I've recently had to discontinue the smaller site we had for off-topic stories in order to conserve resources and lighten the financial burden a bit.

I sent out an e-mail to members over there a couple of weeks ago but unfortunately, it didn't get through to most of the users. Because of this, they didn't have the opportunity to save stories and reviews before the site closed. Despite my efforts, I was unable to retrieve a backup from my web host.

To those members, I really do apologize. I feel terrible about the miscommunication.

In the meantime, just a couple of things for LotRFF members...

First, I'm going to be revising the rules here to allow for off-topic stories again. As before, I ask you not to use this site for personal blogging and random posts more suited to a LiveJournal or social networking. Please limit yourself to fictional stories, poetry and essays.

Second, please be sure to back up your stories and reviews from time to time. It's best to store a copy on your own computer but even if you can't do that, saving them in your email account can be a good idea. Most of them have plenty of storage these days.

LotRFF here to stay and you'll have plenty of notice if that ever changes. But it's always good to keep your own copy of anything that's important to you. The internet isn't perfect, mistakes happen and even though I do everything I can to protect and keep regular backups of your data, I'm still only one person and don't have the capability to offer absolute guarantees the way a major company would.

Thankfully, we've never had errors with data loss here on LotRFF. I don't foresee it ever happening, but I'd still like you guys to have that extra security and peace of mind.

Thanks

--Adora on 10/03/10 - 04:14 am 11 Comments