An Open Letter to EyeWire

[gwpriester]

Several readers have written to me offering to write a letter to EyeWire in support of the XaraXone and other content areas on i/us.

I thought that maybe instead of writing here a letter, there a letter, it might be more effective (and appropriate), to use this forum to tell EyeWire.com (owned by Getty Inc.) what we think about their decision to eliminate the i/us content areas—and for that matter, probably the entire i/us site).

So, if you feel as passionately about this as I do, add your letter to this thread. Let is all hang out as we used to say back in the `60s. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif[/img]

Maybe if we get a few hundred messages, we can smack somebody at Getty, Inc. upside the head and let them know that we want these content areas and we also buy products related to these content areas. And if these content areas are taken away because they only cost money and don't return a profit, maybe we'll take our business elsewhere. This seems to be the only language these people understand.

Hey, it's worth a try.

Gary
Content Provider and Conference Host
for the past five years.

Gary Priester

Moderator Person

Be It Every So Humble...

[gwpriester]

Several readers have written to me offering to write a letter to EyeWire in support of the XaraXone and other content areas on i/us.

I thought that maybe instead of writing here a letter, there a letter, it might be more effective (and appropriate), to use this forum to tell EyeWire.com (owned by Getty Inc.) what we think about their decision to eliminate the i/us content areas—and for that matter, probably the entire i/us site).

So, if you feel as passionately about this as I do, add your letter to this thread. Let is all hang out as we used to say back in the `60s. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif[/img]

Maybe if we get a few hundred messages, we can smack somebody at Getty, Inc. upside the head and let them know that we want these content areas and we also buy products related to these content areas. And if these content areas are taken away because they only cost money and don't return a profit, maybe we'll take our business elsewhere. This seems to be the only language these people understand.

Hey, it's worth a try.

Gary
Content Provider and Conference Host
for the past five years.

Gary Priester

Moderator Person

Be It Every So Humble...

[Peter Clifton]

I hope us Corelians can join as well.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I discovered i/us about two years ago, it has been a bookmarked favourite and a 'must visit regularly' site from the first day of discovery.

I began to appreciate what a truly unique community I had stumbled across. A commercial operation that also provided a very necessary service to it's users.

I cannot think of another area on the web that allows professional and nonprofessional users of all types of graphics software on different hardware platforms to trade ideas and offer / seek advice and inspiration.

If you (EyeWire) think that simply merging / subsuming i/us into your existing framework to provide only a portal facility for graphics products and services is logical then I think you will do yourself a huge disservice. How it is it possible to justify purchasing i/us if by removing the content areas and forums you destroy a major part of what i/us is all about.

i/us is not just another service portal it has character and a loyal community spirit. I do not believe that one can exist without the others. If you think that the people who come here will use your portal once i/us in its current form is destroyed I feel very strongly that you will be sorely disappointed.

Please rethink your current ideas about the future of the i/us content areas and forums.

Peter Clifton
Technical Author

"If you don't look after knowledge it goes away"

[cwalls]

I have been visiting the i/us site for almost a year since finding out about Xara from a consultant that we have used in our business. Since that time I have not found a graphics program as easy to use or quick to learn as Xara. I have been amazed at what the program can do and have found the Xara Xone and Gary's columns to be the most informative and helpful of any of the programs we have.

I would like to add my support for keeping this site and all the wonderful content that has helped me professionally. I urge everyone at EyeWire to open their Eyes and get Wired to promoting Xara and all the forums on i/us and to give it a chance.

[NinaV]

I always check out my Graphics Newsletter...
I file them - for future reference and
I have <font color="red">BOUGHT</font> a lot of <font color="red">STUFF</font> here.

I only read the newsletter because it has
useful information about my <font color="red">STUFF</font> and keeps me
up to date about the latest <font color="red">STUFF</font> I can <font color="red">BUY.</font>

Since I try to be an informed <font color="red">CONSUMER.</font>
I will probably take my business to the next
<font color="red">USEFUL SITE</font> - where I will <font color="red">BUY MORE STUFF.</font>

There's really no other point.

Nina Vecchi
Pixel Point Productions

[AaronzDad]

What SHE said!

What is it about the internet that makes almost ALL businesses lose their collective minds? Why are there so many pathetic websites out there representing HUGE corporations? Why do so many of said corporations lose sight of the air that they breathe? This forum is customer service and support. Take away customer service and support and the customer will go elsewhere.

If you don't take care of your customers, someone else will. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_mad.gif[/img]

[John Dye]

I cannot speak to all of the services of I/US. I primarily use the Xara and Photo Shop sections. They provide information necessary to get the full use of the applications. Up to this point Xara, for all its quality does not have good manuals for its use, and while Photo Shop does have various manuals and "How To" books it is one of the most user unfriendly graphics programs. If it wasn't for I/Us I would have given up long ago. That would be a shame, for it is a very powerful program.
As for Xara I feel that without Gary's totorials, Xara would be just another drawing program. His lessons are the key to a broader aceptance and use of this fine program.
I get the feeling that eye/wire is primarily interested in marketing clip art. But many of the individuals that use this service are artist that creat their own art and that may be at the root of the appearent lack of understanding. At any rate it would be a shame to loose this service and in the long run loose any advantage Eye/Wire might have gained by aquiring I/US
John

[caraman1]

Why would eyewire want to buy i/us just to dismantle it? Is i/us a threat to them? The forums ARE i/us for most people and if they're taken away, we'll all find another art community that we can join somewhere else. This same thing happened when CorelNet was taken away and Chris & Arlen came up with i/us. Now, I can't remember what CorelNet was or even if I have the name right!

Just curious but why do they peddle clipart to artists? Aren't artists the ones that do the clipart? I don't see a big need for it myself.

Dennis

<a href=http://www.inconnect.com/~dennisco/>Carillus Design</a>

[stlewis]

As a consultant in the dot com world, who also dabbles in graphics, one of the most important objectives when developing a web site is to build a community and increase the 'stickiness'. These are also very hard to achieve; we have all been to the sites which will never see a return visit.

I/US has achieved this; just in one forum you can see the number of people who come again and again, and once or twice a day. If there is a relevant product or service sold off the back of it, we may well buy.

So why would anyone throw it away?

[Mike Bailey]

I have been visiting Chris Dickmans web site since Corelnet, the only reason I visit this site is because of the internet-activity I can have with people from around the world. The interactivity and support provided by the general public and the volunteer moderators on i-us is the staple of its existence as far as I am concerned. The content related pages of i-us are an educational bonus for the visitors and indeed are an asset for i-us, I have no idea how much these pages cost you folks at Eyewire but it is the foundation on which the site you purchased is built, If you want to eliminate the traffic you get on this site then go ahead and remove the content and discussion forums, I would make an educated guess that the traffic would quickly become about .01% of what it is now. I assume you have a plan that would build it back up, care to speculate? Or is it that you just want to eliminate the best all around computer graphics content and support related site on the Internet. If the later is the case you will probably be doing me a favor as I will not be so compelled to visit on a daily basis and will have more time to do something else.