Post by White Harbor Kennels on Jun 29, 2016 17:47:25 GMT -5
It may come as no surprise to anyone that my delay in response has been due to a busy personal life. Not only have I been trying to decide what to do with The SKC, but it has been very hectic at work and I leave for New York on Friday, so I've been caught up in planning, packing, and errands.
Now, what you all are interested in knowing.
Will The SKC close?
The answer is no.
The SKC has been a part of my life for years now; the community ebbs and flows like the tides but many have been around for years with me and will continue to be here for some time to come. I simply don't feel comfortable closing it down completely. I know that a couple of you wished for the closure of the SKC, along with the public hanging of some members or something along those lines. Sorry to disappoint, lol.
Now, with the being said, I am keeping it open under a VERY new premise. The SKC will no longer be a competition based website. I am honestly sick and tired of people being butthurt about results because their dogs didn't win, I simply don't have the time or energy to keep up with titles/standings and the design work that comes with it, and I'm tired of people taking the sims too seriously. I understand many of our members are young and passionate, but it's just a game. I think people have lost sight of that. As someone who has been around REAL American show circuits, the toxicity, the talk of bias and politics, and negativity surrounding judging on the SKC is EXACTLY like it is in real life. That is not the realistic I meant when I wanted the SKC to be premier competition site.
I 100% stand by every dog that has won a show. This means the first dogs that won breed shows back in 2012 to our most recent Simnational champion showed by Goldien (who wasn't even able to enjoy their win with people's bitching about the reserve). I don't think everyone needs to agree with every winner, but I also find it ridiculous that my own co-admin felt the need to step down because they knew if their dogs ever competed, the same bias rigmarole would start all over. I'm not here for that. I'm not here for any of that constant negativity. I have bills to pay, my personal life to deal with, things in my life outside of The SKC. The SKC is not the most important issue in my life, and I have allowed it to effect my mood offline. I want this place to be something that I feel happy about, a site I look forward to logging into.
I feel that cutting out the competition aspect will cut out the portion of the SKC that is being detrimental to the culture I want to create here. The SKC will now be photography and community based.
What does this mean? The entire competition section of the site will be removed as will registrations. We will not longer be a "kennel club" so to speak, but we will keep the same name. We will keep all sales and litter information, the photobooks, and all other on goings. I will also be opening up an Advertisement Board for other kennel clubs to advertise their sites. I feel proud knowing the SKC opened the door to many other kennel clubs and I would love for them to post links to their sites for the community here.
This may bring down traffic to site, but to be honest, turn out for shows aren't what they used to be as other sites have filled the niche we left during the last hiatus. And that's okay! I will have more time on my hands due to dramatically cutting down the amount of work it takes to upkeep this place, so I will be posting photos, enjoying communicating the members, and possibly join other sites for casual competition. Who knows! I'm sure some of you will say "Thank God they aren't judging dogs anymore! They had no idea what they were doing!" I'm sorry for those of you who feel that way and be sure to send me a copy of your Judges Certificate from the AKC! I'll post it and congratulate you publicly.
Those of you who are currently show staff, are welcome to remain as moderators or leave your posts. Those of you who submitted applications for judges, I'm sorry this occurred but your interest amongst the drama is appreciated 1,000 fold.
As stated earlier, I will be leaving for New York on Friday and will not return until the following Thursday. Then on THAT Friday I will be going off to Bonita Springs for a work-retreat and will have limited access to my emails. This weekend and week to ensue will be a busy one, but upon my arrival I will shut down the SKC for a night or two to clean everything up and get The SKC to its (hopefully) final iteration.
I love you all dearly, and wish to see everyone posting their lovely photos, their accomplishments, and chatting about the canine world.
WHK <3
Now, what you all are interested in knowing.
Will The SKC close?
The answer is no.
The SKC has been a part of my life for years now; the community ebbs and flows like the tides but many have been around for years with me and will continue to be here for some time to come. I simply don't feel comfortable closing it down completely. I know that a couple of you wished for the closure of the SKC, along with the public hanging of some members or something along those lines. Sorry to disappoint, lol.
Now, with the being said, I am keeping it open under a VERY new premise. The SKC will no longer be a competition based website. I am honestly sick and tired of people being butthurt about results because their dogs didn't win, I simply don't have the time or energy to keep up with titles/standings and the design work that comes with it, and I'm tired of people taking the sims too seriously. I understand many of our members are young and passionate, but it's just a game. I think people have lost sight of that. As someone who has been around REAL American show circuits, the toxicity, the talk of bias and politics, and negativity surrounding judging on the SKC is EXACTLY like it is in real life. That is not the realistic I meant when I wanted the SKC to be premier competition site.
I 100% stand by every dog that has won a show. This means the first dogs that won breed shows back in 2012 to our most recent Simnational champion showed by Goldien (who wasn't even able to enjoy their win with people's bitching about the reserve). I don't think everyone needs to agree with every winner, but I also find it ridiculous that my own co-admin felt the need to step down because they knew if their dogs ever competed, the same bias rigmarole would start all over. I'm not here for that. I'm not here for any of that constant negativity. I have bills to pay, my personal life to deal with, things in my life outside of The SKC. The SKC is not the most important issue in my life, and I have allowed it to effect my mood offline. I want this place to be something that I feel happy about, a site I look forward to logging into.
I feel that cutting out the competition aspect will cut out the portion of the SKC that is being detrimental to the culture I want to create here. The SKC will now be photography and community based.
What does this mean? The entire competition section of the site will be removed as will registrations. We will not longer be a "kennel club" so to speak, but we will keep the same name. We will keep all sales and litter information, the photobooks, and all other on goings. I will also be opening up an Advertisement Board for other kennel clubs to advertise their sites. I feel proud knowing the SKC opened the door to many other kennel clubs and I would love for them to post links to their sites for the community here.
This may bring down traffic to site, but to be honest, turn out for shows aren't what they used to be as other sites have filled the niche we left during the last hiatus. And that's okay! I will have more time on my hands due to dramatically cutting down the amount of work it takes to upkeep this place, so I will be posting photos, enjoying communicating the members, and possibly join other sites for casual competition. Who knows! I'm sure some of you will say "Thank God they aren't judging dogs anymore! They had no idea what they were doing!" I'm sorry for those of you who feel that way and be sure to send me a copy of your Judges Certificate from the AKC! I'll post it and congratulate you publicly.
Those of you who are currently show staff, are welcome to remain as moderators or leave your posts. Those of you who submitted applications for judges, I'm sorry this occurred but your interest amongst the drama is appreciated 1,000 fold.
As stated earlier, I will be leaving for New York on Friday and will not return until the following Thursday. Then on THAT Friday I will be going off to Bonita Springs for a work-retreat and will have limited access to my emails. This weekend and week to ensue will be a busy one, but upon my arrival I will shut down the SKC for a night or two to clean everything up and get The SKC to its (hopefully) final iteration.
I love you all dearly, and wish to see everyone posting their lovely photos, their accomplishments, and chatting about the canine world.
WHK <3
