Here are reprinted forum posts and newspaper articles of note that were originally featured in the VZones Delphi Forums, both official and unofficial and are being reprinted here in their original form wherever possible.

2000

July

16th

Dear VZones members,

Over the last few days we have had by far the worst experience in our history. On Sunday, a scheduled maintenance shutdown resulted in a failed hard drive. Worse, the hard drive was the controller drive that points the server to all of your data which is on a large number of other drives. In other words, we lost the map.

Our back-ups are intact and up to date, but unfortunately, our engineering management had failed to enforce our rules on documentation. We had very little in the form of instructions as to how to restore and reconfigure the required software.

At this time we are working on restoring the data, but I do not hold out much hope of completion within the next few days, and frankly, it could take a week.

Some members have offered help and I am very willing to accept, and in fact welcome it.

Over the last few months we have experienced several setbacks, all beyond our internal control, and some engineered by outside forces. I'm sure that you are all aware that Avaterra.com, Inc., is not in the best of health.

When I joined WorldsAway, the progenitor of Avaterra.com, I was immediately captivated by the technology, and the people who used it daily. In the early part of 1999, the team and I worked very hard to bring the company and the technology out of Fujitsu, and frankly, this is a struggle that could fill a novel. We managed to raise seed capital in a very short period of time, because in all honestly, that was all the time we were allowed. If I had failed then, the Worlds would have vanished.

As I occasionally glance at the forums I see that some anonymous members feel that I am equal to (or could actually be!) the Devil incarnate. I understand that they are venting their frustration and really have no clue as the real situation. However, the underlying truth is that this kind of venting has damaged us greatly. It has colored the view of new investors, has set off internal conflicts, and overall is destructive, not constructive.

All this leads me to my point. The entire team, with very few exceptions, have tried there best to take what is still an emerging technology into the mainstream. I have devoted over two years of my life to this, and it has been a labor of love. I am still trying my best to find ways to keep it alive and to help it move to a secure footing. At this point, it does not look promising as the financial obstacles loom large.

I read in the forum the other day that someone had put forward a request that members send us $250 to help. I would like to make it clear that this was not approved by me or any other member of our staff or board of directors. I believe that although this could have a very beneficial effect on the company, it would not be ethically or legally right. I also read today that someone had been billed by their credit card company. This should not happen as we do not intend to bill until we are up and running. Please notify your credit card company if this happens and ask for a refund.

I have waited to post this message as I did not have all of the facts, and wanted to be sure not to misinform all of you. I'm sorry if you are frustrated by my delay, but it was done for the right reasons.

I will update this message daily to help everyone know the situation as it unfolds.

I would like to thank you all for your devotion to the VZones, and want you to know that I really hold the interests of the company and all our loyal members and contributors at heart.

David.

25th

Dear Members,

  Well, we’re up and running at last!

  Thanks to everyone who was involved in restoring the worlds.  There were several wonderful people on the SWAT team that did not sleep for long periods. Lambert Ma and Wild Bill did far more than anyone could ever expect. Sairath (aka Drago, aka Gotz), SubTLE, Jeffsbike were key to the success, and several past employees chipped in and helped.  Eva (Delilah) and the entire inZone staff were really key to the solution. In addition, a vast number of members were eagerly sending offers of help and encouragement. For me, the experience was inspiring.

  I’ll keep this short as there’s probably nobody to read it as you’re all in Dreamscape and VZconnections!

  Thanks for your patience,

  David.

2001

March

24th

Dear Members,

Member Support, the Forums ops and In World Staff have been repeatedly asked for detailed information regarding the ongoing service downtimes, Avaterra.com Management and the current status of VZones.

Member Support would like to give all our members more information on all these matters but the truth is we have no information which to give the ops, in world staff or members. We are not Management, we do not have access to the technical, financial or corporate areas of Vzones or Avaterra. All we have is member accounts information, the ability to create new accounts and a pager number to call when worlds go down.

Vzones is akin to a rental property with an absentee landlord at the present time. The building superintendent and maintenance staff, in this case Member Support and WM's, can "maintain" the building but they cannot authorize structural repairs, hire qualified workmen, pay property taxes or negotiate any financial issues. All of these can only be done by the owner/landlord. "Rents" are collected automatically and directed according to the owner/landlord's banking instructions.

We have directed members to the remaining officer of Avaterra with the access and information regarding technical, financial and corporate areas, David Andrews. We are sorry, but he is the only person who can respond on any of these matters. Mr. Andrews is the listed contact for our host/router service, our banking and collection services and is the only person at this time with the authority to contact Global.

Robert Dunbar continues as a consultant to Vzones and owner of Avaterwares, a service he provides to the Vzones communities as time permits due to his real world job and obligations.

We do appreciate your frustration with the current downtime and concerns regarding VZones future. We are working to get any information regarding the current situation. As soon as we have received any new information we will post it to the Official Forums.

Thank you,
Vzones Member Support