Group: Ipernity Members Association Project

So excited!! Thank you thank you thank you!!! Can't wait for the next step.

Really glad there will be open ended crowdfunding for donations above the annual membership cost. How nice to have Bliphoto's success to help us move forward.

It really is nice to have Blipfoto since their efforts have shown we really are not doing badly when it comes to progress. :)

Great news!!!

thank you and best wishes for the days ahead

Thank you, William, for all your efforts to date, and to come.

Fingers, toes and eyes stilled crossed for a successful outcome ...

HUGE thank you to William and others from IMA.

Excellent !!! Thankyou !!

I did post in flickr 2 hours ago Williams post.

Thank you for sharing the news, Pam =)

We are all IMA ;-) So, thank you all for your support!

Great to get the update on the present situation. Good luck to all.

I post it in my Ipernity-article

Will post it on 23 HQ

Thank you everyone for your words of encouragement and spreading the information. As Sami said, we are all IMA who love this site!

German translation coomings soon.
Deutsche Übersetzung heute Nachmittag.

I am with you:)

Many many thanks William, I will pay my fee as soon as you ask for it.

Many thank to you William for your personal efforts to save out lovely homepages.
Thanks also to your nearest crew mambers and to all other I M A members for bringing us this far forward when not long ago most thought it a wasted effort and were ready to creep into their small corners in tears.
John.

OK, I've read the proposal which sounds fine and reflects a lot of what has been discussed before - but what is the reaction of iperntiy S.A.?

The proposal is based on negotiations. Meaning, there's nothing new or surprising to Ipernity S.A.. It is now up to Ipernity S.A. whether the proposal becomes accepted.

These things takes unfortunately long time. So, please remain patient =)

Patience is a virtue, I know ;-)
I really appreciate the work by IMA, but, on the other hand, all I perceive from ipernity S.A. in this issue is deafening silence ... too little at this stage.

I just read the proposal which seems sound and realistic. I note the conservative estimates of the number of members in the coming years and this seems wise.

If IMA really do manage to get the chance to run the site then it will be in all our hands to publicise the content and use of the site and make it a success by expanding the membership.

Works fine for me both on Mozilla Forefox and on Google Chrome.

Proposal now available in English, German and French:
ipernityma.wixsite.com/ipernityma/formal-proposal

Again thanks to all that have done this tremendous work. But still, the question remians: when can we expect actions bei Christoph Ruelle - either approval of the proposal and appropriate actions or an alternative proposal?

That is a good question Erhard. Hopefully we hear something from Christophe after the weekend.

Not 100% clear to me what this means. My membership expires in a few days, and I have donated to the IMA. Should I buy a new membership from Ipernity? Or should I pay it to the IMA? Is the membership in any way related to the crowdfunding donation?

I happily paid €50 a few weeks ago to let the site survive, but it's going to be a bit costly when I have to add the €24 membership fee this weekend (my account expires next Monday). Especially when this money goes to Ipernity instead of the IMA.

Thanks for any advice!

Advies (diverse keren gelezen) is niet meer te betalen aan Ipernity SA, maar te wachten totdat kan bij IMA. De crowdfunding staat los van de toekomstige 'contributie'.
Zie ook het commentaar van Sami hierboven.

Als je niet betaald aan Ipernity SA, wordt je tijdelijk een gratis lid, maar dat lost zich vanzelf op wanneer je later weer aan IMA betaald.

NO!, don't pay for membership extension now. Rather let your status drop to a free account (no content will be lost) and renew your membership after transfer to IMA, which hopefully will be by the end of this month.

Then, however, membership fee will be 50,- €, I'm afraid. But it is better to pay 50 € and get something than pay 24 € and get nothing.

Crowdfunding donations were extra and don't entitle for membership, neither before nor after transfer.

This is how I understand it.

My membership is due soon but I am not going to renew with IP/SA as the future of this site is uncertain. Also they will not pass this money on to the IMA or refund the money to IP members as they promised they would do initially.
I am going to wait and pay the IMA when they ask for subscriptions. Hope this helps

I'm terribly sorry if my attempt to explain the situation above is not clear.

The situation in December was very different than what it is now. As far as I have discover, on December Ipernity Team blog post it is only time when people were promised to get some refunds. A lot of time has passed since, and at that time there even was no plans to give Ipernity to such thing as members association.

I renewed my membership on 27. November 2016 for one year, only a few days (!) before the message of the death of Ipernity came in.
Then, we were promised to get back our money overpayed.
If now IMA takes over Ipernity, it has to take over these membership dues already payed (as a debt of service), meaning, my membership in IMA should last until 27. November 2017.

BUT - to say it clear:
I will NOT insist on this, I will give it as an additional donation for the hopeful project of IMA and
I request all Club Members of Ipernity to do the same.

