[ZombieSlayer]

Uhhhhh assumptions mean nothing.

Just because Brigadoon is funded by BrainTalk Communities Inc doesn't mean that the money donated for the last server crash went to Brigadoon.

BrainTalk Communities Inc gets donations from other folks that don't visit the BrainTalk forums at all. Also I'm guessing there is some donations made to Brigadoon from the folks in Second Life.

[mrsD]

BUT..... could this down, be a test of some sort? To increase Brigadoon
enrollment? Just a thought.

There HAS to be a good reason for this situation.

and you are correct ZS... but what I am saying is that when any of us donate to BT we should be clearly aware
of the fact that $$ may be going to Brigadoon. It appears that JL decides how much and when the OBT account would be used for the Brigadoon project. When the down in April of 05 happened, people believed the donations
went to the server (no mention of Brigadoon was made). Tax free non profit businesses do not have to file income tax statements, until their yearly income
reaches a certain amount. Until then the monies can be unaccounted for as income. I believe it is still $25,000, but attempts
have been made to increase that amount. It was at this time that the name became Braintalk COMMUNITIES... and I for one did
not understand clearly that community now incorporates Brigadoon.

When NO statements are made, to update those who participate and/or donate to the project OBT, this creates terrible PR and
further future donations go down the tubes. Any administrator who subsists on donations from ANY quarter to stay afloat,
would be providing this information (which obviously is not forthcoming). So I see this failure as a negative incentive
for anyone to continue any support of the BT system, unless they are Brigadoon members.

[stumps]

Originally Posted by mrsd

http://braintalk.blogs.com/brigadoon...sts/index.html


This clarifes the speculation as to where the $$ went. I don't recall that
on OBT itself this information was shared in the mission statement.

I have been reading this forum daily to catch up, since I was out of town so long with no computer service (8weeks). So I don't recall which thread discussed the cost of running the forums. It is now clearer to me, where the money donated at the last down, actually went.

From the same link right at then end..

So here we are. BrainTalk Communities Inc. is funding this project as part of it's core mission to explore online communities that help neurology patients and caregivers, and we have purchased a private island in Second Life

[KTM5665]

Originally Posted by stumps

From the same link right at then end..

So here we are. BrainTalk Communities Inc. is funding this project as part of it's core mission to explore online communities that help neurology patients and caregivers, and we have purchased a private island in Second Life

the very least they could have done, was purchase us a damm island in the tropics somewhere..some peoples.

[mrsD]

and we have to GO to Brigadoon to find that out. It was not clearly
posted on BT if I recall. How many of the 50,000 people supposedly
registered at BT ( I thought it was closer to 40,000) knew this from
visiting the Braintalk forum site?

It is much clearer from the Brigadoon perspective. That is all I am saying.
I don't begrudge Brigadoon its existence, only HOW this was communicated.

People went to BT for its mission statement, to help or receive help of some kind. The actual running/business side was less public by far and remains so.

Originally Posted by ZombieSlayer

Just because Brigadoon is funded by BrainTalk Communities Inc doesn't mean that the money donated for the last server crash went to Brigadoon.

ummm. didn't BT go non-profit AFTER the last server crash?

something definitely isn't passing the smell test.

so BT crashes (last year?) bigtime and the donations poor in. JL has other pet projects (SL) and funnels the $ from a non-profit to SL land purchases.

what timeframe in all these changes did JL get a job with Linden Labs (who receives funds from the non-profit) as a paid employee?

Whether JL resurfaces or not, the word sleeze comes to mind.

[mrsD]

I (we in this house) already own 1/6 of two islands...

don't need another!!

Originally Posted by KTM5665

the very least they could have done, was purchase us a damm island in the tropics somewhere..some peoples.

no kidding!

[mrsD]

it was around Oct 04 that we went non-profit, or maybe just before.

The server crash was 4-05.

Originally Posted by mrsd

it was around Oct 04 that we went non-profit, or maybe just before.

The server crash was 4-05.

thx. I noticed the cafe press shop doesn't mention donations going to virtual worlds

http://www.cafepress.com/braintalk/

Over 200,000 people access Braintalk Communities on a regular basis, and it is the largest resource on the Internet for people seeking support for neurological disorders via online self-help groups.

The fundamental mission of Braintalk Communities is to foster online communities of self-help support groups, giving patients and caregivers the ability to communicate with each other using a variety of Internet technologies such as web-based bulletin boards and chatrooms. These resources are provided free of charge to anyone on the Internet and are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Patients and caregivers can log on to Braintalk, find other people dealing with similar situations, and share both emotional support and information by posting messages in the web-based bulletin boards or chatrooms. By hosting these online communities, Braintalk Communities allows patients and caregivers to help each other help themselves and allows them to build support networks with people around the world. This is an incredibly powerful method to help people improve their quality of life.

BrainTalk always has and always will be offered as a free and public service, available to anyone around the world in need of compassion and community. Braintalk Communities is owned and managed by BrainTalk Communities Inc., a Massachusetts non-profit corporation operating under the Employer Identification Number 75-3170054 and the DLN number 17053299008044. Grantors and contributors may rely on BrainTalk Communities Inc.'s status as a Public Charity [170(b)(1)(A)(vi)] as described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. As such, all donations to BrainTalk Communities Inc. are fully tax deductible. FOR EVERY ITEM PURCHASED ON THIS ONLINE STORE, BRAINTALK COMMUNITIES RECEIVES $5.00. Thank you for your generosity.

Commingling funds without proper disclosure doesn't breed confidence in JL. Most people visiting braintalk had a hard enough time functioning just enough to post. I hardly think they would have sacrificed board functioning for a pet project of JL's, and that's basically what he did.

no $ for offsite backup
no $ for someone to maintain the servers
no $ for a quick plane trip to Boston to fix the problem.
PLENTY of money to keep Brigadoon going and the knowledge he gained from BT donations went to FT employment with Linden.

yep I was born yesterday. Sorry if I sound harsh, but in my mind JL has had more than enough time to fix the problem like the 'stand up guy' everyone makes him out to be.

sleeze stands.