After an intensive and exhaustive weekend of editing and maintenance, I am proud to say that to the best of my knowledge Best of the Boards is fully compliant with the request from our home office to remove all references to the two copyrighted and trademarked names. I was not able to carefully edit the grammar in all the pages due to the limitations on time, I have simply done a text replace on [Company Name] and [Manufacturer], so there are I'm sure some pages that read a little funny.

Performing a search on the site will still yield documents until a new search index is completed - which I am checking into how to do immediately, but none of the returned pages in the search will actually have the mis-used words in them. If anyone should come across one that I have somehow missed, PLEASE email me the name of the page as soon as possible, as I fully intend to do everything in my power to remain compliant with the legal terms of the company.

I thank you all for your overwhelming support, your heartfelt sentiments directed toward both me and the website, and all the offers to do whatever necessary to help this weekend. Let's all learn from this and get on with the business at hand - building your candle businesses and getting you to Paradise Island!

Belinda Johnson, webmaster
www.bestofboards.com 

January 30, 2000
February Fun at Meetings (Best of Hank)

Compliance Progress Update
(scroll down if you're coming into this story late)

Hooray for the Search function. When I performed a search for the trademark name in question I found only 86 pages uncompliant. Much less intimidating than 600+ in the whole site. As of this evening I have edited about half of these 86 pages, so between the rest of tonight and tomorrow I should be able to tell the home office we are in total compliance by Monday morning after all.

Thank you all for your kind words and offers to help - perhaps as they take a look at the modified pages they will realize how utterly silly they now look in many places. My method due to the time constraint, was merely to do a search and replace on the content of individual pages - not to grammatically edit the content so that the missing word was less noticeable. If I were to literally re-write every one of the 86 pages we'd be talking a month at least. Whether I can actually get back to doing that eventually or not I cannot say at this time.

Let this be an awakening to us all - mind your typing - whether you agree or not with the company's policy it is OUR policy to enforce and support. There are valid reasons for it, and we all agreed to the terms when we signed our names to the backs of those pink consultant agreements.

On with the show!

FYI - someone on the message board was curious about the amount of traffic generated on the message board...here are the current stats if you're interested. I had not looked at them in quite a while - pretty mind-boggling.
Message Board Detailed Traffic Stats

As some of you are aware who have been waiting for me to reply to email or
send out fund raiser copies, I have been extremely busy in the past two
weeks with many things outside [company]/Best of the Boards. In an effort to
get a handle on my home office, I've spent most of this morning wading
through piles of mail - opened & unopened - and STUFF on my desks (I know
I'm not the only one whose office looks like this LOL).

I came across an envelope from [company] that somehow I had not opened,
postmarked January 13. If anyone doubted that they are aware of the site,
doubt it no longer. I've been advised to cease and desist using the
[company] name in the website. The good news is there is no part of the
letter requesting removal of the site in its entirety, just removal of the
trademarked names which is in direct violation of federal law and our
membership with the Direct Selling Association.

I will be phoning the person in the correspondence department who sent the
letter, Kristen Johnson, on Monday to advise her that I have just now read
the letter and am taking steps to comply and to request additional time to
complete the request. The letter states that they will follow up within two
weeks to ensure that it has been resolved - and since the letter was dated
the 13th that puts it right about now. With over 600 pages to check, verify,
and "clean", I cannot accomplish it in its entirety over the weekend.

I've never specifically sought to use the [company] name on any of the pages,
but as it has grown and been contributed to by so many, I did allow myself
to stop worrying about specifically removing the name from contributed pages
when I published them. In the beginning I made a very concerted effort to
NOT use the name at all.

The un-moderated message board is out of my control and I must ask that you
all be more careful regarding your use of the company name in board posts. I
do not intend to change its unmoderated status - I think legally once I have
removed any usage of the trademarked name from the actual web pages, any
occurrence of it within the message board would be deemed accidental and not
intentional or in my control.