Of course, dear Clubbies, do NOT renew now, as said by other users above, because the money will be payed to Ipernity S.A. and NOT been given to IMA and - although it should - NOT be accepted by IMA as a membership fee.
Let's stand together and support IMA.
This photo sharing platform is the best in the world, and we will show it to the world!

My membership expires 23 October 2017. I want a refund from Ipernity SA if they close the site before this - or they will be in breach of a legal contract. Equally if IMA take over, I expect my membership to continue 'as is' until that date. I do not accept their right to demand membership fees in May with the threat that otherwise the IMA will terminate my existing access. Sounds like extortion. The IMA should honour existing expiry dates.

Even though I sympathize with your point of view - as a matter of fact, my membership does not expire before June 2018 - your request is simply impractical. If you look at the figures of IMA (as they can be found in the proposal), the site would be broke before either date. And Ipernity SA would be even sooner. Eventually, we have no choice: either early renewal of membership or no ipernity at all if the IMA proposal is accepted - and a clean shutdown right away if the proposal is not accepted by Christophe.

The IP/SA has your money and they are not intending to refund any over subscribed membership fees. The IMA (should they be successful in gaining the control of the site) will not receive any monies on over subscribed fees from IP/SA. So the IMA have no responsibility to honour your contract with IP/SA. I am sorry for you and so many who have found themselves in this predicament. The shame is on IP/SA for not honoring or respecting those like you who paid but that appears to be the final outcome of the situation.

Thanks for the explanations; I will let my membership expire next week then.

A yearly membership fee of €50 is fully acceptable to me, if that allows us to keep this community alive, and hopefully expand it.
I do understand that it's independent of the crowdfunding fee (but it would have been nice when the crowdfunding funds could have been used to sweeten the membership fee for 2017, since it now more or less comes down to €100 for this year).

Once you pay for IMA in May, it then lasts till April/May 2018 ;-)

Have been away for 4 days, so thank you for all the updates. I will be more than happy to pay the new IMA club membership in May. Will read all the ins and outs later. :-)))

Even my membership to the Club expires tomorrow April 15. So from what i read and was advised, not to renew Ipenrity old, then thinking that in May go okay as usual.

Thanks so much for this informations, hello and Happy Easter to everyone. Giancarlo.

..... " Hopefully we hear something from Christophe after the weekend."

I am very sorry not to see most all my pictures, but all those red lettering, advertising in all that, but this situation I do not want me, after being subscribed to the Club. We hope that soon you solve these problems, so returning as before.
Happy Easter.

.... ... latest NEWS: HERE

Remember not to stop painting your Easter Eggs until they are broken.

www.ipernity.com/group/2260604/discuss/186918

Thanks for the update William Eric and Team. Much appreciated. So we wait and see how things go and hope for a good result maybe on Monday. Good luck to all.

Hapy Easter to everybody.



Say' my dog Daisy.

And Happy Easter to you!! Now that's one cute pup.

Thank you Tess. I'm sorry I don't accept that. IP said in December that they would refund people. As far as I understand it, the only circumstances where a business can break contract to provide services for which they have been paid, and not refund, is in cases of bankruptcy, in which case administrators would divide up assets amongst the creditors. But that is not the case with Christophe and IP. The transition to IMA is being used to absolve IP of their legal contractual obligations. Thus IP uses the IMA proposal to renege on their obligations, keep the money paid for services not rendered, and then the IMA have the cheek to not honour the contract as successor organisation. Where else in commerce would a takeover company not honour the commitments of the predecessor company? If you had paid for a year's worth of adverts of a local newspaper, which was subsequently taken over by another publishing company - the adverts would continue to be published. If you paid an ISP for annual internet access and that company was taken over by a rival company - you wouldn't expect to have your internet access cut off, with demands for more money. Is anyone interested in bringing a class action law suit against Christophe Ruelle?

The difference here is that IMA doesn't have the funds to buy out Ipernity. This isn't the same thing at all as you are describing. This isn't a takeover in the classic sense.

I'm really sorry that you are frustrated by this. I don't know for sure if the current plan is for IMA to honor current memberships or not. I've heard it both ways. I do know we (and I hope you understand that the IMA will indeed by us all together) will need to stay fiscally sound in order to continue and it may not have the means to honor current memberships.

Perhaps instead of getting upset at the current owners (who are the ones who have put together this site that we all love), we could work together to find a way for IMA to allow everyone to be able to continue their memberships.

Perhaps we could fundraise to help those for whom it's a hardship to have to re-buy membership. Other ideas?

I think we will be lucky to have these challenges to consider - once we have the company in our own hands!

You are right IP said they would refund membership fees but subsequently they said they had not got the funds to honour this promise. I wrote to IP/SA on this matter and they have not read it or replied.

