The Golden Age of Cloudeight
I was just thinking this morning – we, Cloudeight, have been around for almost two decades. I guess I never thought about the number of years that have past since we started Cloudeight.
Back in the days of our beginning, the “Web” / “Internet” was a curiosity and Darcy and I were like two kids in a candy store. In those days so much of the Internet was free. You could download freeware and never have to worry about malware or PUPs. Sure, those were the days of the viruses and Trojans. Antivirus programs were not very good back then, so you did have to be a little careful. For the most part, however, the Web was new frontier, and Darcy and I were cowgirls and cowboys riding off to the next town. Every day was a day of discovery and learning.
I can remember we both used to like a site called Dave Central – it was a freeware site. Every morning Dave would have a dozen or so new freeware programs. We liked his site so much, it soon became the home page for both of us. I used to download and install so much freeware that I soon filled up my hard drive. Believe it or not, there was a day when a 2 GB hard drive was huge. I can remember when Darcy and I bought our first computers with 2 GB of hard drives – we thought we’d never run out of space again. I can even remember the brand name of the computers: Pionex. I don’t think they’re even in business anymore.
It was on those Pionex computers with 512KB of RAM, two 256KB RAM chips, that we created our first Web site which quickly grew into Cloudeight Stationery. We soon became the largest free email stationery site on the Web – and at one time our mail list had a quarter-million subscribers. We used to work from 4 or 5 A.M. until midnight (when we could – we both had other jobs.) We didn’t make a penny then; it truly was a labor of love.
The Web grew up and so did we. We started InfoAve newsletters almost 15 years ago. Between the stationery site and InfoAve, we were getting 3 million unique visitors to our Web sites each month. The income from the advertisements on our pages (mostly Google ads) paid the expenses and there was enough money left over that we considered making Cloudeight a full-time endeavor.
That was the golden age of Cloudeight. Millions of visitors each month, 250,000 subscribers to our mail lists, the most popular free email stationery site on the Web, we were learning and our business was growing.
We made a commitment then, that we would make every effort to answer every email we received – a policy we have followed to this day. People write to us with computer problems or to ask question and 99.9% of them get an answer. We have helped tens of thousands of people over the years without asking for a fee or expecting any payment. The knowledge that we have helped a countless number of people over the years remains one of our greatest accomplishments.
Our stationery site continued to grow until 2007 when it reached its peak and we remained very successful until Microsoft introduced Windows 7 in 2009. Without a viable email program, we could see that the decline of our stationery site was inevitable. We made a few hundred stationery designs for Windows Live Mail but it wasn’t like the stationery we made for Windows Mail and Outlook Express. Windows Live Mail limited what we could do with stationery. We saw the handwriting on the wall and realized we’d have to change directions or let our business die and close up shop.
We had been helping people for a long time. We hoped that we could grow the InfoAve newsletters (InfoAve Free and InfoAve Premium) and cut back on our expenses and take less money for ourselves. We struggled to make ends meet, but we were able to keep our business alive. Recently we made Cloudeight InfoAve Premium free for everyone – and we’ve combined our free and Premium newsletters.
Now as we both grow older we find that many of our subscribers and customers are seniors who have been too often forgotten in this age where the focus is on youth and technology tries to leave us all behind. We’re proud to be one of the few companies to offer senior citizens – golden agers – answers to computer questions and reasonably priced-computer repair options. In this age where seniors are often targets for scammers, we consistently publish information to help seniors from being victims. We offer very affordable computer repair services to senior citizens; they can count on being treated well and receiving the best computer care & repair services at prices they can afford.
Besides he products we endorse and recommend, and the computer services we provide, another important thing that keeps our business alive – and still keeps us alive – is the generosity of some of our friends and subscribers. Sure, we did and still sell products we believe in and we refused and continue to refuse to sell anything we would not use ourselves (and in doing so we have turned down a tens of thousands of dollars). Between the generosity of a small group of subscribers and the quality products we sell, we have been able to keep our small business alive.
It seems like every year becomes a bigger struggle. We keep going and keep struggling and we will never give up. No matter how hard it gets, no matter how big the mountains are that we have to climb, we will keep going. We have cut our salaries in half, and we have cut our expenses by two-thirds – a we keeping going. And we still make an effort to answer 100% of the email we received. We try hard to make sure that everyone who asks a question gets an answer.
