A Very Important Announcement regarding PaganSpace

(A more basic (and shorter...lol) announcement focusing on the business side of this is located here) but I do hope you take the time to read this announcement to gain an understanding of my recent decision)

This is a very difficult announcement for me to make but none-the-less it's time for me to publicly state the following. (Be prepared I know this is going to be a long one...lol)

PaganSpace turned four last October and we now have over 40k members (YAY!). I have marveled at how large and active the site has become; it is truly a blessing and has aided me with my spiritual & personal growth in more ways than I could ever have imagined.

About a year and a half back I sought out a partner for PaganSpace, someone who could actively work with the site, the advertisers and the members, I received a large response from many wonderful people but since a partnership included a monetary amount I was unable to move forward with it; a few had the monetary means but I didn't feel it was a good fit for the site, so it did not happen. I promised everyone then that if I did not find the right person, I would just remain the only one and continue on and that's exactly what I did and continue to do.

But right now, in keeping with that promise I have to be honest with you and myself; as I'm so far past overworked that I just can't seem to catch up (I'm turning into a billboard for A.D.D to an ultimate extreme level...lol); I have a publishing company, I'm an author, a professional web/graphic designer alongside of running PaganSpace - everything has fallen behind because I do not have the time or energy to give them because all of my energy and time is devoted to PS. I love PaganSpace more than anyone will probably ever know, it was a dream and a calling to bring every belief into one place while watching it grow and being a part of this wonderful site has been the greatest blessing of growth within my journeys. Yet, I've had to come to the realization that while my heart and soul wants to be able to do it all, I simply cannot continue on the road that I am on, which is leading to physical exhaustion.

I have thought and meditated on what direction I should take, one thing I know is that even if it leads to me falling on my face I'm going to always be here for this community because I love and believe in its purpose - this place for lack of better words is my home on the internet and that will never change.

Yet, it's now time for me to bring in others, either one or a few who can love this place and believe in the purpose it was created for. I need people who are fair, patient, unbiased, people who don't take criticism personally and can understand that even within the fallouts that take place here sometimes, we have to look at the entirety and not just the face of the current situation (believe me, when fallouts occur 9 times out of 10 there's previous motivations).

I've received flack from some in the past/current because I allow people to get into heated debates or even argue, I allow that not because I don't want to be bothered, I allow it because often times it leads to growth and/or knowledge and imo it is a persons choice to engage a heated debate or even an argument - it takes 2 or more for debates and arguments to transpire, not just one. We're all adults here and how adults choose to exert their energy (in a legal manner) is upon them, not me. That does not mean that I will not intervene if it's out of hand, I do this more than you can imagine, in places on here that are not always readily viewable to everyone. I only bring this up because whomever comes into this place with any potential authority over its operation needs to understand that this site was never intended to be a site of lip service, or people being forced to always agree - I'll be honest, I've seen many Occult/Pagan etc Social network sites that have taken the "you need to be x belief system to be here" and/or the "kumbaya approach" and while that may seem like a nice concept it's not completely realistic and most of them have either failed for lack of participation or they're pretty dead activity wise. I didn't create this place for it to be some fake faceplate for Paganism etc. on the internet while the public looks in and sees everyone holding hands and being sweet every moment - that's just not realistic to expect from real people imo.

We all have agreements and disagreements, people that we like, people that we don't etc - that's just life and dealing with such is a part of our mental and spiritual growth as well. Whether people agree or disagree with how I choose to run this place, I will stand by the fact that it has grown by leaps and bounds for years based on the principal of allowing people to be themselves. I am not in the least ashamed of my decision.

I'm going off task.. *sorry* there's a lot to say in one announcement... lol

So you're probably wondering what I am looking for...

I'm looking for someone who can potentially take over the ownership of PS. Now before that gets taken and turned into wild chitter-chatter somewhere; I'm not planning, not now or ever to walk away from this community but I'm simply at this point faced with the reality that I know I cannot move forward with my writing, artistic endeavors and my publishing company because of time/energy restraints with running/administrating Paganspace. As I stated a year and a half ago, I WILL NOT allow anyone to step in with any authority over this site who has the wrong intentions for it or who feels it needs to become something it was never intended to be in the context of not welcoming other beliefs here and/or stifling people from being themselves. With that being said, I make a promise to each one of you and that promise is that if (that's a big if) the site ever becomes the majority of another person(s) at some stage and it's turned into something not revealed to me, which threatens what it was created for then I will in fact, build another social network site and do this all over again for the community. In other words, I will fulfill my promise that this place will remain as it was intended or I will begin again to assure there is always a place for all to gather. Yet on a positive note, I do believe there are others out there who recognize the beauty of this place, it's purpose and those who have the same endeavors to bring all together; I know I'm not by any means the only one and with that I want this legacy to continue on, but sadly, I have had to recognize that in order for me to continue on the journey laid out in front of me by my Gods, that I must allow others to assist with the growth/administration of this community.