Ticket #38096

I have another question...

The support team has not answered your message yet.

Sunday March 26, 2017 at 12:06PMTess Mc Kenna says:

Hi Team
Please confirm if you intend to reimburst members ( which you have previously promised you would do ) IF the IMA become owners of the site.
I would appreciate an answer to the above urgently because you are presently asking your members to renew subscriptions which are now due.

This message has not been read yet. | Delete this message

I paid mine and another person's club membership, onr year left for me and 18 months for the other person. I would effectively appreciate not to loose all these months...or money.
No news about the takeover, IMA expected to have answers yesterday but still nothing. Point is trafic here is getting lower and lower...and people more and more disappointed or feeling the place is almost dead...

If the IMA are not taking on the financial and legal commitmernts of IP/SA, then what is the legal position? The buck has to stop somewhere. It seems to me that between Ipernity SA and the IMA, a kind of legal no-mans-land is being created as an excuse to avoid a) bankruptcy and b) obligations of a successor company. Very nice for Christophe Ruelle - he just claims he hasn't got the funds, but the only way to know that, would be when an bankruptcy administration looked at the accounts and reimbursed all his creditors on an equitable basis. It seems to me that he's using the IMA's desperation to keep IP going to leverage all sorts of concessions that keep him out of bankruptcy court, enable him to keep his assets, at the expense of both the IMA and existing members, like me, who paid for services in advance. It just doesn't make sense in law, that someone can renege on their legal and financial contractual obligations, but continue to operate under the cover of a new IMA shield, which denies it has any responsbilities. It stinks!

Thanks Tess. Yes, I know. Ipernity have been duplicitous in their dealings with the fee-paying members throughout. They have been knowingly running at a loss while continuing to encourage people to renew subscriptions. In other words, they have been using the money that you pay for future hosting services in order to pay yesterdays bills that they've allowed to accumulate. That's unsustainable as a business unless you are expecting some kind of windfall to make up the deficit. At the same time they have done nothing to come up with revised business strategy to redress the ongoing operating deficit. I do wish people would stop treating Ipernity management as if they gave a sh*t.

With no updates from IP or IMA YES some of us loosing interest and are feeling that we are being left out there in the void.( On Mars) You are right to say this place is going into a dead zone. Regarding payment you have made to IP they are lost. It would appear that IP have no intention to refund and the IMA as I understand it have no responsibility or obligation to lost funds to IP.

Well I guess we should be grateful to be here at all, If we recall the plug was going to be pulled at the end of January with no redress and no possibility of asking for or getting a refund. It is only the efforts of William Sutherland and his team, not forgetting 530 odd supportive members that is letting us input our thoughts to this thread right now.
If this initiative fails then at least we will get our donations back to use elsewhere and reflect by saying it is better to have fought and lost and not to have fought at all.
I personally am now prepared for the worst but still very hopeful we will be successful in the end.

I agree ..... see my post below !!!

I agree with you Maurice...at least we tried. But still hopeful ;-)

Hi Maurice you said
"I personally am now prepared for the worst but still very hopeful we will be successful in the end." I feel exactly the same way. Regards Tess

AMEN !!!!

To you all..............
Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence...... Helen Keller

Nevertheless...I see that traffic is decreasing, less visits, less pics posted...
We are a few keeping activity levels, but this "few" is reducing...
I guess if we do not have any news is because nothing happened on monday, and IMA is working on it, but it also depends on IP. These negociations are never simple, the takeover is being still discussed, surely some points are not agreed from both parts...
Patience...they are surely doing their best to preserve our pics home.

I also have noticed a decrease in Members activity also. Another noticeable issue is Explore What's hot has not uploaded any members images for a least 5 days now. The fact is IP/SA appear to be dragging their feet in the time frame to hand over to IMA. I think the IMA are doing their best to conclude the takeover of the site

No reaction from Christophe yet, William is not saying very much either, from the silence from both parties I would say they still have matters to agree on, so please hang in there for a while longer.

Patience ... leaving solves nothing here.

Exactly... to get this far and then leave... senseless.

Those who want to pursue Christophe.. do as you will .. I hope you have deep pockets for lawyers who can handle European law..... and please dont do it till the IMA business is concluded for better or worse you you will drag us all and our money with it.

Meanwhile... lets just keep the hope fired up... pointless to do otherwise. I have every faith in the IMA and that they will do the very best they can regardless of the outcome.

Cross posted.. sent out to all my Contacts.... and posted in the Ipernity group in flickr !!

Great to read your latest news, William. Now I can breathe again. :-)

OUR PIC'S HOME SEEMS TO BE SAFE!!!

;)))
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

rickrolled ...

Great News. Congratulations to the IMA team to get this result.

