Greetings,
If you were one of the regulars at silverlakeview a few years back, you're probably surprised to find the site back up and running again. If not, then I'll give you some background on silverlakeview and bring you up to speed.
I started the site back in 1999 for a few reasons. One, I wanted to learn about the internet and web site development as another possible venue for my photography. Two, I wanted to get some of the rich Silver Lake history out there and accessible to people who may have never heard of this little jewel of a lake. And three, I wanted to contribute to helping promote interaction within the Silver Lake community and possibly use the site to bring people together, share ideas, get to know one another better, make local news and events more accessible, and focus on issues of concern to lake residents to raise awareness. And then in 2002, I pulled the plug.
I won't go into all the reasons why I decided to discontinue the site. It was a difficult decision and I have had mixed emotions ever since. What surprised me, though, was how many people have gone out of their way to tell me how much they enjoyed the site, how they missed it, and if I would ever consider bringing it back. And now here we are.
My reasons for bringing the site back are essentially unchanged from the original reasons I had for starting it in the first place. I, too, have missed the site. It wasn't until just before New Year's Day that I decided I had to bring it back. I had to make sure that I was going to commit to the long haul before I could make such a decision. The last thing I wanted was to start the site up again only to pull the plug once more.
So rest assured, silverlakeview is back for the long haul (unless of course I get hit by a truck). You will notice, however, that the site is very bare bones at the moment. I could have just thrown the original site back up as it was when I took it down, but I decided instead to just start over from scratch. So if you're coming back in the early stages, don't despair, just keep checking back. I'll be adding to and building the site over time, so it will continue to evolve and grow, and I've got some new ideas I want to try out, as well as some of the old standbys. If you're looking for info related to Silver Lake, I want it to be here. If you want to see photos and images of Silver Lake, whether from 2005 or 1905, I want them to be here for you. And if there's something you would like to see here that you don't, I want you to let me know. I can't promise to fulfill every request, but I will certainly see what's feasible and do what I can. This site is a labor of love. The pay is lousy. Actually, there isn't any. At least not dollars and cents. But when people stop in the summer and tell me how much they enjoy the site, that's worth more to me than money. So I guess it's a good thing I still have a day job.
Your Web Servant,
Gene
January 9, 2005