Last Tuesday night, as many of you know, there was an HOA meeting. I couldn’t attend, but I heard enough of what went on. I have lived in Woodland Springs since August of 2003 and I have purposefully tried to stay out of the HOA politics. I figured keeping a personal low profile was the best way to keep woodlandsprings.com a vibrant and useful Web site. However, I have heard things about myself that are not true. These rumors coupled with the appalling behavior of a very small minority require some kind of response.

I will do my best to answer questions and quell rumors within this posting. Please read carefully as it directly relates to the history of this Web site and its future.

Facts about the History of Woodlandsprings.com

• In September 2003, I proposed to the Woodland Springs AC that I could set up a community Web site (as I had done previously for various groups). The AC agreed and I got to work with the newsletter editor.
• I took a hands-off approach to site’s content management. I didn’t want to be involved directly with the policies of the HOA and I certainly didn’t want an AC position.
• I bought woodlandsprings.com and I retained ownership of it because the AC, at that time, was still in its infancy. Naturally, the AC evolved and has its own history, but that has nothing to do with neither me nor the site itself. The AC was a means to get content on the site because I personally didn’t have time to write the articles.
• The site officially launched in January 2004. My time was increasingly limited. Frank Friar led the effort to really help the site’s content evolve. I added some things here and there, but for the most part I let Frank and some other volunteers do whatever they wanted.
• I had some serious health issues in 2004 and early 2005. My health, combined with the fact that I was managing my own consulting business with its own challenges kept me from even thinking much about the site. Periodically, Frank would call me and we would meet and I would put things on the site he wanted.
• Toward the end of 2004, one of the AC members contacted me directly and asked me if I was ever paid for the site. I said “no”. Honestly, I never invoiced the AC and really didn’t expect much. He said he’d like to see me paid and also told me that other residents who did services for the AC were paid here and there. For instance, it cost money to have the newsletter printed at a local print shop owned by a resident. I agreed and billed the AC for $800, which just covered my server costs. That money was paid to my partners and never went into my personal bank account.
• In 2005, my business situation changed drastically and I needed more than ever to spend time dealing with a new opportunity. I took it upon myself to add some new features to the site and also create a new look and feel for the site. I think that was like January or February 2005. After that, the AC had multiple volunteers working on site content.
• Up until the last few months, I did nothing on the site other than ensure it was up and running. When it was brought to my attention about the potentially libelous postings in the online forum, I updated terms of service to protect myself. You see, libel is tricky and if somebody can prove their case, not just the poster can be held responsible. As the site’s owner it is my responsibility to protect myself and my company. I’d rather do it by removing libelous comments from the site instead of having my attorney scramble to respond to a law suit.
• The current moderator situation was an idea brought to me by the Web site volunteers. I told them to do it and I also gave explicit instructions to ban people who violated the new terms of service.

Facts about the Present of Woodlandsprings.com

• Did you know that real estate agents have been avoiding showing homes to people in this community because of the irresponsible comments posted on this Web site? This is no joke. I was contacted by a friend of mine who is a realtor located out of Bedford. She wanted to show homes here, but several clients didn’t want to live in a neighborhood where the people were apparently so mean to each other. Further research showed me this was not isolated. I know of at least ten realtors with similar stories. I hope I don’t need to explain how damaging this is to all of us. Most of us know the community is not really like that. But outsiders reading this site have a different perception. This is the very reason the new terms of service were written and are actively enforced by moderators.
• Nationwide, there are hundreds of thousands privately-owned community sites. Many of them are owned by local realtors who provide content and sell advertising to local merchants with the hopes of getting clients. Woodlandsprings.com is no different than other community sites around the country in that it has a private owner.
• The Villages of Woodland Springs is a location, not a business. As such, the name is openly available for anybody to use, including the elementary school of the same name. Subdivision names are used to identify an area on a map. Some subdivisions become cities while the rest are used to divide up a city into smaller chunks so the real estate industry, local government, and residents have a point of reference. I’m not trying to be cute or condescending. Instead I feel I must point out the obvious: the name “Woodland Springs” itself is public domain.
• With around a million hits a month, woodlandsprings.com is one of the busiest sites on my server. From a technical perspective, it now takes more time and money to ensure it’s operational and efficient.