Big thanks to Christophe! ;-)

He's the one who has created this wonderful web site that is worth to fight for!

true,respect.

I'm sure I speak for everybody to say what William achieved has been remarkable, the time & endurance has been beyond expectations ..... the hard work has paid off & we thank YOU !! ...you have showed True Grit William !!!!!

Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence...... Helen Keller

I second that

Fantastic news!!!
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

❤❤❤❤❤❤ To William and the team a huge thank you for all your efforts, you are stars among stars ❤❤❤❤❤❤ **********************

Agreed! I raise my hat to William for his valiant efforts to keep the boat afloat...

Agree .... there are some really nice people in this World .... especially in here !!

Ich freue mich so, es ist einfach wunderbar!

Und ich bedanke mich bei euch, die ihr für uns alle so eine hervorragende Arbeitet geleistet habt!
Eine so großartige Seite darf weiter mit Leben gefüllt werden!

❤❤❤❤❤❤ ❤❤❤❤❤❤ ❤❤❤❤❤❤ ❤❤❤❤❤❤ ❤❤❤❤❤❤

Thank you, William and all hard workers of IMA ... we are grateful for you work ! I am in the clouds -- dancing to the music in my head !

Did read this 'news' from LutzP in a Fl...r thread:
"Sorry to tell you, but CR has changed his mind again, back to the cliffhanger"

Can anybody please tell what's going on ??

Where?

Here: www.flickr.com/groups/ipernity_survivors/discuss/72157674789232524/72157679719108343

Thanks...this does not enlighten us much, wait and see...

This link has been deleted. Why I do not know. Lutzp may have regretted sending this message out without information from Christopher. Who knows???????

Got o flickr, search for the group "ipernity survivors", select the discussion "News on ipernity" then scroll down to the bottom of page 1. The discussion continues on page 2, but without any substantial info so far.

Please remember: it is not up to Lutz or any other founder of IMA to make the next move. It is up to CR to either accept the offer of IMA or to turn it down. It is action from him that we are waiting for.

We are good at waiting.. so we will wait .... again....

EDIT.... I went out to flickr to see if anything was findable in that group of the blind link.....

THIS WAS THE MESSAGE THEN LATTERLY POSTED (at approx 2.35pm EDT 22nd April)

lutzp62 Posted 32 mins ago. Edited by lutzp62 (admin) 31 mins ago
to
amanda mertin:
bonsai59:
Jaap van 't Veen:
The thread has been deleted by accident and because a notice like "hang in there, more info on the way" leads only to new questions, which cannot be answered at the present time. IMA is not in trouble at all, but C.R. does not stand to his given word. IMA is still working hard on the rescue of IP

SO.... we wait......

Nil desperandum !!!!!!!!!!!

In short, what i seem to understand we are still in the hight sea. But why then does the old Ipernity continue to offer the subscriptions before? Have they decided not to close?

IP/SA are still trying to bring in funds by continuing to ask for subscriptions . My fee to renew is in 7 days and I do not intend to pay them a penny. They IP are just about done and in my opinion not a hope of surviving.

In fact, despite the fact that my subscription expired on April 15th, there is no more money to the old Ipernity, even though they always ask for it.
Thanks so much.

The only mousehole, which still exists, is to make a 3-months-gift to somebody, who does the same to you in exchange. It cost's 9.99 € and gives you 3 additional months of pleasure within this curious theatre. (Thank you Sami for this advice.)

Three months? Excuse my ignorance, but why is there a possibility of a three-month subscription, while not here?

If it was only for three months, i could also make a subscription, so much to throw the other 10 euros will not ruin my life for sure. ;-)

Have everyone a good evening. Giancarlo

There was a short time where IP offered a three month renewal. But that has gone you can only renew subscriptions now for a year for €24.99. So that is just totally mad. Have a good evenit Giancarlo. regards Tess

Subscription to the club for three months is valid only for new subscribers, not for those who were subscribed before ......; - ((

At this point, I only hope "IMA can activate soon", because i no longer want to give my money to the old management of Ipernity. ;-//

Greetings to everyone.

Update from CR www.ipernity.com/blog/team/4659270

www.ipernity.com/blog/team/4659270
Interesting but a still wait and see game. Hope Christophe stops playing around and get the end business done.

I have got the Champagne ready to POP !!! .... I HOPE !!!

I also got an answer from Christophe to the private email I sent to him yesterday....

Dear Pam,

We’re really close to finalize the deal. The IMA wants to be secured that the platform will be profitable,… This is why I had to optimize many platform costs + work on the business plan with them…

We will communicate today or tomorrow…

Be sure I’m really doing my best,… I have a great consideration for any ipernity member and I will do my best to make the deal happen and ipernity survive and grow.

Warm regards,

Christophe.

Had the SAME answer on my mail to CR.