted away too, but I was a part of VH through several incarnations and under different names. I met one of my best friends through this site, and we still think of each other by our VH names. I don't know whether VH should continue, I just wanted to let you know what a wonderful experience it was for me (even if I did manage to get myself banned once). -Semi (Reply to this)

now i understand...
(Anonymous)
2007-12-28 09:44 pm UTC (link)

now i understand why no one seemed to have replied to my application in the new VH server...i got busy with the mundane world i dunno if i already registered and forgot my username or i havne't registered in the latest one yet.

I will surely miss everyone, the Four Seasons, Summer, Winter and Spring,
Fellowship of the Performing Arts (FPA) -- Zephydom, the Beauty and the Beast Cast, QW, Chasity, Cherrity, Winter, Harvey, Libby, Tyna, QW, Turnip, the forbidden name of PC and all of those names I have forgotten but personalities never will. I still have the transcripts, the patches...hope we can rebuild VH one day.

Chelsea
(Autumn)
jjaycee78@yahoo.com (YM)
jjaycee78@hotmail.com (MSN)

(Reply to this)

	(Anonymous) 2008-01-30 06:34 pm UTC (link)
	I am sad that VH is gone. I was just thinking a couple of days ago how big a part VH, and the people I meet there, actually played in my life. Thank you AD for originally creating VH and keeping it going for such a long time - it's an obsession that will last forever. ~ Lady Alyce, Solaris Prefect Email: ladyalyce@gmail.com (if anybody wants to keep in contact) (Reply to this)

	(Anonymous) 2008-02-20 12:45 am UTC (link)
	I'm sad to see it go, even though I had no time for it for awhile (hence such a late posting). I'd like to see us have some sort of community again, but only if it would be used. Joined the facebook group. Thanks, AD, for keeping this up for so long. -Anti "grandma" ignoramus Oracle Prefect (Reply to this)

	Get back up (Anonymous) 2008-03-07 06:36 am UTC (link)
	I dont think you should have shut down the site. I just discovered it for the first time today and its very depressing to be here. You shouldnt have given up. In time you will all drift apart because you have no place to connect. So you should get back up. -Me (Reply to this) (Thread)

Re: Get back up
(Anonymous)
2008-04-19 01:06 am UTC (link)

I'm sure that everyone would have liked very much for the site to remain open, but AD just wasn't able to do that. For her, most of all, I'm sure shutting it down was a hard decision. Sometimes, though, situations just don't allow us to get exactly what we want. If the times allow, I hope that VH will one day return. Until then, all we can do is try to stay in touch.

~ Kyr.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

Dont leave
(Anonymous)
2008-09-13 09:12 pm UTC (link)

I am sorry I havent been on for so long, and it saddens me greatly to think I have a part in the reason the sites now closed. I joined when I was 15 and I am now almost 23. VH was my home, I met friends, had alot of fun, had great things to discuss and now...I almost feel like crying because my home is now gone...I cherished every moment I had and will always remember the people I've met and the things we talked about. AD I salute you for making the greatest site I have ever been in and will ever be in, no site will ever compare to VH for me. I will always be your child, and remember that you gave me a home...farewell, my friend.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	Re: Dont leave (Anonymous) 2008-09-13 09:12 pm UTC (link)
	-Blade Icestorm (Reply to this) (Parent)