This really saddens me that the company cannot see the site for the value it
provides to so many people and find a way to acknowledge its place in our
business. Can we do that without the company name use? Of course we can,
that's not the point. The point is we are proud of our affiliation with the
company, we strive to post only accurate, timely, and relevant information
that is of benefit to consultants. I have ALWAYS upheld the company's ethics
in regards to posting promotions, and NONE of the images on the site are
copyrighted PL product photos.

There is a real possibility that I may need your help in the days and weeks
to come - to send heart-felt letters to the home office if you are moved to
do so in support of the Best of the Boards website.

This week has been a real challenge from many directions - some of you know
what I am talking about with some of the things I have dealt with publicly
in the last few days, and now to have to spend my whole weekend editing BoB
pages (which granted, I should have watched closer in the first place), I
have to say is dwarfing the previous events.

Thank you all in advance for your support in the weeks to come.

Belinda Johnson
www.bestofboards.com

January 23, 2000
Fran's Survey Results
Fran posted a very informal survey to one of the lists on Onelist and has provided the results to be posted here on BoB. Do you know the #1 reason why your fellow online consultants first tried [company]? Click here to find out what the survey said! 

New on Best of Hank...It's a Party!
Great tips and ideas for planning your nest unit meeting or workshop!

Rainmakers Regional Displays (1/22/2000)

I'm still getting the hang of this digital camera thing so only a few pics came out usable from this weekend's regional.Thanks to the Leader Team from Rainmakers for some really beautiful ideas.

Tracy Butler, TL presented an especially stunning display with blue. silver & crystal on a draped silvery sequined cloth. All the glitter of the cloth played havoc with the camera, but here are some glimpses!

January 20, 2000
Booking Contest Results! 

Also - I spent much of today fixing the Theme Pages under Samantha's Themes and making the downloadable files available once again. You can always tell when I'm getting extraordinarily busy when the What's New pages go for an extended length of time without an update...life's been a little hectic lately here. 

Start thinking about the February Contest - Sponsoring Ideas! Don't send them yet - just work on them! Two of the three prizes have been determined already and they are awesome! (If you're a Business Link who hasn't yet contacted me to provide a prize in an upcoming contest - email me! There's still room for one in February!)

January 17, 2000
Catching up...

OK - I got a little behind the last several days after spending so much time on the site early in the week - I'm finalizing the last of the Booking Contest entries this morning and will be posting the winners of the prizes this afternoon. Of course we are ALL big winners with all these awesome new booking ideas that have been shared!

Start thinking now about your best Sponsoring Ideas...the next contest coming February 1-15!

Let's see... Booking shows insures you maintaining a solid calendar to generate sales points (magic number 16,999) and meet more people... meeting more people gives you more opportunity to sponsor... Sponsoring at least three will help get you on that plane to the Bahamas... Why stop with three? Six would pretty much guarantee you that trip - and you could go as a Leader!

Stay tuned...

Footnote to those who were concerned (see below) ... My PC party was great and my consultant has not disowned me for a messy house LOL...we had fun and it was a great party!

(January 11)
OK...I absolutely cannot do any more today on BoB :) My Pampered Chef Consultant who is coming to my messy house to do a party in about 4 hours will be horrified if I don't get busy and make room for people to sit tonight!!!

But due to some conflicting ideas about how to do the votive fund raiser I made some corrections to the form (both excel and pdf files have been modified) - leaving the pricing blank as well as removing the amount given to the organization. This means you have to customize it for yourself - either on the computer, or write in the amounts by hand. That allows you the freedom to make it work for whatever size organization you are working with - and however much profit you want to give back.

Please - Just a reminder - all ideas you find on BoB or on these lists are just that - IDEAS to start you off. You WILL need to tweak them in most cases to work for you in your area - including adjusting prices, benefits, etc. There is no way to have one set page that will work for every person in every instance. Just don't be afraid to get your fingers in and work out the kinks
yourself! It's your business!

