Capitol Hill Blue Forums Hot Topics & Breaking News The RoundTable With a heavy heart

Members probably now know that any attempt to move RR to a new server last week failed because the existing forum software needed upgrading, along with other supporting software.

That failure, my failure, leaves me with a decision that has haunted me for some time.

I've spent most of today meeting with clients of my web hosting service, several of who I have kept online even though they fall behind in hosting fees and require extensive support to fix problems. I also went over the finances of the operation with our accountant and my real advisor -- wife Amy.

But the final decision on the future of ReaderRant, and perhaps some other of my less-than-lucrative operations, is mine and mine alone. ReaderRant, I believe, has had a long run of more than 26 years. It has had its ups and downs and has had many members and hundreds of thousands of posts and debates. It has existed on the Ultimate Bulleting Board platform for many years but ran on other forum software operations that served even far more than the 307,000 posts.

RR today receives an average of a half dozen new posts a day. Less than five posters have joined in the past year and the newest had one post and was gone. The few who remain include several longtime members, including some who help moderate, and I am eternally grateful for your work and devotion on a volunteer basis.

I keep in touch with several via email and phone. Our long-lost Scoutgal and her husband visited us here in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and enjoyed our country living and food. It was good to actually meet one of our members and moderators in person. Phil Hoskins was a longtime friend I never met in person and, sadly, could not attend his memorial service. Jeffrey Hass remains a good friend. I still have contacts with Sen. Hatrack, Pondering, and others.

Some longtime members offered financial assistance. If issues were just financial, I would have gladly accepted their offer but the primary problem is me.

My directions have changed over the years. My columns that sometimes appear on Capitol Hill Blue, but more often appear in print for other outlets, are no longer driven by anger or rage. They focus on what we have lost in a time of hate and falsehoods. I remain, at heart, a newspaperman and am a contract reporter and photographer for Lee Enterprises, who owns many of the daily and weekly newspapers in Virginia and the Southeast, many purchased from Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hataway conglomerate who tried, but gave up, on community journalism. I now cover local boards of supervisors, Circuit Courts, regional music festivals, and high school athletics, which are awakening from the slumber of COVID-19 shutdowns. After 23 years working in the Nation's Capital, it is, I feel, journalism that is closer to home and people.

For these, and other reasons, I have decided to close ReaderRant, effective at midnight Sunday. The board and its comments have been archived but will shut down at the time. I do with a heavy heart but with the realization that it is time. CHB allows comments on most of its articles and that will continue, although most use social sites to discuss a lot of things.

Former moderator Jeffrey Hass recommends a moderated forum called Debate Politics. He is active there and I have recently joined, more as an observer than a participant. It is a moderated, non-partisan board that works to promote civility in debate. I spend more time on SportsShooter, a forum dedicated to media sports photography, and am a Senior Member there.

I will make a final copy of RR on Sunday. Then I will spend some time alone mourning the loss of a site brought down by an absentee landlord.

My fault, my failure. Those here who moderate, support, and post here deserved better than me. I thank you for the run.

--Doug Thompson

No worries, Doug. Thanks for the long run.

It was a good, fun, run Doug. Thank you for having us.

I've enjoyed it every day, Doug. Thanks for all your efforts.

But sometimes it's just time to move on. The only thing that never changes, is change itself.

See you around, friends.

It's sure been fun and I'm gonna miss it. Readerrant has given me an outlet to vent my political frustrations for many many years. I've met and lost friends here, spent many hours crafting comments and debate. I'm no longer interested in fighting with the Republicans and won't be moving to another site.

Perhaps this forum was the best ever presented on the internet. it's certainly the best I ever found.

Thanks, Doug, for all the memories, and goodbye to all my friends!

I can be found on Facebook here...

Mark Kyle Facebook

Yup.

I don't have Facebook, but anybody wanting to get in touch can go here:

https://www.troll.works

Thanks, Doug! It was a good run. I shall miss you all.

As most people who have been around here for a while know, second-guessing is part of my nature and, with the help of some folks at UBB, I have obtained an upgrade to the software and have installed it on the new server. To test it, I will need to move RR over to the new installation this evening and could have it up and working by Sunday or Monday, at the latest. With your permission, I'd like to try it. If it works, we will be up and running with updates in place.

If this is OK, I will move what is on this site tonight, along with the necessary DNS changes and we will see if it works this time. If it doesn't work, the site will remain up for a few more days next week on the old server.

RR has been part of CHB since the beginning and I don't want to see it go. I lost a lot of sleep last night and then went ahead and purchased the upgraded software that I hope will keep it in place for the time being.

I that's OK with everyone, I will put the site here with the "We're moving" sign again and start the move shortly. With luck, we should be up and running by Monday at the latest.

OK if I try?

Doug

I just signed in. The page is a bit messed up but I expect that will probably get fixed in the future but just passing it along.

Thanks. We're still working out the kinks but should have them running later today.