Facts about the Future of Woodlandsprings.com

• I have a server in a managed hosting center as most Web hosting companies do. As a result, there are costs associated with my server. Lately, I’ve considered a revenue model from advertising where some of the proceeds would go into an account just for the development and maintenance of this site while the rest would support the costs incurred by me.
• I’d love to develop more functions for the site, but those things cost money. They would benefit the community and would help increase the value of the site for the community, but nothing is free.
• Fort Worth is focusing more in community development. Woodlandsprings.com is read by Fort Worth leaders as well as the residents outside of our community. It is also read by local reporters and state politicians. I never dreamed the site would have this much exposure. I fully intend to ensure the site is continually a positive resource of news and constructive projects. That means enforcing the terms of service and ensuring the site is not a dumping ground for personal attacks and negative venting.
• As other community organizations get established, this site will be a resource for those organizations to communicate with residents. I will work with anybody who wants to help Woodland Springs become the ultimate community in Forth Worth.
• All Web sites must have a domain owner, individuals with server access, and somebody to pay for the services. High-minded rhetoric about ownership belonging to the community doesn't address the fact that you cannot eliminate individuals from the Web site process. I have a lot of experience in running Web sites for organizations, including municipalities. In every case, individuals were responsible for specific parts of those Web sites. I intend on retaining ownership of woodlandsprings.com for the foreseeable future because I will be here and somebody has to own it. I’ve taken the trouble and the time to set it up. I don’t appreciate the hostile takeover mentality of the few individuals in the community who don’t know me and have never had a conversation with me.
• Another assumption that is false is that if the HOA owns the domain, it will be “better”. There is no guarantee of that anywhere. There is no definition of “better”. Centurion American Development is a private company run by busy individuals. Ultimately, Centurion American will do what they feel is necessary to make a profit. If that means they don’t feel the site is worth it to them, they will not spend the money and dedicate the resources necessary for the site. In addition, there will come a time when Centurion American will leave Woodland Springs. The question of site ownership will come up again. Like I wrote above, “better” must be defined. Right now, there are over a million hits a month on the site and they are increasing all of the time. The site has useful information. By generally accepted Web site standards, woodlandsprings.com is already successful. If there are ways to make it better right now, I’d love to take those suggestions and implement them. However, the site is not broken, so why try to “fix” it?
• In the future, I will not disclose any financial information related to woodlandsprings.com. I will not accept any money from the HOA or Centurion American. Homeowner dues will not pay for this site, which is why I'm considering advertising revenue.

Facts about the Site Owner

• I’m a resident of Woodland Springs and I want to see the community vibrant and successful.
• Because of the busy schedule I keep, I especially appreciate the volunteers who spend their time on community projects. I wish I could devote more time to community activities, but I can’t. As a result, I get especially offended at people who do nothing more than publicly bash volunteers. My philosophy is that if you really want to do the work to change things, you don’t need to stand on a stage to do it. Using woodlandsprings.com to let everybody know how unhappy and miserable you are doesn’t do anything for the community. Using woodlandsprings.com as a tool to meet people and start constructive community projects is the reason I helped start the site two years ago.
• I have never been directly contacted by Merhdad Moayedi or any representative from Centurion American Development Group. I’m taken aback that Mr. Moayedi would publicly imply that I’m being difficult about the ownership of the woodlandsprings.com domain name when I have never even met with him about this issue. I shook hands with Mr. Moayedi once, two years ago. There has been no contact since then. His implication of me being difficult is somewhat insulting and I don’t appreciate it.
• Just to be clear, I have nothing to do with Centurion American or even SBB Management. I had nothing to do with the original AC other than work with their volunteers for site content. I have nothing to do with any alleged corruption, conspiracy, or alien abductions. I’m a homeowner here just like other residents and I have a family to support. I’m surprised at the speculation about me and my “connections”. If you knew me, you’d laugh at how disconnected I actually am from the community politics.
• Occasionally, I get email from people I assume are residents about monies related to the site. I explained above what money was paid and when. The email messages I have received contain one or two sentences with no context as to why the question is being asked. I have explained that I’m a busy person, so I don’t read the online forums often. So when I receive an email that reads something like “Who pays for this site and are homeowner dues used for it?” I usually don’t respond. I’m not trying to be difficult, but without somebody properly introducing themselves and giving me the reason for the inquiry, I am not going to set myself up for those few individuals in this community that have been threatening legal action regarding the domain name.
• AST Group is a company I own with two other partners. The company is not actively doing business. It was a partnership company between my personally owned company, SureDoc, and Abacus Management Group, a public relations and marketing company. AST Group still legally exists, but I’m in the process of transferring AST customers to SureDoc. My partnership with Abacus is changing as I reorganize SureDoc for success in the Dallas / Fort Worth market.

Yes, this was a very long posting on our site, but necessary. I’ve grown weary of a few individuals who try to manipulate circumstances through loud complaints, libelous postings, and mean-spirited threats. These individuals are fewer than 15 in number and do not represent the feelings of this busy, growing community. To push people around in this manner is no better than the manners of school yard bullies. I’m a reasonable person and enjoy talking to reasonable adults who can articulate themselves without tearing other people down. That’s why I will retain ownership of this site as long as I can and ensure it is a positive, creative, constructive stop on the Web.