January 11, 2000
Who Wants To Be A [company] Millionaire Game

If you don't play games - I think you might want to try this one. TV Game Shows are taking the country by storm all of a sudden - and Charlene Goodfellow has developed the "prototype" PL Version of this huge Prime Time game show hit.

If you've played the Price is Right game (or thought about it and thought it looked like too much work), I think this one will be a HUGE hit and much easier to play.

Thanks Charlene for sharing this awesome idea - and allowing it to be seen first here on Best of the Boards! We can definitely say the idea ORIGINATED here on BoB - so if it shows up in Reflections - we all know without a doubt where it came from!

More January 10, 2000
Votive Fund Raiser File

By overwhelming request...a Votive Fund Raiser form similar to the Jar Fund Raiser. Major difference - must be printed on LEGAL SIZE paper (we have lots of votive scents to choose from!). It is available on the Downloads page in both Excel and Adobe format. The picture is not exactly what I would like - but until I can take the time to create a custom digital photo it's the best I could come up with.

OOPS!

Well - I did it again - another typo on a supplier page :) The Cameo Candle Pins are available in Sky Blue, Coral and Black (not Dark Blue as I had listed). Don't forget - 1st Prize in the Booking Ideas Contest is one of these gorgeous Cameo Pins - and 2nd and 3rd Prizes are great too - there's still time to get your entry in - by the 15th!

And another oops...I only recently discovered that the Guestbook has been "out to lunch" you might say...since mid-December. It is fixed and functional again (and looks much better actually!). If you are new to Best of the Boards (or just want to sign in again) - please take a minute and sign the Guestbook so you can take your place in the World Wide Wicks history!

What's the World Wide Wicks? My self-imposed honorary "Region" comprised of our great big online consultant family - the WWW is your 24 hour source for motivation, support, answers, and friends - there when you need it most, anytime you need it most. I'm sure we'll never be recognized outside our computers LOL...but the friends I have met through this website have changed my life more than I can tell you!

And one more OOPS...(yes it looks like I've been on a roll)...
Sam's Theme Book pages I understand are not accessible for download. That's a big chunk of pages and will take me a couple of days to resolve. You can view and print the online pages - but the ZIP files, PDF files, and Printshop files will be offline temporarily. Keep checking back - probably not before Thursday. If you want to have a completed booklet of pages mailed to you - follow the directions on the Theme Book page. Belinda

January 10, 2000
Timesavers

A refresher course in organization...we all need it right? This is a "reprint" from about a year ago that I discovered had gotten lost in the new layout.

Now that we're all heavy into a big January show schedule, and using all the great booking tips from the booking contest - it's probably a good idea to re-visit the Hostess and Telephone sections of BoB...don't lose those referrals and bookings to lack of follow-up!

January 9, 2000
Awesome Groupings

We had our January kickoff yesterday with the combined Happy Days (Susan McAfee SRVP), Rainmakers (Shelley Becker RVP), and Wishes of the Heart Region (Melody Tener RVP) in Kansas City. There were some really awesome groupings (pictures on this Kickoff Groupings page) with the new product. 

Also - perhaps some of you haven't seen the Aurora Waterfall grouping - (left) - I am such a brass and lead crystal person - I had to have each of these pieces the first time I saw them. You can get a larger view by clicking on the picture thumbnail. It is equally beautiful with a 3 x 9 Ocean Mist pillar in the bowl instead of the Cottage Light. (This happens to be the octelle which is no longer available - just as nice with a regular 3x 9.)

January 8, 2000
NEW SEARCH PAGE

You should notice at the top of the page a new addition to the standard navigation links: A Search BoB Link. This search page is much improved over the previous version on the AT&T server, however at this time it is only functional for the main content of the site, not for the Consultant Directory. I will be adding a new Search page for the Directory pages in the near future.

