I am a life long Elvis fan. Never in my life I dreamt to become an editor of this website. To be honest, I just became an internet user at the time this site was started. But hey, I fell in love with one of the owners and slowly but surely I got my own tasks over here. One of the things I am most proud of, is the ‘day by day’ section. It took me six months to fill the database with all the material. Of course I am not responsible for the technics behind it.
Back then I used to write an occasionally review, but I must admit: my knowledge about release dates, concert dates and recording dates is not good enough to give the visitors an objective opinion. I am just a fan, enjoying Elvis voice, music and (sorry folks) his looks! So in my reviews I can only give my personal experience while listening to a CD or watching a DVD (and lately I noticed that a personal opinion is not always appreciated).
Now after more than 10 years of Elvisnews, the site has grown so big, that it is more work than one can imagine! I know some of the visitors got some warnings by my hand, but I always try to be as principal as I possibly can. As a mother of three, I know the meaning of being consequent. Keeping an eye on the reactions on this site is one of my tasks. This means I have to read them all, 24/7! Small offenses I edit, while greater abuse will get a warning. Well... I am sure you all know the drill by now ;-)
Creatively we used to come together every month, to brainstorm about new things. The reaction possibility at ‘song of the day’ was one of my ideas. I did not think beforehand about all the extra work: me and my big mouth. But since we run the site between the two of us, we talk about it almost every day. What can we improve? What should we change?
Maybe you already noticed some of the (little) changes, maybe not. I am not gonna tell you what change I made when I took over the news search. I will tell you this: it needs a big commitment every day, to keep up with it all, as much as we can. Behind the scenes we work at least four/five hours a day on this website each! And we still have to keep in mind that we have a social life beside running this site.
Right now there is sitting someone next to me, working on some big change! For you all, it will be ‘just a possibility extra’ overhere, but for me it means doing the remaining mostly by myself. And since I am married to this guy, it also means late nights ;-)
The other night we were drinking a glass of wine, and of course there was still some ‘work to do’. A new CD came in, so we had to listen to it carefully and write a review again. We have very different taste when it comes to Elvis’ music, what means it was almost dawn again when we turned to bed.
When, very rarely, we decide to go out for the evening, we both turn on our pc’s after arriving at home, because there might be something worth mentioning, or something to be edited. We haven’t experienced going on a holiday since we run it together: January and August will be out of the question from now on.
Sometimes it is hard to read the harsh comments over here; often someone needs to state that the reviewer is not an Elvis fan at all! Maybe I am too sensative, maybe I am too naieve, but those kind of remarks can make me cry. We spent every free second working on this website. It is not our job; it is just a hobby! We have to pay for the webspace, so I think we are entitled to run this site as we like.
Since January we lost one editor, but the work increased. When I ask someone to write a review of his own, promisses are made, but never fullfilled! The answer often is: I will do that when I can find the time. Strangely, that seems not to apply for us; it is expected! Which is okay of course! But please, keep in mind that it is just a hobby, and that hobby is the result of our deep and intense love of Elvis.
Yes we are critical, yes we don’t like every thing with his name on it. Rubberducks, remixes, impersonators and so called tribute artists and the 1000th rerelease are not our piece of cake.
Try to imagine what you would write about the releases, day in, day out!
For now, I am counting the days for the big thing that will be changed overhere. I am sure some of you won’t like it, some of you will love it like I do, but no matter what you think of it: keep in mind all the hours of work necessary to complete it! Anyway: we can’t please you all!
From this Elvis fan in the U.S...THANK YOU for all you and Lex do to make this website the great site it is.
I know what you are talking about...your work is highly appreciated by me..please keep up with this wonderful job you are doing..
From this Elvis fan in the UK......may i take this opportunity to thank you and Lex for the best Elvis web-site on the planeta nd for all the hard work you do in keeping us all informed about what's happening in the Elvis world.......always nice to see other web-sites have got there info from yours and what ever the future holds i am sure you have our interest at heart.
This is my all time favourite Elvis Presley website. You guys do a terrific job here. I hope you continue for a very long time and just ignore any idiot who posts nasty comments. You get those people everywhere. Thanks for all your efforts and hard work.
Dear Editors, I am sure you do realise that I appreciate your outstanding efforts to keep this site running. I check the site many times a day, so I know how much time and effort you put into it.