Ultimately what I'm looking for is a person or persons who can administrate both the site, the business side and the advertising. A working knowledge of business is a real plus with regards to assuring the site remains financially stable. The person(s) need to be committed to always doing what's best for the community, even if it's not what's more convenient for them. A dedicated person(s) who have a dream of seeing all gather together and learning from both agreements and disagreements, strengths and weaknesses. And someone who will basically give this place all they have, in good and bad.

I've often looked at PaganSpace as somewhat of a marriage for me, it requires a tremendous amount of patience, perseverance, dedication and love to keep it going. Some may see it as only a website but I see it as somewhat of a living creation fueled by the hearts, souls and/or words of all of you. That may sound weird but over 4 years ago I followed the calling of my Gods in the creation of PS, they told me then that it would thrive based on those thoughts and that I would grow far beyond where I was at the time. They didn't mislead me at all and from this place I have gained far more from you all than I could ever repay.

Typing this is bittersweet, but I know the decision I am making is what's truly best for this community & myself because if I'm pooped out all the time I can't effectively run the site :)

I have always believed if you put your heart into something and do it for the right reasons, it will flourish and grow - this place is a testiment of that. The hard part for me is accepting that I can't do it all as much as I want to (I don't give up, it's just not in my programming...lol) but sometimes I have to slow down, to assure I don't fall off my rocker... :) Making this decision has likely been one of the toughest decisions of my life but I know my calling has always been to writing and sharing my journey with others, and in order to do that I must learn to refocus some of my energy when the time comes. I'm not saying I'm going anywhere, because I'm not (you couldn't drag me out of here if you wanted to...lol) but it is time for me to continue with other things that I was also called to do in this life. I've made promises to my Gods with regards to writing and sharing and I must as well fulfill those.

Now onto the messy business part...

PaganSpace is valued at apprx.100k (some estimates are higher but I'm following a basic model of attaining worth, not an inflated one) actual price is 95k with a $5k discount for me to advertise on the site. The estimate is based on the traffic, the age, the number of members and the income derived from the site. For someone who is interested in discussing a potential majority partnership or ownership please know that I'm both fair and willing to work with the right person(s) but there must be a substantial earnest money investment min 30% and payments over a max. of 24 mo. period to satisfy the full investment. I don't like discussing the monetary side of it because people tend to think it becomes solely about the money, that couldn't be farther from the truth as I've turned down offers in the past because it was not a good fit, even when funds were there to proceed. On a related note, I would not expect someone to build something, work their butts off for over four years on it, pour their time, money and energy into it and then expect them to give it away, so please do not expect me to do that either. What comes from this financially will assist with furthering other Pagan/Occult oriented projects I have to include: publishing & radio/video broadcasting among other things.

PaganSpace does make a profit and while some have deemed that side of it unacceptable or something to dislike me for, the truth is I find that ridiculous; I have invested countless amounts of my own money into building PaganSpace and thousands of hours as well. Bottom line, I would not expect anyone to work full-time for free and they should not expect anyone else to either that goes for me or anyone else. My Gods have never told me that would prefer I live in a box or go without eating so, no one should expect that either. If I had a silver spoon in my mouth and did not have to pay my own bills (house, car, utilities, credit cards, business expenses and insurance) then I'd have less of an issue with working countless hours for free but that is definitely not the case for me, unfortunately...lol :)

In closing, please understand that while I would love to share the ownership of this place with many without a financial obligation, that simply is not something I can do. If you are serious about the possibility of having ownership potential in the site then please message me with some background and information and I'll contact you back. Also, I know some will say that I should just bring in more admins and people to assist with all the business aspects, that was a thought but it really doesn't help with easing the time restraints and overall responsibility of what's transpiring here 24/7 -  I would basically just be creating more work for myself in overseeing numerous people and still retain my responsibility to the site activity as well, so that's why I am not looking in that direction.

And before the stupid rumor mill starts *eye roll* this site will continue whether I find someone or not, so please do not start creating rumors that the site is going to close down because IT IS NOT and that I promise you! So, please don't put words in my mouth or make up untruths as these kinds of actions only scream out that some have too much time on their hands and/or cannot comprehend written words :) PaganSpace came first and I will see it through no matter what, even if it means other projects can't happen right now, so while I am actively seeking someone, if I do not find the right person(s) then I'll remain with it like I always do...

Big Hugs & Many thanks to each one of you!
Starr

oh and P.S. I'm sorry this was soooo incredibly long but I had a lot to say...lol

Shorter version detailing more information on the business side of the sale is located here.