CONVERTING THE TQS SITE

[Annette R.]

I guess I have more than just two cents to say about this. We are told over and over and over again. Document your quilts. Document your quilts. Journal about the process of making a quilt. If you do that, the quilt becomes even more valuable. These blogs are a unique piece of quilting history. It's part of a record of how quilting has changed in the 21st Century. We've grown from a craft that connects family and community quilters to more than a world wide quilting guild. We are a world wide community/family of quilters that comes to each other in time of need. The blogs are part of that history and TQS made that happen. Where else does that kind of quilting community exist? Nowhere! Are you sure ARJJ wants that documentation to be gone? Can I live without it? Sure. But I don't think that is the important question here.

I ditto Lois' comments above. However, I'd like to add that I didn't create a blog outside of TQS' member blog because, for me, that would have been redundant. It was always frustrating to me to open a TQS member blog that just linked me that member's external blog. It would be very important for me to have an easy way to capture/save my historical blog posts before they are deleted from TQS. After that, I don't really see a need to continue the member blogs on TQS. Those of us who want a personal blog can just put a link to it on our TQS member profiles and anyone interested in following us can.

By the way, if it's decided to continue offering the TQS Member Blogs, I'd suggest an easy way for us to be able to find the blog where we left off reading on our prior visit.

[Annette R.]

Well my first thought was--do what you have to do; but, after more thought on this and reading the other posts, I do think I would like an opportunity and maybe guidance on how to reserve my past post. After that--do what you have to do. I appreciate the opportunity TQS has given us to get to know each other, to help each other through difficult times and just to laugh at the everyday things that all of us one in this big world. So! THANK YOU!

[Caroline A.]

I don't personally blog but I do regularly read them. I almost never go back and read the past blogs. I also find I don't bother to read the blog posts that just have a link to an outside blog, it's easier to just read them on this site. As far as saving them, I'd say do what you think best but it would be nice for those who have blogs to be able to save their past ones on their computers.

[John A.]

Concerning bringing over the history of the Member Blogs, WebBob is checking into the 2 software programs we are considering to see if one is way easier than the other in converting the past. We really appreciate that this was set up to be a diary of quilting progress and the history becomes valuable even if only to that person.

Here are some other updates. One person wrote and said that the iPad would not pinch and zoom on our current site. Bob took a look and we know it will work on the new site. Then he found a way to fix it on the current site. So now you can pinch and zoom with your fingers on the iPad.

Also, we are definitely NOT starting over on the Quilt Gallery, BOMs, Forum or blog history. (Although we are looking at different types of forums to see if discussion has been made even easier. We will keep you updated.)

[Norma H.]

Also, we are definitely NOT starting over on the Quilt Gallery, BOMs, Forum or blog history. (Although we are looking at different types of forums to see if discussion has been made even easier. We will keep you updated.)

It is very seldom that I don't understand what is written here, but the above did not make sense to me. Does it mean that you are not transferring the Gallery and more or does it mean that you are?

I don't have time to read member blogs on a daily basis, but sometimes I go there to see what happens. Do what you think is best and give the bloggers time to copy their posts to their own computer.
It is fantastic that you take your time to ask and listen to us. Most other places they just drag the changes over your head and you can like it or not. And they even tell you it's for your own best :cry: .
I love TQS and all the friends I make here in Cyber Space

[Betty J.]

OK, I have journaled the making of several quilts on that. I can download them in some fashion if I have enough time. Just give us enough time to do that. Then it's ok to have it go. I now run a personal blog, so anything on the member blog is redundant after about the end of 2012.

[Teri L.]

Here's my thought: if not bringing the history over SAVES TQS money - then I'm all for it. I post external links to my personal blogs - and not as regularly as when I first started blogging on TQS. I had my personal blog before joining TQS so my blog/quilt history will remain in tact.

Happy Quilting!
Teri

[Hannelore N.]

John, it seems that quite a lot of members have personal blogs outside of the TQS website. Would it be possible to include a 'clickable' list of all of those somewhere on the new site?

I'd also like to thank Bob for all the work he does behind the scenes. He definitely is the 'unsung hero' of TQS, because we wouldn't have the superb site that we have right now without him. Most people don't appreciate how much work is involved to maintain a complex and busy website. He should wear a very shiny halo!!

[Betty J.]

Just thought I'd drop this hint...If any of you have HyperSnap you can capture your blogs and the comments page pretty easily. I just captured quite a few of my blogs and the accompanying comments pages and spent only about an hour at it using HyperSnap6 and saved them as a photo. That way you get all the photos and everything. I don't know how it's done on a MAC though and there are probably other programs out there that do the same thing.

[Betty J.]

So I went and looked at some of my past blogs. Didn't realize there were so many! If we have to loose the previous blogs we need good warning! I'm gonna want to save all of mine. Do whatchya gotta do for the TQS site, buisness is buisness and I get that, but I don't want to lose any of my blogs.
P.S. TQS is awesome and I will always lovelovelove it!

[John A.]

Don't do any copying or transferring of your member blog history yet. We will give you plenty of time if it comes to that. Right now, Bob and I are dedicated to including the member blog history. We think it is important and we want people to keep using the blogs as a quilting history.

I'm sorry I wasn't clear enough in a prior post. We are definitely bringing over all the history in the Quilt Gallery, Forum, Daily Blogs, and BOMs.

[Robin G.]

Thank you, Capt'n John!!

[Betty J.]

Thank you Capt'n John!!! I was astonished when I saw how many blogs I actually had back through the years.

[Susan B.]

We are definitely bringing over all the history in the Quilt Gallery, Forum, Daily Blogs, and BOMs.

This is terrific news. I just spent the day at the Quilt Alliance conference where the theme of the day was the importance of documentation.

I have this nagging thought, however, that (May the Gods not see you) something may happen to TQS WAY in the future and the Quilt Indexers would not have access to critical information that documents our quilts. Perhaps, as individuals, we should consider redundancy. Is this possible by having a blog on TQS and a site such as blogspot by copy/pasting?

Somewhere, in the back of my mind, I remember a way that someone had of accessing seemingly lost URL's for the Internet. I thought once on the Internet, always on the Internet, but that may be only for public URLs.

I wish all my TQS quilter buddies had been at the Quilt Alliance conference today, and hope all will consider joining this amazing organization.

We watched as Luann Rubin recorded a QSOS interview with Jinny Beyer (it was filmed and may appear on the QA website in the future), heard a keynote address from Janneken Smucker (Graduate Curatorial Assistant for the International Quilt Study Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln), listened to a panel discussion (Curators Reveal How They Solve the Mysteries of Unlabeled Quilts and What They Wish Every Quilt Could Tell Them) and had great hands-on classes on label making, digital photography, self-publishing, and social media for quilters.


Then we got to see the Sacred Threads quilt show.

[Susan B.]

Thanx John! You're the best!