I've also added a navigational top frame on the Message Board page - so if you have a bookmark to go to the message board directly, you need to delete it and update it with the link above. You could still get to the board with your old link, but the new framed page is much more functional - with a navigational banner at the top of the message board site at all times to allow you to jump right into chat, check What's New, check Pillarnet, all the most visited pages with one click instead of having to return to the homepage by scrolling to the bottom of the message board.

I hope you enjoy these new features that make BoB even easier to get around. I also spent some time tonight on the Site Index, updating it from the past three months...this is almost redundant with the Search page being fully enabled again, but there are times when the Site Index is a very quick and easy way to find something. Belinda

January 7, 2000
Better Background??

This is much better than the previous troublesome background - agreed? I still have pages to continue to re-format but at least this should solve the text-into-the right-hand border problem that so many of you have pleaded with me to fix LOL!

There will be more new booking ideas added to the contest page this evening - I couldn't get back to it yesterday.

January 4, 2000
Several Updates

Corrections have been made to Creative Converting's pricing on their folders due to the fact that this year's catalog requires more pages than last year. Check the details on their webpage. I apologize for the inaccuracy.

Many booking ideas have already been submitted for the contest! Wow - take a look - maybe you'll see something you can use at all your parties this week! There's still plenty of time for you to submit your best booking tips to win!

Our newest Consultant Directory Assistant, Andrea Fuller, has jumped in with a bang and helped me get the directory pages back in shape. Please check your state page if you have submitted a listing  and email any corrections, additions, or deletions to Directory@bestofboards.com . Many thanks to Jaymie Boyer, who filled the assistant' shoes for the past six months, and Ellen Dunn for the three months prior to that. You guys cannot know how much help you have been!

Hang in there with me a little longer on the new graphics...I'm re-formatting pages as fast as I can, and I have heard your pleas for the right hand border to be removed or changed...I couldn't get to it today but will try to adjust it tomorrow! Believe me - I understand that the content is the important part of the site - but I do think you will be pleased with the end result when we add touches of contrast and color to break up all the mountains of text. I'm really glad to hear so many of you put into words how important the content is and how much you use BoB day in and day out. It really makes it all worth it! Belinda

January 3, 2000
First BoB Contest for 2000!

OK - we have some very new businesses on Business Links, and we haven't had a contest since July - so it's time! Check out the newest contest on the Booking Ideas Page. Hurry - your entry needs to be in by January 15! Three prizes will be awarded and are pictured on the Booking Ideas Page.

January 2, 2000
Wow! We made it to Y2K!

Inexpensive Show Folders How-To
You're all getting ready for an incredible January - here's an easy and inexpensive way to get your folders set up with the new catalog. 

There are more pictures on the Folder How-To page - hopefully they will give you a better idea how to do them yourself.

Another option would be to order custom sized folders and plastic sheet protectors from Heather at Creative Converting. Yes, they are more expensive initially, but very durable and had you ordered them last year you wouldn't be spending it this year! Don't count them out because of cost - they are very professional looking and safe from refreshment spills too!

Of course, whichever option you go with you will probably want some neat stickers to decorate them with - Check out Express Yourself and Directly From the Heart for classy, eye-catching stickers to use on your invitations, folders, envelopes, etc.

All our suppliers have been very supportive of BoB by providing samples and give-aways for BoB contests - if you haven't checked out the Business Links pages do take a look! Tell them you appreciate their support of Best of the Boards!

Outside Order Tally Sheet
from Jenn Nunley, Galaxy of Stars Region

Last week, I had posted that I used an Outside Order Tally Sheet in my hostess packets.  So many people have emailed to request a copy, I thought you might want to put it on BoB.  I give it to hostesses for 2 reasons:  to reduce mathematical errors on outside orders, since I'll have to fill out a guest order form, and also to help reduce postage costs when mailing.

Proper Care of Your 3-Wick
Pam Loftis