When I couldn't open up RP the other day, and then had trouble with my library's site, I thought it was my computer connection. I went on "live chat" with my ISP for almost *one hour*. They were no help and I finally decided it was an RP problem. Just had to wait it out.

I only just got back on RP a few minutes ago. My last post was Friday afternoon on the Brideshead thread. I checked back later and it kept saying I was not "authorized" to be viewing it and that I was "forbidden" to enter. Gee, was it something I said? I later saw on some of the garden forums I frequent that they were having problems with the Glyphs and NatureNet forums. Thankfully nothing was lost.
CMK

I felt strangely bereft, I must admit! I think it was the abuptness of the loss of connection, and the ominous "This domain is no longer taking connections" (or words to that effect) that scared me - I thought iVillage has decided that we were not longer worth supporting.

But GardenWebs were very reassuring when I did work out how to email them, and it was clear that something technical had gone wrong, and it was just a matter of patience till they worked out how to fix it.

Glad to be back!

The message we got about not being "Authorized" to use the site reminds me of the old days when Spike was running the site. If anyone used bad words in a post, they got sent to Disney and sometimes had to wait a while before they could return. We had some pretty funny posts as a result.

And speaking of Spike ... I saved this post about him, but I don't remember who wrote it. Whoever it was, thanks for the laugh.

When I first saw references to "Spike" it was regarding messages that didn't get posted for various reasons, and I assumed that, as in a newspaper office, stories and articles that don't get used are stuck on a spike - a long nail, mounted vertically on a cast iron stand - so they're said to have been "spiked." Since Sr Hernandez has the last word, as the editor does, it seems reasonable to call him Spike. Or it could be that he has hair that stands straight up from his head. Or, a crocodile bit off his hand and they'd run out of hooks. Or, he's into body piercing. ??? -- (from ReaderÂs Paradise posting)

I'm glad you're all back, 'cuz I, too, would miss you all.

I was upset too when I thought the site had gone.

I am in favour of posting email addresses and will start.
Mine is kpigou at gmail dot com (but of course use the usual abbreviations)

Love the story about Spike, sarah canary!

Wonder if the break in service was caused by the computer 'worm' that was supposedly unleashed on April 1st? If so, it was not a very pleasant joke on us.

My email address is on the 'My Page' site.
As someone with little computer 'savvy' I wonder why different information appeared on our various screens?
I just got a blank screen with "Services for this domain have been discontinued." in the top left hand corner. Very off-putting as I tried to hunt around via Google to search for an address to contact, with no luck.
Could someone please tell me the correct address for the Web Master.
Living in an area and among people who have little interest in books or reading and not being part of any other similar on-line group, this is the one place I can learn about/discuss books. You all add another dimension to my day-to-day life and would be sadly missed.

I wondered, too, if the April1 computer worm or whatever it's called wasn't (still is perhaps) responsible.

My e-mail address is on my home page too.

Dido

I got in and could read messages, but when I tried to post a reply, there was an advertisment obscuring the posting box.

I wonder if it depends on the browser and version which error we got?

Over on the cooking forum some people decided to hook up on Facebook so they could communicate in case this happened again.

The Glyphs have gone through several owners over the years.
A few of you might remember about 9 or 10 yrs ago when the site changed hands & there were a lot of problems. At that time Robin was very active here & she found an alternate place for us all to 'meet' She maintained things well but things kept happening to the sites, more changes & then finally RP settled into what it has become for the last few years.

Alas Robin disappeared as has Janalyn, they have gone on with their lives - but are missed.!

Pat

I, too, got the "services for this domain have been discontinued" message both here and when I tried to Google the site. On Google as well, when I tried to enter their RP sites, I got a list of Mayan stuff. I did get back on RP once, but then the discontinued message reappeared. Gosh, I'm glad to be back in communication with all of you.

Can we get to the home page if the site is down? My e-mail is cnewlen at bellsouth dot net. Please don't lose me; I'm bereft without you.

I missed the down time and knew nothing about the interruption, but just like Netla, I couldn't post when I did check back in and I was confused. Glad to see everyone here and the site intact!

Netla, do you know if it's possible to set up a private group on Facebook? I do have an account there, but I'm very new to it and am not sure how we could use it as a back up spot to meet.

