Thinking of Changing to a New Domain Name? - 301 Redirect FIRST

Thinking of Changing to a New Domain Name? - 301 Redirect FIRST

Caution:
This is advice I believe to be correct, but I could be in left field. Wait until a Dmoz editor reviews this thread to follow any of the advice. I have discovered it after weeks or months of doing everything wrong. I am just a newbie, submitter.

Scope:
Make the mistake and you may be banned from Dmoz for life. You may eventually be banned by all the search engines. Two domains are mirrors. If you already have one listed, you must 301 redirect the first url to the second url, and then update your original listing in Dmoz once. You can't submit your second, duplicate content url, and then 301 redirect later. You have already suggested a mirror. The Dmoz editors typically won't email you to advise you to redirect first. That is not their job. It is yours. They can't tell whether you are a spammer or a newbie, trying to figure it all out. They also don't care. They waste their time, all the time, trying to keep duplicate content and spammers out.

Scenario:
You just purchased a new domain name to a better domain name that has your critical keyword in it. Now you have two urls. The order you proceed in is critical and can lead you into a dangerous position in very short order. If you are trying to figure it all out, proceed with great caution.

So you load your original content onto your new url and both of them are now on the web. At first, you kind of like the idea, and aren't sure what to do next. That is a dangerous position to be in for very long with all the other search engines. Search engines hate duplicate content. The spiders have begun collecting duplicate content. You are now a spammer.

So you realize you need to update your old listing in dmoz. Not yet you don't. You only get one chance. You also aren't going to Suggest URL for your new domain EVER. You are eventually going to Update Listing, to change your old url to your new url, but not yet.

First you have to cut off the duplicate content. You may already know about the robots.txt file to tell search engines not to search ANY pages of your original URL. Unfortunately, that will work to stop the spiders, but what about the surfers? Surfers see two different urls for the same content. That is confusing. It can also be misinterpreted by surfers that you are trying to maintain duplicate content, even though the spiders are not indexing it. What does it matter, as long as you aren't offending the search engines? You are offending the surfers. You don't care about the surfers? Dmoz editors are surfers. That is what they like to do. The surfers don't want to be confused, they want to read clean content, from your single web site.

Solution:
301 Redirect. I don't think there is any other way, although I could be wrong. It sounds frightening. It means "Moved Permanently." It is frightening. Your old domain is going away. Your new domain will and must stand alone. It has taken me until this very day, to figure it out. Weeks and weeks of misunderstandings, and reading, and horrors.

301 Redirect:
How do you do it? It took me about 8 hours of reading to figure it out. Doing anything "permanently" is a frightening thought. You also want to be careful. Let me save you a little time and relieve some fears you may have, that I had along the way. Bear in mind, I just discovered this all last night.

1. Do you really want to change your domain name? Until you decide for sure, don't put any duplicate content up on the web, or try to submit or update your listing anywhere. Then you are just a spammer. I know, I've unknowingly and knowingly been a spammer for a couple of months now.
2. Google search for "301 redirect". You'll want to follow the real experts on the web rather than my specific experience. I am a newbie. This was my first time. Your server and objectives may be slightly different. It is apparently the only legitimate method of redirecting your old url to your new url recognized by all the search engines, directories, and the surfers.

The basic idea: The expert links have a couple of "your server" checkers in them to remotely verify what server you have, if you are going to use the .htaccess file method briefly described below. Mine was an apache server, which recognizes the .htaccess method. The other ones all scared the daylights out of me, PHP, SQL, (got me?). Luckily, I had the easy server.

Basically, depending on your hosting server, you are going to extract the existing, or create a .htaccess file from the folder you upload all your content into (your root folder). Sounds complicated. It is just a powerful text file, with a single line of code, that will 301 redirect, your current url to your new url. The whole text file, named .htaccess, that is in your root folder where you keep your current index.html file, has this exact line of text (code) on one line:

Redirect 301 / http://wwww.yournewdomainname.com/

In my case, I open the server files directly from my browser, created a new file called .htaccess, then typed or pasted that single line of code into it.

That's it. Your old domain name is still on your servers, but if you, a spider, or a surfer, try and go to it, or any of the links in it, you are automatically at your new domain name, or the links on the new domain name (as long as those links are exactly the same links). That means you do want to load you exact content from your old url up to your new url before you create the file.