We have reduced the price we charge for computer repair to about one-half of what other people charge. And I’ll tell you this, we give every one of our Cloudeight Direct Computer Care customers much more than they pay for. We don’t turn on a timer and cut people off when the repair session takes hours. We give our customers whatever is required to fix their computers. And we’re proud of that. Unlike other computer repair services who charge twice as much and whose repair services usually take 45 minutes because ultimately they resort to the easiest fix for them – but not the best fix for their customers. Companies like Best Buy consider re-installing or re-setting Windows as the first option, instead of the last option. Companies like Best Buy are big billion-dollar companies – who didn’t get to be billion-dollar companies by treating every person as a friend. Reinstalling Windows takes 45 minutes and fixes almost any problem – but it should always be one of the last choices, not the first. It inconveniences the customer who will have to reinstall all his/her programs, and if they do have any viable backups will lose all their photos, documents, music and other personal files.
We’re having a Valentine’s Day special – you can get two computer repair keys for $65. That’s only $32.50 per repair. The keys never expire – they are good until you use them. At at time when local computer repair companies charge $75 just to LOOK at your computer, and companies like Best Buy charge $199 or more for computer repair, our offer of two computer repair keys for $65 is quite a bargain.
Sadly, in this world where money rules, most of us “common” people don’t matter. We don’t matter to the government, we don’t matter to the big corporations, we don’t matter much to anyone at all – except each other.
And while we have to make money to keep our business going, money has never been the reason we do what we do. We know we are never going to get rich doing what we do. But like it was in the beginning when we put in twelve to fourteen hours a day, it is a labor of love. We do care about every one of you. Every one of our customers gets the best we have to give, every single day. Are we perfect? No we are not, but we try to be.
So here we are in February 2016, nineteen years after we first connected to the Internet. As usually happens in February, we are struggling with our finances. And as usual, the same small group of people have helped us (again and again) with their donations, and we can’t thank them enough. Without their generosity – we would not be here.
If every subscriber donated $5, we would have enough to keep going for a year. A small donation helps. We’re at the time of year when we really need your help – and we are asking for your help to keep us going – to get us over this rough spot. If you can afford a few dollars, please consider helping us right now.
If you can’t afford a few dollars, we understand. You can help us in other ways. You can use our start page as your browser’s start page. You can tell your friends about us and recommend our newsletters to them.
We consider all of you our friends, not just subscribers. If you can donate a few dollars right now to help us get through this winter, we could really appreciate it.
We thank all of you for your continued support. We promise you, we will always try to give you our very best.
—-
Sharing with you all a Comment from John in Oz
We received many nice comments on this essay, and many donations too. We want to to share with you a comment made by John in Oz that we found particularly touching.
Hi TC & EB,
I still have the vision in my mind nearly 20 years ago when I first visited Cloudcight, Acpressions, the wonderful Stationary and the tips and tricks.
My computer was a year and a half old, I was learning how to use it every evening after dinner, no time during the day with a full-time job. I ‘fell into holes’, wriggled out somehow, taught myself how to connect to a server with a dial-up connection. read PC magazines from front to back, back to front, took a plunge one day and formatted the hard drive of
Windows 98 SE, made a mess, re-read, oh, necessary to move a drive letter, back in ‘business’.Yahoo was a server, not food, OK the connector of Internet.
InfoAve began, tips and tricks and niceties every Saturday morning, then the prizes for the competitions, I won a lifetime free copy of InfoAve Premium, (but donated when possible to TC and EB) because I found that the guidance, the assistance , the knowledge of problems which they solved without recompense was to be admired, but more than admiration for TC & EB is the dedication, day after day with the tips, tricks, advice, articles affecting life, and then the demise of Cloudeight Stationary, a severe blow to all members just because Windows 7 with the removal of Outlook
Express put and end to the wonderful stationary.I hated that decision, I thought that Outlook would support the Cloudeight fantastic range of wonderful stationary, give a lift to peoples’ email. A great idea arose, Computer Assistance, a brilliant idea, albeit there was a program available to perform assistance, but TC & EB grabbed the ‘bull by the horns’ and most decidedly did a much better job…..and easily affordable.
TC & EB did not give up, or give in, the appreciation by members on a weekly basis gives testimony to ThunderCloud and EightBall, and for me who studied computer software, assisted by TC & EB gave me the knowledge and ability to help senior citizens understand and ‘conquer’ their computers. This I did, and continue to do so without cost or charge, to simply pass on the advice and assistance in the footsteps of TC & EB and impressing upon those who I served would log in and connect to Cloudeight.