Maybe it is an idea to be able to give some donation for the costs? You save us time (and money) with your work. You made me curious about what is to happen next! Never mind the results (a matter of taste), your dedication is what counts. And that pleases me enough. Thanks. Elvisly yours, Natha
This is definately the best Place for Elvis fans to visit and I know we were all distraught when we thought it may close a few months back. I would propose you make the facility available for donations to be made to help in the the running of the site.
ElvisNews is my startpage... thanks for everything and keep doin' this fabulous job ;D Anton, from Chile.
Hi, All of us Elvis fans appreciate what you do. You do a "great" job. Thanks again.
After carefully reading this article I think none of us can really know how much work and dedication it takes to run this great site. Only two persons ! Not to mention what it takes to raise 3 kids , and that goes for not only the mother, but also the dad. So my deepest respect for all the hard work it takes from both of you to keep this site running. It must not be easy, having to give up vacation, and a lot of other things .Also there's little time to lead a normal social life like most of us have the chance to lead . Sure all this costs money too ! Wouldn't have any problem if donations could cut down the costs. No problem at all. But fact is : the amount of work will still be there. Hope both of you can find a way to keep this site on the net, maybe getting some help from a third or fourth person becoming member of the board . Anyway : a very very "thank you so much" for all you did in the past and hopefully will do in the future ! Both of you must love Our Man very dearly and deeply, just like all of us do, in spite of the (sometimes) not very pleasant postings by some of the members. "From The Heart" ! Always El. Benny Scott.
Many thanks to both of you for your hard work and dedication. It is very much appreciated. I check your site everyday for news about our Elvis!
thank you so much for all you do.
I come to this site every day. Without you even telling us, I was sure it takes many many hours and lots of your personal me a huge amount of time and effort to maintain the site, get the news to report it to my members (which usually appears here first Thank ya, Thank ya very much), and keep the club site interesting. I definitely appreciate your efforts. Great job!
Ok, somehow I messed up my previous post. I wanted to say that the online fan club I run takes a huge amount of my time, and it is no where near as in depth as this site is. You do a great job, keep it up! and is there any way to revise a post after it appears here? :-)
I am sure I speak for most of us in the US when I say how much this site means to us. We are kept up on the very latest Elvis news, regardless of content, and that is a daunting task. We can't imagine the number of hours you contribute to this site but don't think we don't appreciate your hard work & dedication because we truly do. From some of the sour comments on this site, it is apparent you can't please everyone so don't even concern yourself about that. Your articles and reviews are excellent whether one agrees with them or not. Keep up the good work.
Great website. Thank you so much for all you do.
"How many stars are in the sky.." Wow.. "I never knew" the sacrifices of keeping this site available to us all. Please know how grateful I am to you for doing so. It is my souce for all things Elvis - I'd be lost without your attention to detail as well as providing me with spot on reviews of CDs before I buy them. I hope this cyber friendship continues on for many many more years.
Love your website, I hope you can continue your labor of love as it allows me to keep my love for Elvis in high gear with new information all the time. Things can get a little stale on the Elvis Insiders board and people seem a little more civil on this website. (Or maybe I haven't read enough posts!) They are very blunt with other posters and this tends to make people's responses very touchy. Once again thanks for all you do, Rejane in El Paso,TX
I would rank ElvisNews.com, together with the fantastic UK magazine "Elvis - The Man and His Music", as the two most important channels of high quality information about Elvis and his cultural legacy. Knowing that ElvisNews.com is a non-profit, hobby project makes this even more impressive. Please keep up the great work. The whole Elvis sceene would be so much more empty and dull if you guys were not around.
Dear members, folks! In my opinion you mis-read this beautiful and truthful article! It wasn't a plea for appreciaton, thanks and warm words from your noble hearts - although it's for sure very important for our beloved Editors. This is understandable shout for our attitude! In past months there were negative voices (a lot of them) on almost everything. It's obvious you can't please everybody - but expression our disagreements in a rude way (don't want to quote) isn't necessary. Editors try to do the best they can - let's not put them down, 'cause we have a bad day. Let's support them in every possible way. Otherwise, some day you enter this site, and you'll find out, they had enough. And you'll be sorry... Now, off topic, but in similiar way: the same concearns FTD Label... Dear Editors of ElvisNews: thanks for all your work, and please, don't give up. Be harder on certain "members" :)
You guys work so hard to give us Elvis fans a wonderful online sense of community and it's a place for this part of our lives to call home. There's a lot of other websites out there which are great but Elvisnews is the first place many of us turn to when we need a quick fix or to find out what's happening in the Elvis world and even just to see what some of the regular faces on the forums are thinking of the latest releases and events in Elvisland. You do this website as a hobby but your hobby has a major impact on so many people - that's pretty special! You deserve our appreciation and hopefully you feel that when you read the encouraging messages left by poeple here, myself included. I'm costantly amazed at the effort put into making Elvisnews run. Can't wait to see what you've got in store for us.