3. But what about all your old url email addresses, and your business cards, and your existing clients?
a. Email Addresses. Well, my first concern was my existing old url email addresses. Nothing changes. As long as your domain remains hosted, they continue to work exactly the same. It is just the content that has been "Permanently Moved." I was very worried about it and couldn't find any direction on the web about it, so I just took the big leap late last night. Luckily, it all just works. At some point, you will probably drop the hosting of the old url, but when you do, your old email addresses will be gone, I think.
b. Business Cards. Your business cards are going to have to change to your new single web site.
c. Existing Clients. Your existing clients will land on your new single web site if they type your url into their browser or can find you in the search engines or directories. They will now have a better chance of finding you in the search engines because you do not have two duplicate content urls, whether they are being indexed or not.
d. Spiders. Spiders will all land on your new single web site and in googles case take all your page rank points to your single web site.
e. Future Clients. Surfers will now be in a better position to find you in the search engines and directories, because you are a single web site, with clean content, at your newly purchased url.

Is it time to Update Listing at Dmoz?:

Your 301 Redirect is complete. Your old URL and your new URL are a single web site. Now, and only now, could you go to Dmoz and Update Listing from your old url to your new url. But don't do it yet. You really only should ever touch that Update Listing button once. Do you want to make your content better? Do you want to add to your content? That is the only way you could possibly request a title or description change. You can't just request the change, it has to be in the content.

The steps you take, the order of those steps, are all really very critical. Let me throw one more out that I discovered somewhere out on the web late last night. I don't really know the answer to it, but it could affect the order of things.

If you 301 Redirect and don't update your listing in Dmoz, does your currently cherished listing to your old url possibly disappear? I'm not going to venture a guess. That is a question for the editors here. The subject was raised on some link somewhere. That would also be a consideration in your order of events.

Editors Attention:

I don't know if my newbie descriptions of the actual technique of 301 redirect, should really be included here. I think the title of this thread captures attention, as it should, however, it could all be edited to the real essense of the matter. It was written with two goals in mind. Prevent the events, and to let you know I was listening. I'm also not sure if it should be posted in the forums at all, personally, I wished I could have seen it. I also don't know if this really is the only way. I can't think of another effective one from my reading last night.

Credits:
Thanks to Motsa, Hutcheson, JeanManco for listening, and currently 207 other forum surfers. I finally think I have figured everything out, it hit me like a stream of light last night. I stayed up late, learned all about options for robots.txt, DNS redirects, and finally 301 redirects. I think I found the only right answer. Then I jumped off the cliff, without knowing once again whether I was really right or wrong. Until last night, I have never heard of a 301 Redirect. I hope I've made the right decision. My original url, which was set to no index with a robots.txt file, is experiencing a 301 Redirect today.

Hutcheson, it was your hard to hear words that kept ringing in my head and lead me to something more I could really do for new Update URL submitters. I thought you may appreciate a thread the was originally going to be titled, "Positive Suggestions for Submitters," except the topic has such severe consequences, it needed to be more clear. What was a disastrous experience for me, could prevent the Update URL submitters from a similar disaster for them. More than anything, I wanted you to know, that I was really trying to listen too! It has been a long and winding road. I don't want to think anymore for a while.

OK, first of all, 301 redirect is good. That takes care of everyone who observes internet standards (i.e. everyone except rogue 'bots and Microsoft). I would never recommend NOT using 301 redirect as part of the move to a new domain.

But for the ODP, it isn't absolutely necessary. There are two things that have to happen for us to change a listing. We have to notice, and we have to be able to verify.

301 redirect is one way to verify, and it's good enough. Another way to verify is to put human-readable information on the OLD domain -- have the home page link go to the NEW domain, and/or have the logo/title/etc. not mention the old domain, and mention the new domain wherever appropriate.

(Why not do both?)

301 is also good enough to make sure we notice, because our link-rot detecting spider notices and flags them (and it runs once every few months). But it's not the only way. You can also suggest a change of URL using the "update listing" link. This will be checked by an editor before any change is made, so make sure the change can be verified (see above). Update listing requests usually get a higher priority than site suggestion requests, but we can't predict exactly when they'll happen.

(Again, why not do both?)

The ODP doesn't exist to ban sites, it exists to list sites. So if you're trying to help, and you're doing what a casual bystander would do if he noticed an error or shortcoming in the ODP, you don't need to worry.

There is one thing that might cause serious loss of reputation for the new site. If you put up a new site, failing to link the two sites together (so that it looks like a malicious mirror), and then SUGGEST the site which is a mirror of an already listed site, you've fit the pattern of "devious spammer" -- which means we really don't want to hear what you think about anything, and we'll likely suspect any site that seems to be associated with you. This may delay listing a legitimate site, but not prevent it from being listed. And given a choice between two mirrors, we're going to stick with the established one (barring other information, which we won't get from you if we're better off not listening to you.) So -- the 301 redirect might be the only communication channel with any credibility.