I, too, was bereft when I couldn't log on over the weekend. I got the message that perhaps I was not authorized to use the site and a password may be needed to log into it. I wondered wildly if perhaps in some strange way I had posted something that got me Disneyed, although I couldn't think of anything unexceptional I had written.

I am so glad to be back onto RP and in contact with you all. My email is posted on my member page so I'm always available that way.

So happy to be back with you all again! :)

I will go to the members' pages and put the emails in my contacts on my own email - remember if the site goes down, you can't access the member pages.

Sheriz, I'm also getting to know my way around Facebook, but I did some research and apparently you can have three kinds of groups: open, closed and secret. The open ones anyone can join (we don't want that), closed ones are visible but you have to apply or be invited to join, and the secret are invisible to all but members and you have to be invited by an administrator to join. I think the closed type would suit us best?

I don't know anything about Facebook. Because of a problem I had at this site many years ago when Spike was in charge, I hesitate to put my e-mail address out here. However, I don't mind you guys having it, so for me, I supposed the best thing to do is when I get some time, send the ones I know, privately, my e-mail address. Does this make sense?

Although I rarely post on RP, I too was devastated at the blunt little message which appeared on my screen. Racking my brain for what I might have done to deserve such exile, I could only remember suggesting love poems for Valentine's Day. Was that too risque? Did it break the rules?
Part of my day includes checking with you all at RP to get your suggestions and comments. I guess I could live without it but hope it never comes to that. This morning I decided to try one more time and there you were!
So hello again and happy sharing!

Mary, you should be safe enough putting your email address in the 'My Page' thing as no-one can actually SEE it and although they can get in touch with you, it isn't until you choose to get back to them that they will then see your address. Of course I can understand it could be unpleasant getting rude/distasteful messages from people you would rather not deal with.
I must say the emails I have received through 'glyphs' have always been polite and usually no more than asking a question . . . and often from 'lurkers' who's names I have never seen on the screen.
I have no experience of Facebook although it seems everyone under the age of 30 in the UK has a slot there.;-)

I too was very worried about the sudden exile from my friends here. I will have to put my email in the My Page bit of the site.

Spring has barely sprung, but I am thinking about another bookmark exchange this holiday season. Yes, it is very early but everything needs to be in place by September or October, well before the holiday crush. Just to give people a chance to think about their own participation, i.e. sharing their snail mail addy. It was quite fun when we did it a few years back. What does everything think?

Apparently I missed the recent scare, but I often get messages that I'm "not authorized to view" or something like that. I always figure it's a problem with my peripatetic Internet access, and so far that's been the case, RP reappearing in a day or so. But I, too, would be bereft if RP disappeared for ever. I have just updated my email address on my home page.

It is true that we can't see another person's e-mail address on their My Page; we can only send them e-mail if their address is there. So, I will use the format that I think astrokath started. My e-mail address is: fsmithson1 at comcast dot net. I'm also going to collect them for future emergency purposes.

Although I tend to lurk here more than I post, I too was lost without RP. Another suggestion would be to join goodreads.com where you can start groups and add threads.

Just another suggestion if Facebook isn't your thing.
Chris

the one you could use for me is kidsrn 48 at verizon dot net

Siobahn, I would love to do another bookmark exchange! In fact, I used the bookmark you sent me last time when I was reading the book before the one I am on now (I choose a different bookmark for each book *g*)
It doesn't have to be expensive - many that I received and cherish were hand made - and it was lots of fun. I wrote the name of each person on the bookmark they sent and thus can remember them when I use it.

I also would love another bookmark exchange. Starting this early would give me time to make bookmarks, unlike last time. I treasure all the bookmarks I received.

What a good idea to put the name of the sender on the back. Wish I'd thought of that! Count me in, too.

I'd love to do a bookmark exchange, too.

I'm not familiar with Goodreads, but since it is topic-specific, it might be a better back up spot than Facebook. I don't know. If anyone wants to set something up in either place, count me in.

I spend quite a bit of time on Facebook but it only works if everyone is on it. I'm into a bookmark exchange as well. What kind of bookmarks? I'm not really the crafty type.

The previous bookmark exchange we did was fun. I'm in for another one if we get it going. I'm not sure if I saved all the addresses though...

Sounds like there is a healthy amount of interest - I will start a thread about the bookmarks.