Nearly twenty years I have been a member of Cloudeight, I have a supreme admiration for TC & Darcy, when all else failed, they continue to succeed. Half a world apart in Australia, the the most honest, trustworthy individuals for whom I have the greatest respect, and never met, my helpful friends, TC & EB.
(John in Oz)
Donation made…..thanks for the specials and the help!
Joan, thank you very much for your help and your support. TC & EB
You both are two special people and have helped me a lot. You are greatly appreciated.
donation made
Martha, thanks so much for your donation, friendship and your kind words. TC & EB
Than you both for all the help you give us every day. I certainly have been a beneficiary of your desire to help with any issue. Your assistance with my problem was a god send.
Thanks so much Jean. We appreciate your support and your very nice comments. TC & EB
I very happily made a donation just now, in gratitude for all the help and the valuable info in your newsletters, and your dedication, etc..etc…. I am still hanging on to the many QuickNotes and stationery I had saved many moons ago, as well as wallpapers and screensavers. You deserve MANY kudos for a job well done, and I look forward to the future tips & tricks and other goodies.
Thank you once again!!!
Thank you very much for your donation, your loyalty and your kind words! TC & EB
Donation made…. Appreciate all you do for us in keeping our sidekicks in working order.
Reta, thanks so much for your donation and your log time support. TC & Eb
Made my donation last week. I will get back on track with my monthly donation soon.
A $5.00 monthly donation from everyone really does make a difference,
Anything I can do to help keep the resources and advice that EB and TC have to offer is
worth it to me. Thank you, both.
If anyone reading this is afraid to use PayPal just because you may not have used them before or
reluctant to give them your credit card info. I’ve used PayPal for about 20 years. It’s
easy, and I feel safer not having to give my CC info every time I want to make an online
purchase. In fact, it’s rare that I buy anything online if they do NOT have a PayPal payment
option.
Muriel… there just aren’t any words that can say THANK YOU loud enough for all the support you have given us — We’ll never forget the help and hours you invested in editing the Raincrows e-book. So what can we say but THANK YOU SO MUCH, Muriel. TC & EB
I am a Booster, and have sent my gift using Paypal. Thanks to EB and TC for keeping us informed and providing the help so many of us need. You are both appreciated.
Barb.
Thank you so much, Barb. We appreciate it so much. TC & EB
TC I spoke with you all he way from NEW ZEALAND in the very early days and and have been with you ever since. I thank you sincerely for the time and patience you have shown over the years and pray that you will be there for many more. Darcy spent time with me last Saturday helping me to activate Windows Mail so that I can still use Stationery admittedly as you mentioned it is more limited now but if many more supporters jumped on the band wagon faith can move mountains. I congratulate you both on the wonderful job you have done over the years and feel that I have grown old with you. Now 82 yrs of age to me it is just a number and what in on the inside is what counts. Seven grandsons and two great grandsons later how can I possibly grow old . I hope to enjoy yourself and Darcy for many more years to come and stay well and happy in your work. A big thank you from me.
Your very grateful Kiwi supporter.
Marguerita, thanks so very much for your kind words, memories, and support. Sometimes words don’t seem enough to say “THANK YOU!” TC & EB
You solved a wee problem for me last week Darcy via email response. Happy to donate a few pounds by way of thank you.
Regards
Lorraine
Thanks so much Lorraine. We appreciate it very much!
A small donation is transpiring.
Hi TC & EB,
I still have the vision in my mind nearly 20 years ago when I first visited CloudEight, Acpressions, the wonderful Stationary and the tips and tricks.
My computer was a year and a half old, I was learning how to use it every evening after dinner, no time during the day with a full-time job.
I ‘fell into holes’, wriggled out somehow, taught myself how to connect to a server with a dial-up connection. read PC magazines from front to back, back to front, took a plunge one day and formatted the hard drive of Windows SE, made a mess, re-read, oh, necessary to move a drive letter, back in ‘business’.
Yahoo was a server, not food, OK the connector of Internet.
InfoAve began, tips and tricks and niceties every Saturday morning, then the prizes for the competitions, I won a lifetime free copy of InfoAve Premium, (but donated when possible to TC and EB) because I found that the guidance, the assistance , the knowledge of problems which they solved without recompense was to be admired, but more than admiration for TC & EB is the dedication, day after day with the tips, tricks, advice, articles affecting life, and then the demise of CloudEight Stationary, a severe blow to all members just because Windows 7 with the removal of Outlook Express put and edn to the wonderful stationary.