Takeaway:
(1) 301 is good. Human-readable clues are good. Both are best.
(2) The ODP will verify replacement sites online (at the OLD site.) But at the old site, we'll recognize whatever indications the website owner has given -- including 301 but also human-readable other clues.
(3) Don't think about procedural issues -- "bans" or "delays" or however you want to describe the ODP procedures you don't see anyway. Act as if you care about your reputation, act as if everything you do online affects your reputation -- then all procedures will work for you. And if we have to deal with you at all, we'll do our best to treat you according to the reputation formed by your actions.

Hutcheson,

I don't understand. If a whole site is 301 redirect to another new domain name site, there is no way for anything or anyone to see the original site. The site is effectively not there anymore. It has been permanently moved. I hope that is the case, that is what I just did to my old domain last night, what I have recommended to your visitors here, and what I believe you are supposed to do. Is there something more you are supposed to do for "rogue 'bots and Microsoft?

Why would I need to go put human-readable information on the OLD domain. No one can get to it at all, including me. That is my understanding of everything in my browser today, after finding out about 301 Redirect last night.

When you say why not do both, I have to say I don't know how to do both. I guess it is all really over my head. I would think having one page link to the other main page on a duplicate site is just linking what you call two malicious mirrors together. If it is just human-readable, don't you have duplicate content there too. Isn't that what you are not supposed to do?

Unfortunately, when I first purchased my new url, I didn't know what I was doing. I clearly still don't.

I've only ever made one site in my life. I duplicated one and set robots.txt to no index, no follow so I could have a non-spidered site without my contact information on it for entertainment agents. I duplicated my original site to begin to use my new critical word url. So I've built one site and made three. I've only ever listed my original one in Dmoz. That is the extent of my knowledge. You live in the world with spammers, and mirrors, and malicious deception. I don't. I don't follow it, and I don't know what it means, although I learn by the day, all alone.

I loaded my first sight, changed it around for my new site, and then stupidly thought it was alright to have two sites with essentially identical content. I have seen them all over the web, and in a couple of places in Dmoz. I didn't even know you call that a mirror. Certainly, not a devious spammer, malicious mirror.

So as hurtful as it is, I went to Suggest URL to list my new site, not really understanding that is strongly ill-advised or that it was a mirror at all. The really sad part is that I fully disclosed all of my intentions on my Update listing form to the editor in my category for my original site. My first site listing was updated, and my second site never listed in the other category. I honestly believed my editor would tell me if their was anything wrong with what I was doing. I didn't know editors don't email you back. If they could have told me that I needed to 301 redirect the old site to the new site first, it would have never happened. I just learned about 301 redirect last night. It's been at least a month since all this happened.

Then I read about mirrors. Then I realized I was an idiot. I'm not allowed to have two sites with identical content listed in two different categories. That is what you mean by a mirror. Please remember that no one is telling me anything. I'm figuring it out on my own. There is and can be nothing devious about something that is fully disclosed. If it was really inappropriate I thought someone at Dmoz would tell me.

So I immediately went to the Update Listing, explained I'm an idiot, and that I needed to change my old URL listing to my new URL and only have one site in one category. My existing listing was updated to my new URL and the old one didn't exist anywhere in DMOZ. I sent a few more Update Listing forms to get my title and description to read what I believed was within the guidelines and that was updated too. There were never any mirrors listed, never listings in two categories. Nobody to tell me it was wrong in the first place. I had to figure it out on my own.

Then my listing changed to the keyword in the title. In complete integrity I wrote to try and have it removed or move me to a different category. My listing disappeared. That's it.

After your helpful words in response to my positive thoughts for change, I listened and listened and listened. That is what you commended to my thoughtful attention. "What could you have done--SHOULD you have done which would have made the site's real category and purpose immediately clear to any visitor?"

I think I finally figured it out. One way or another my new url was flagged after I ignorantly submitted it to the other category. The fact that I immediately realized I'm not allowed to have two urls, and disclosed it completely to my editor in the other category, the flag remained. After they updated my single listing to my new url, the flag appeared to take that new url away. It took my original site's listing with it.

I had my old site set with a robots.txt file to disallow all of the pages, except to the main page, until I could figure out how you could properly get rid of the old and only have the new. I've never done it before. So the dmoz system probably checked to see the two sites still existed, even though one was set to no index, no follow. Since there was no human-readable code (learned today), and no 301 Redirect (learned last night), the site listing disappeared.