Just wanted to add my voice to the many already represented here in saying "Thanks" for all you do. This site is a regular part of my daily internet adventures, and I honestly don't know what I -- and so many other Elvis fans I know -- would do without it. Truly, we appreciate your love of Elvis and your dedication to the site. Thank you so very much. Until we meet again, may God bless you. Adios...
I have followed this site every day since the beginning and it has become a part of my life. After some years a decided to register a profile. It wasn't by accident I chose the profile name Smile:-) I don't give comments that often, but every now and then I feel that the comment field needs a little smile...
To the editors: Thanks from the bottom of my heart for what you have been giving me through the years! The news, reviews and everything else are priceless:-) Keep up the fantastic work!
I agree with the rest of the group. GREAT JOB, THANK YOU. I would also like to add that it appears what started as your hobby has grown to become an IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTION to the Elvis community. That is something to be proud of. Best of Luck and Best Wishes.
I think Pietro hit the nail on the head ! And in the future I'll give my opinion on a topic as short as possible.( in any case I tried to keep them as short as possible in the past, with a couple of exceptions). Let's not forget Loesje has to read ALL reactions, and that takes a lot of time. Always El.
Pietro, you are right. That too is a distinct point. I raised the point of contribution only as I feel they do the FANTASTIC work and should not have the financial burdon too (or at least not all). Loesje, any idea about that?
As far as I know my wife, the financial aspect is not the point, but the appreciation. And no, we don't need a thank you every day or so, but just behave in your reactions!
Benny, Natha! Thanks for Your nice response! I'm glad, we think the same way again! Let's clean out this pleace a little and refresh with some good words! :)
From an Elvis fan in the USA i really appreciate all your hard work that you do i would be lost with out you. The information and new cd releases you give us is wonderful and i know it takes away lot of your time that's why i really appreciate all your hard work. Like everyone has said you will never please everyone but for those of us who truly appreciate what you are doing we greatly love you for it.
Dear Loes,
Thanks for your timely words in reminding us that elvisnews is a labor of love, with you and Lex putting in hours of your own time to ensure that the site remains one of the best resources available on the net (both it and The Elvis Information Network are part of my daily must-checks). It's a shame when we, as Elvis fans, have so much available to us through sites such as this, two record labels (RCA and FTD) catering to our various needs, 32 (soon to be all 33) of Elvis' movies available on DVD, Ernst Jorgensen (and others) hunting down every possible recording to be made available to us, the fans, the ability to visit Graceland and see many items from Elvis' personal collection, etc. etc.
Yes, there are other things we would like to see released, but just think, if we all had everything then we'd have no new releases to look forward to part of the thrill of being a collector / fan would be gone.
Instead of focussing on the negative and our own (sometimes petty) 'needs', it would be great if we, the fans, could support and appreciate the efforts of elvisnews (and other similar forums that are 'by the fans and for the fans'), as they do their best to keep us up to date with all things Elvis. Those of us who don't maintain such sites cannot fully appreciate how much you guys do and the impact running this site has on your day to day lives. As Elvis once sang:
"Before you abuse, criticize and accuse, then walk a mile in my shoes"
Thank you both for everything - may elvisnews continue for many more years!
As Elvis
Correction:
The end of the first paragraph should conclude with "however, some people always want more and want it now".
Also, the "As Elvis" at the end of the post shouldn't be there (apologies - just one if the difficulties of uploading comments via an iPhone!!)
Many thanks for your efforts in keeping this site going, it is very much appreciated. Yours is the only site I regularly look at, usually several times a day. With regard to the negative comments you receive, some people are never happy. They say they dislike the site, but continue to log-in to complain!
Thanks for the World´s best Elvis fan site. Hope you both find the time and strength to go on (for ever). Just remember that disagreeing has absolutely nothing to do with disliking. Thanks to both of you! Sven.
I'm a long time fan of this website. It's my number one choice for Elvis news. You're doing a great job! Thank you so much. I have written CD reviews in the past, some of which are still on line at Oven Egeland's website. I know how grueling writing reviews can be. You're doing a fantastic job! I really appreciate your hard work. Sincerely, Armond Joseph (screen name is Lefty).
