Lulu bought the most toxic domain name in poetry!!!???

[Julie Dawson]

Has Lulu lost it's mind, or just doesn't even feel like pretending anymore that it cares?

You guys bought Poetry.com? You bought the most toxic, scam-ridden domain name on the planet in terms of literary frauds? You actually think this was a good business move? You bought a domain name that has generated more legal complaints and BBB complaints that PublishAmerica?

There is not a legitimate writer on the planet that will ever associate poetry.com with real poetry. NOBODY with half a brain will take this venture seriously? Do you know how many writer sites have warnings posted on them about this company? Do you know how many legitimate magazines and writer publications have warned people about poetry.com?

That's like a financial services company buying the domain madoff.com.

And I see you seem to have kept the scam poetry contest scheme going too. What better way to increase profits, I guess, than to churn out crap poetry anthologies that only the authors will buy.

I guess since Bob feels Lulu has the largest collection of crap poetry, he might as well make some money off of it.

Sorry, I need to go vomit now.

[Ron Miller]

If this is indeed true than it really is sad news. As a professional full-time author myself and as one who has many friends who are nationally respected poets, I can guarantee that there is not one serious poet or author in the country who thinks that poetry.com or anything connected with it is anything other than the most contemptible of scams.

R

[Valerie J. Long]

[abroadwater]

Julie and Ron,
We absolutely understand your concerns, and trust me that we have thought about them too. The truth is that we care very much. What better way to show it than to take a site that was harmful to the writing community, and to turn it into something with real value for poets? I'm involved in the revamp of the site, and we will be striving to make Lulu Poetry into a real community (as opposed to what it was).

Lulu did buy the domain name, poetry.com, but not the business behind it. For the record, the "crap poetry anthologies" have already ended and we have no interest in starting them again.

The contests can be an exciting motivator for poets. We are in the process of building new contest functionality, and we plan to soon make them entirely community driven. The winners will all be picked by the ones who know poetry best- the poets themselves. Winners will be selected based on the community's ratings and reviews. And Lulu is committed to announcing the winners and paying out prizes promptly, which should calm fears of a scam.

This is just the first version of Lulu Poetry. Over the next several months, we will be changing the site (we hope always for the better) and adding new features.

Like renovating a broken down building, it will take time- time for new features to be built, time for the reputation to change, and time for poets to discover a new home in that old building lot. I hope you will visit again in a few months to join in what we will build.

Thank you,
Annie

PS. Just to help us better keep track, could you please continue any further discussion in Carol's announcement post:
http://www.lulu.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=109916

[Art4theHomeless]

Poetry.com wow brings back memories when I dreamed of making it big. I just KNEW Poetry.com was my ticket, but alas, I learned the hard way LOL.

The only thing Poetry.com is good for is getting your work out there. But it did bring back some memories of my younger years.

[Carol]

locking this thread and directing further conversation here: http://www.lulu.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=109916

thanks!
Carol
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