this was posted on the site. hope it helps clear the doubts
Dear Friends,
On the third anniversary of this site, I wanted to express my sincere appreciation to those who have visited Vartanetc.com since its inception in June of 2000. I can't thank you enough for the three years of support, feedback and thoughtfulness.
The main purpose of this note, however, is related more to the site itself. After much thought and consideration, I regret to inform everyone that for my own reasons I've made the decision to call it quits.
For three years, I've had the unique opportunity to be a part of this web site and watch something that started as a grad school assignment turn into something much bigger. I never expected the site to turn into what it did, but I was pleasantly surprised and honored that so many people came to visit something that I made. Unfortunately, as much as I've enjoyed this experience I've had to make some decisions about priorities and my ability to invest the time and dedication required to keep this site going.
The site will be closed within the next few weeks. Until that time, please feel free to continue visiting. For anyone who may ask, I will not be handing over Vartanetc.com or the message board to anyone else, I will be shutting them down.
I want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for all the kindness, support and encouragement. I also want to say a special thank you to Stephen Hanks, not only for his support and generosity, but for treating me with nothing but respect and always letting me know how much he appreciated the site and my efforts. It really meant a lot to me, and I feel lucky to have gotten to know him.
The site was something that gave me the rare opportunity to be in contact with others I never would have interacted with otherwise. You have all made this worthwhile, and regardless of any challenges along the way, I'll always regard this as an incredibly unique and positive experience.
I thank you all for visiting and letting a regular gal from Chicago host this site for you for the last three years. Not only will I miss running the site, I'll miss all of you.
Cheers,
Lori