I find the threads are loading quite slowly again since the Forum came back. I'm having to go back to clicking on the address to get quicker results. Is anyone else having this trouble?

Yes. They are loading slowly for me, too.

Not only are the threads loading slowly for me, I am having a devil of time getting a message to post. I've tried several times and was sent back to the login page each time, although I had logged in already, with the result of losing what I had written.

I will try one more time and see if it takes.

No problems at this end.

For the last few days I've been having the same problem as Frieda mentions above.

To log in I have to now go down to the 'Post a Message' thing at the bottom of the page, even then it takes several 'goes' before it works. Otherwise I am told to enter name and email which I don't really want to do on an 'open' site like this. Are others having problems? . . .I suppose if you are you can't get in touch . . .

I have been having problems also. I have about given up on RP! I have been here for years, but do participate in several other book forums where there are very active readers & there are no problems.

Pat

Two things: I am with Carolyn and Frieda in that these pages are taking forever to load and appear since the gardenweb issues. I wait and I wait. I had thought it was the computers I am using, but evidently not.

You do not have to sign on using the e-mail box, etc. Just go back to the main RP page that lists all the threads and at the bottom you will see a tiny "sign in" and you can log on in the usual fashion without revealing any e-mail address. That is what I have been doing.

Maybe the slow loading is keeping folks away from RP. It has been rather quiet of late....

My pages are loading okay today (Tuesday).

Does anyone else have the problem that the names following "Posted by" are too faded to read? I find that if I click on a name then come back, the names on that particular thread are the original, bright, readable color. This has been going on for some time. I only see it on Glyphs, not the regular Gardenweb forums.

Did we ever come up with an alternate venue in case this one goes away?

Rosefolly

Mine are still loading slowly. Several days ago I sent a message to RP about it. They replied asking if it was still occurring, and I responded that it was better that day. Not so now.

Pat, do you mind sharing what other reading sites you frequent?

I've had no problem accessing the site, and the pages load very quickly for me. Like Rosefolly, I have noticed the names are nearly invisible and I have to scroll over them to see who has posted, but other than that, things seems to be working fine on my end.

Carolyn I don't mind sharing - I have participated for several years at Delphi which is in some way similar to GardenWeb in that it has multiple forums going on. However their forums have a host & are monitored & the rules are set up for each forum by that host.
Delphi has several reader forums including Mystery & Thrillers, Booklovers, Book Sharks just to name a few.
The forums tend to be much more active than RP and are friendly in that all comments & books discussed are responded to directly and opinions given.

Booklovers just had a discussion on a book by Linwood Barclay & in June they have selected - by popular vote-to read & discuss Heart & Soul by Maeve Binchy.
Delphi probably has more than just these 3 readers forums, but they are the ones that I use most.

Delphi has 3 membership levels from free to Plus membership which I have because on some of the forums we post photos etc. Delphi also has forums for fancy sigs that you are invited to use. I participate in about 6 of their forums on a regular basis. They have some with cute names that are just for getting together similar I suppose to the Kitchen Table here at GardenWeb. They also have forums on various sewing techniques, knitting etc....the list is endless.

Those that know me know that my favorite genre is a good mystery or thriller and that forum has been a goldmine for me introducing me to authors that I had never heard of before. The other forums have recommended books that I would never have heard of much less read....and that given all the books that we mention here.

Pat

Sometimes I can not log into this site. I have a high speed internet connection, so I don't think the problem is at my end. This week, for example, I wanted to contribute to a thread on Wednesday and Thursday. I tried several times at various times during the day, but couldn't get in.

I have tried accessing this site for over a week now at various venues, using computers in 3 different libraries, in 2 different U.S. states. (I am traveling, now). It is still taking far too long to load each page here. My patience is wearing thin. :-)

Other than when the site was down, I have had none of the problems mentioned in this thread. I wonder what the differences are?

Hmm. I have had absolutely no problems accessing this site over the past week or two. I wonder why some of you guys have?

It must be so frustrating to have it take so long. I hope it doesn't push some of you away.... I like our group!

How many of you here have gone over to the Delphi reading forums? Just wondering.

I looked at it, but I like RP better. Maybe I missed something by not being familiar with it.

I agree with Carolyn. I think I signed up for it but haven't been back.