Puzzlebrains

As the other site most of us go to keep editing a certain Bunny's messages I have added this website to my signature (in the name of free speech), let them edit that.

I see that DVP have now posted a reply!!!

strep98, much as I appreciate the support, as I have now noted in my reply "over there", I'd like you to remove the link from your signature. DVP have made a reasonable request and I would like to comply with it. It's not as though the various threads on the forum over there wouldn't provoke interest anyway

Ok all done, didn't mean to upset anyone.

Well you didn't upset me at all! It's DVP who got upset. I see no point in antagonising them over something fairly trivial. I suspect it's a company policy, not a DVP choice - H.Bauer are a large commercial publisher after all. I just don't think they've caught up to the idea that the web is an interlinked community, not a bunch of locked enclaves. That belief has killed more apparently successful internet ventures than almost anything else!

(In passing, I would note that they only seem to have started editing links to other sites after the magazine ceased publication though. Which seems more bizarre to me than if they had been doing it consistently from the beginning.)

I think it's appropriate that you all see the PM I received from DVPADMIN following my apology to them for any offence caused by references to Puzzlebrains. I have duly cut and pasted in its entirety:

From: DVPAdmin
To: gill216
Date: 20/11/2008 11:05:54
Subject: Re:Apologies from Puzzlebrains
Dear Gill216

Please be assured that no offence has been taken from your postings or indeed your website. We do not feel in any way that your Puzzle Brains site detracts from DVP and indeed are very pleased that there is once again a place which provides for those who enjoy a more challenging style of puzzle. We do regret that we have been unable to secure the funds, thus far, to further develop Da Vinci Puzzles and hope that one day we may see it resurrected.

In the meantime we have worked very hard to ensure that the forum has remained open and free to all users, despite the cost to ourselves. The only condition which our managers have placed on this is that no direct links to other puzzle websites are posted, which I feel is fair under the circumstances. Unfortunately I don't have the time to read every single post and had hoped that DVP members would adhere to our request. If I do spot links to so-called "rival" puzzle sites, I need to take them down - or risk having the site shut down by my superiors, who obviously don't want to provide free advertising at cost to themselves! Perhaps you feel that the closure of the DVP site would be no loss, but I would hate for any hope for a future publication to be quashed in this way.

I am aware that you did not originally post the link to your site but I felt it necessary to explain why we removed the links. I really do wish you all the best with your Puzzle Brains site and hope that you have more success than we did.

Best wishes
DVPAdmin

I would add that they have posted that we are free to contact DVP members by PM and I have in fact been working my way through the list and suspect that Scarletannie reached us via her PM. I also try and PM anyone who is online on DVP at the time that we haven't seen around for a while. If you would like to help us out in that we we would be very grateful. I know that LAT is already doing this and Bassbloke found his way here because of LAT.

At least we now know that DVP wont be resurrected in the near future and I will repeat my offer to them to make a post on this site should they eventually be able do so.

Gill

They don't seem to edit it out if you just mention the word. That would be bizarre as you couldn't mention google, which seems to come up frequently when puzzle solving.

I have contacted one old member who I am i contact with (williamsks), but at the moment Isaac is taking up alot of her time, but she said to say hi.

Yes, they have rules, and I'll stop posting the direct link there. I am a little peeved that they haven't acknowledged the gargantuan efforts we have all made to keep their site going. I do, however, really hope that at some point they make a comeback and can still contact us all here.

There are still games running on 'the other place'. Bunnylump has started a new one and I have put up one to run until Christmas. However, round 1 closes 6pm today.