See how many nice and positive people that are giving comments here:) There are almost 6300 registred members to this site, but only a handful of those who give their views on a regular basis. Oddly enough, many of the regulars have not commented on this article...
Anyway, let's join forces and send links, ideas, articles, reviews etc. to the editors. Anything that might be interesting for the rest of the readers. In addition to the regulars, many of us should give constructive comments. Remember to put a SMILE on your face when you write:-)
Yes, I'd say it takes a lot of time to operate this web site. It is a very good Elvis site with a lot of work and effort. However I do think people can voice an opinion if they want to, otherwise why have that option available. If one doesn't agree with a review, so what, let them say what they want as long as it's all in good spirit which 9 times out of 10 it is.
Your site is the best! Thank You from a fan in the U.S. who appreciates the work you do. It IS a lot of work too. It makes my day & I'm certain so many others too. Keep in mind that there will always be critics for whatever reason. I wouldn't take it personal.
A page off my diary: Got up this morning at about 07:30. Had breakfast. Switched on PC. Checked for new emails, then ElvisNews.com, then everything else. Then I visit again countless times during the day, looking for the latest news about my hero, a new wallpaper or picture to download and reading other fans' comments to every post. That has been my routine since I became a member back in 2004! So rest assured that your site and all your hard work is very much appreciated. May you have the strength to carry on. A million thanks.
As an Elvis Fan Club President, I know the effort that goes into various duties including the production of a monthly newsletter for members, and this is only done for our love of Elvis. It can seem tough at times to receive criticism from some quarters for no reason whatsoever than people wanting to make themselves seen or important when in fact they are neither. Thanks for the great work you do on the site. Rise above the petty criticism and continue to produce a website which is appreciated by many.
This is the best Elvis website around - I think of it as the internet's answer to Man and his Music! I must visit it at last 15 times a day, it's that good. I think the work you do is wonderful and I want to thank you for sifting through the enormous amount of information around about the King and selecting the most relevant for us. When you said you were closing down, I was genuinely shocked. Keep going - you're the best!
Please know that all your hard work is very much appreciated. This is my favorite Elvis website. I check it everyday- most days, more than once. You continue to improve this website, and provide us Elvis fans with a bundle of information. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
As a UK fan who only found ELVISnews abt four years ago, please know that everything you do is greatly appreciated. I log on everyday at about 06.00 when I get to work and check throughout the day for anything I may have missed. I love all the "articles", and CD reviews and have found a lot of other sites through checking yours that I also enjoy. Please don't ever go away:) !!!! CLAIR-TCE, UK
This is a great site and keep up the appreciated good work!~
This is a great forum for Elvis fans around the world, informative and up to date. Long may it reign.
No matter what, the first very first thing I do ,n the morining BEFORE looking at the newspapers is... elvisnews.com Bceause I love Elvis and I love all these people who give their hours to bring news to us. You are one of a kind for me. Thank you very much for your effort and keep this site forever. If you need money,I am definitely sure that people will donate every month with an effordable fee.
Thank you all so much for your nice comments and remarks. The only thing I really want you all to know ánd remember is our love for Elvis. We don't want any of you to pay for our 'hobby'. I just wanted to make clear that we do it all because we are big fans. Lex is right: I just need some appreciation from time to time ;-)
My advice would be to get rid off the 'Reactions' option of your site. Leave that to the numerous forums. That will give you more time to focus onto the core business of your site, instead of editing and reading the reactions 24/7!
Not a bad idea Emiel Maier ! Always El.
Loes and Lex, I open my computer every morning with a look at your site. Need I say more ? We all love Elvis in our own way. But you are right, not everything he did or with his name on it is good. To be critical is normal in my opnion, but we are all fans of the greatest singer/entertainer the world has ever known. Keep up the good work !
Thank you so so very much for your time and devotion to Elvis. I have to say that you, and Lex, are a substantial part of my life, as well as and everybody who's names I’m used to read everyday in this site, in comments, reviews, etc. You are fantastic, and please don´t close the "reactions” It gives the site a "family" feeling. Always true to Elvis and Elvisnews, from Porto, Portugal.
Yes, Pedro is right: don't close "reactions", close bad members! :)
As an Elvis fan, thank you so much for your time and effort that goes into this Fantastic site! Elvis' music got me thru alot of sad times, and your website has too! Please keep going,and speaking for all us fans, don't ever go away!! TCB Forever!!