I hated that decision, I thought that Outlook would support the CloudEight fantastic range of wonderful stationary, give a lift to peoples’ email.
A great idea arose, Computer Assistance, a brilliant idea, albeit there was a program available to perform assistance, but TC & EB grabbed the ‘bull by the horns’ and most decidedly did a much better job…..and easily affordable.
TC & EB did not give up, or give in, the appreciation by members on a weekly basis gives testimony to ThunderCloud and EightBall, and for me who studied computer software, assisted by TC & EB gave me the knowledge and ability to help senior citizens understand and ‘conquer’ their computers.
This I did, and continue to do so without cost or charge, to simply pass on the advice and assistance in the footsteps of TC & EB and impressing upon those who I served would log in and connect to CloudEight.
Nearly twenty years I have been a member of CloudEight, I have a supreme admiration for TC & Darcy, when all else failed, they continue to succeed.
Half a world apart in Australia, the the most honest, trustworthy individuals for whom I have the greatest respect, and never met, my helpful friends, TC & EB.
John, your comments are wonderful and we appreciate them. We featured your comments at the bottom of the essay. THANK YOU! TC & EB
I “found” you guys by accident and it was the best find in my whole computer life. Just bought two computer direct care keys and hope I don’t have to use them. I am a super senior and believe me I need all the help you can give!! Thank,
Thanks for your support and your kind words and friendship, Don. We really appreciate it. TC & B
I am a booster. Made a donation 2 weeks ago. Love you guys. Hang in there.
James, thanks so much! TC & EB
I am a fan and a booster. Consider y’all friends tho we’ve never met, yet! Here’s another donation
We consider you a friend too, Dennis. Thanks so much for your support and your kind words. TC & EB
Hi TC & EB
I to have been with you for 19yrs. and I thank you very much for all the work you do to help us old people
I really appreciate it. I have had my computer done quite a few times. and i love to watch you both work.
take care & I hope you will be around another 19 yrs.
We really appreciate you too – and thanks for helping and for your kind words. TC & EB
Avri, thank you so very much. Again, words just don’t seem enough to say thank you enough for all you’ve done for us. TC & EB
I don’t really know how long I’ve been with Cl8. Many years. I was first drawn by the stationery. Just about everything I know about computers, I learned from Cloudeight. I never download anything unless it’s been approved by Cloudeight. I hope you’ll be here as long as I am. I’d be lost without you.
Aw thanks for your kind words and your support Jean. We really appreciate it! TC & EB
Ask and you shall receive, just sent you my ‘gift’ 🙂 I just want you both around for another 20 years!! I would have given up on computers along time ago BUT with your help I manage OK 🙂
Thanks for your donation and your kind words, Holly. TC & EB
I am also a booster and also a 18 – 19 year subscriber. You have both saved my rear many times over during this period of time. Your recommendations have always been right on. There was never a doubt you have the best computer newsletter on the web. There are to many sharks out there prying on the unsuspecting. I am a Senior (72 years) old, and I live in a retirement community. I use all of my talents that I have picked up from you and also curiosity to help the seniors in my Church and Community at no charge. Thank you for everything.
Karl – thanks so much for sicking with us and for being a friend and supporter. And most of all, thanks for your encouraging words. TC & EB
Hi TC & EB,
Donation has just been made. I have been with you for 19years and have learned so much from you. I have lots of Quick Notes and so on and use the Quick Notes often, as my stationary. I have used a computer “repair” key twice now and my desktop computer continues to run well. It’s not quite as old as I am, (77), but old enough. I have a laptop computer which is only about 5or 6 years old. I don’t like and use very seldom. Thank you TC and EB for all the help you have given to all of us and your patiences with us oldies. Love goes out to both of you. Oh, I am a Booster
Thank you so much. We both appreciate your donation, your loyalty, and your kind words! TC & EB
My Wife Helen has always used Cloud Eight & for the last few years has been a member of Not over the hill , & I have had information past over to me , Helen would spend Hours reading the information that was sent to her & would always be able to sort out the mess that I or friends got into unfortunately my wife past away April last year so now it is I that spends time reading all your information , as I now have a windows 10 computer witch is totally different to Helens good old windows 7 . Please keep up the good work as now I have to get my self out of trouble ,
Thanks so much David! We appreciate your kind words and your support. TC & EB