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Post by Mabel on Dec 30, 2016 17:29:14 GMT
Happy new year all. I know all of us are looking for this year to end and the chance to make all things even better in the next one. I am so glad to have found this community at the start of his year, and I know I would not have had all the successes that I have if not for so much of the very valuable info here. Deborah, I know this has been a tough year emotionally for you, on this forum and possibly off, with some unexpected personal conflicts and losses within the forum community; all of which, in my opinion you’ve handled completely fairly and reasonably and with compassion and grace. I so appreciate all the dedication and hours you've spent to deliver the most up to date and relevant information for helping us all to run our bnbs. I'm looking forward to another year and hopefully an easier one for us all but, even if it gets no easier we’ve still got this great place to come to for the very best of resources, guidance and support. Cheers to 2017! Attachments:
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Post by Maria Lurdes (Milu) on Dec 30, 2016 23:41:45 GMT
So well put Grace, and I can't possibly top it! Deborah, much love and hugs to you, and a second to everything Grace said. Coming to this forum has been a bit of an obsession over the last six or so months, and I love reading, participating, laughing and sometimes going "oh shit".
Many, many thanks to you for the hours that you've spent to make us ALL better hosts.
To everyone else on here, the very best wishes for a wonderful 2017. If anyone from this forum comes to the New York area from January - March 1, 2017, you are my guest and you only need to pay the cleaning fee. So think about it, I would be very happy to welcome to welcome any or all of you!
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Post by High Priestess on Dec 31, 2016 3:47:39 GMT
Happy New Year to you both, Grace and Maria, and thank you for your kind words and thoughts! I'm really happy that this has been such a helpful place for you -- and yes, it's been challenging at times, but I am grateful for all the warm-hearted, bright, even-keeled, sensible, compassionate, curious-minded, funny and participatory folks who've been part of this community, at any time -- and for those who've left, I wish them well in their new directions. For those who are new to the community, a warm welcome and a hope that you'll feel comfortable enough to share your questions and/or stories here. Anyone care to share any New Year's Resolutions, or goals or hopes for the coming year? One of my goals for 2017 is to get a bit more "site-independent" and rely less on Airbnb. I also have some personal goals, such as the goal to do more writing (with respect to that goal, I'm starting the New Year on a good note: Jan 1-3 I'll be at a writing retreat!) and to do more work on another website that I have where I plan to do some writing (on subjects having to do with art and creative process -- not related to hosting). I'm also aiming to take a break in late spring or early summer to do another long writing (and reading) retreat. Tonight I'm enjoying a "dark" take on the hosting business -- watching a film about a B&B that I posted about here: globalhosting.freeforums.net/thread/4142/guest-house-rules-strikes-out
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Post by maria on Jan 2, 2017 7:24:17 GMT
Happy New Hear Deborah! Without you and your generosity, we wouldnt have this Forum. happy New Year to all of you, hardworking hosts!
I second Deborah, this new year I want to depend less on Airbnb. i hope this year I can participate more in the Forum. Selling and buying a home, both in different states and moving out of state twice in 6 months, took its toll.
Warmest Regards to all my fellow hosts.
Maria (from South Carolina)
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Post by lambada on Jan 2, 2017 17:49:28 GMT
Ditto to Grace and everyone, Happy New Year and thank you for your help and dedication to the 'STR Family', Deborah. Like any family, there will be arguments, disagreements etc., but at the end, we can still count on each other in difficult times, or share our happy times.
And speaking of goals, interestingly mine is a bit similar to yours, Deborah. I have become less dependent on Airbnb in the last few months since I cater to longer terms guests now. Mostly return guests or those referred by previous guests or friends. It is a lot less income, but lots less work as well and gives me much more freedom with my time. So hopefully I'll be able to do stuff that I've been postponing to do: read books, travel, etc.
I just bought a house that I will fix up. That will be my 2017 project. All very exciting and nerve-wrecking at the same time.
Hope for the better and greater year for everyone on this forum!
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Post by helgaparis on Jan 2, 2017 18:14:40 GMT
Happy New Year to all of you! Coming to the forums has been a new pleasure to me, having fun, meeting new friends accross the world and exchange counsel. I made a life change over the Summer, giving up my Sète apartment, the nomadic lifestyle between 2 places and constantly renting one of my homes as an entire apartment. I'm recovering from a heavy cold and will have to go through my first end of the year paperwork as an employer. After that, I'll look for a professional training that I can obtain as an an employee. (In France, everytging is obligatory, 4 or 5 different insurances for an employee and payment for professional training. So as well profit from it) I'll keep up renting the shared room, which is mostly pleasant and pays some bills. I'd like to extend my professional activities, but the French economy will stay morose in 2017. Art, publicity, graphics etc are hard to sell in this context. So hosting has to bridge the gap. ;-) Deborah, thank you for your efforts!
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Post by High Priestess on Jan 3, 2017 16:01:17 GMT
Thanks Helga for letting us know what you are doing in France...I imagine the change from a nomadic lifestyle is pretty significant. What kind of work will you do as an employee? Still the art and graphics work, or something else?
Helga I think you have the same cold that I had and many in my area had! It's a pretty bad one, lasts about 2 weeks!
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Post by helgaparis on Jan 4, 2017 17:45:04 GMT
Hi Deborah, I'm at day 10 and still pretty sick. At least I do some office work since yesterday, about an hour a day. As an employee I do what I always did: office work, planning of shows, websites and a bit of graphism and photo editing. I'd really like to get some training in programming and web server administration , as this is really hard to do with knowledge only from books and youtube. The current server I rented that way: empty, starts with an input sign on an empty screen - after you made it so far to connect from the terminal and see at least that. I spent over a month to set it up and transfer the websites. I must have gotten most things right, so far it neither crashed nor was hacked, but it's a nightmare to imagine redoing it in a day in case of a problem. I'd teally like to learn that in a structured way, but condensed. The trainings offered in the pool I pay for, are either six months long school like programs starting at the basics of reading and writing, so to speak, or short trainings to learn wordpress or similar stuff. What I'd also like to learn would be playing a bit more with html5 and styles, to create animations like for a google doodle. Maybe I find at least that. I did that for years, but my programming gets old and slow, even if it still works. I'd like to make fast elegant things again. - Hah, that's a good motto for 2017.
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