I was so excited last night that I think I had finally figured out what really happened. There was nothing devious or malicious about any of it. It was a guy who decided to build his own web site long ago, struggling to figure out how to change an old domain to a new one. There were no books, no people to discuss it with. There were the dmoz guidelines and my dmoz editor that I thought would guide me through anything really wrong. I didn't even read the guidelines initially, I just hit Update Listing form and explained what I thought was appropriate in full disclosure on the form.

I thought you would be excited that I listened and finally figured out what I should have done before I ever touched the Update URL button. The system worked for you, but it didn't work for me. As far as the system goes, I would have never been told what I did wrong or better yet what I could have done right. All alone, listening, reading, writing, it is all in this post. I wish I could have been told that, when I fully disclosed what I wanted to accomplish. It is what I SHOULD have done, and quite frankly didn't know to do, until last night. This post is written for me. It is what I SHOULD have done. It also has my best understanding of the perspectives you have shared about how you work and deal in the world of surfing good web sites and with submitters. They are not my words, they are all of your words, as far as I could hear them.

If I have offended you in any way I apologize. I think I have been extremely clear and shamefully humbled that I have made every mistake that could be made through every step in the process, all alone, completely blind to all of it. I wish someone would have cared as much as I do about how you all feel. I wish you all the very best. I think I finally can have some closure.

I wish all of you great success.

I think the "both that hutcheson referred to is:

1) Another way to verify is to put human-readable information on the OLD domain -- have the home page link go to the NEW domain

and

2) have the logo/title/etc. not mention the old domain, and mention the new domain wherever appropriate.

Wither or both of these is usefull if you choose for whatever reason not to do a 301 redirect. Many people use this method to temporarily provide redirection for their visitors until they become accustomed to the new domain name, and then go on to develope the old one seperately. If you use a 301 redirect on the old domain name it is no longer available for other use so long as the redirect is in place.

Of course if you use a 301 redirect, humans won't see it (except for the URL change in the browser location bar) but the bots/spiders can still detect it just fine.

As per site updates, if it was found to be more appropriate in another cateogry it may have been moved and now awaits review review in the new cat. Sites that have mirrors *can* be listed (assuming they otherwise meet criteria) but the mirrors of the site will not be (and of course should not be sumbitted). I can't speak to the inner workings of our spider but if the site was active I daresay it would have been detected as such.

Callimachus,

Thanks for responding. I really appreciate the guidance.

Can I just duplicate my whole new site, upload it all into my old site root folder, so that the old domain really is exactly the new site? Is that fully human-readable and could never be interpreted as duplicate mirror content? Then, the old domain and the new domain are exactly the same content.

At some point, there will come a time when I can erase all the content completely. At that point, I just direct the domain name to the new domain name. Is there a word(s) I can research that will tell me the correct method to do that.

In reading 301 Redirect, I saw reference that you need to 301 redirect parked domain names rather than some HTTP ?, 302 Temporary, redirect. Those empty parked domain names could possibly also be construed as spam.

I really want to thank all of you for one of those eye-opening experiences in life that only come once in a while in a lifetime.

P.S. I know you all aren't here to advise how to build, change, or administer web sites. That was another one of my erroneous assumptions in my initial reasoning. So I would interpret no response as equally acceptable and try and figure it out on my own.

Your redirect code is basic, and works if old-domain is on one server and new-domain is on another server. The 301 redirect is the best way to "move" a site to a new domain.


What I prefer to do, is point all of the domains at the one server, and then put this type of redirect code in place on that one server:

Options +FollowSymLinks
RewriteEngine on
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^newdomain\.com [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://www.newdomain.com/$1 [L,R=301]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^olddomain\.com [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://www.newdomain.com/$1 [L,R=301]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www\.olddomain\.com [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://www.newdomain.com/$1 [L,R=301]

Giz,

Thanks. This is all so humiliating I can't stand it. I'm going to have nightmares about it. I realize more each day. When my listing disappeared from Dmoz, I just got busy and forgot to begin figuring out how to make two one. It didn't matter anymore. I was out of Dmoz. But I wasn't off the web. I planned to begin learning that after I updated my listing. You all must be wondering how can someone be that dense. That guy conjured up a devious, malicious, spammer, mirror and didn't even know it. Is that even possible? He's been sitting that way for several months and maybe never would have figured it out. Thank goodness for pen names. I'm sorry I've ruined it. I hope someone will at some point edit both posts to just be the content, or delete them in their entirety. I would edit them myself, but I'm not going to be posting anymore. I need to be listening.

I read and set an .htaccess file on the newdomain.com. That just makes non www and www all the same as in your code, but on the newdomain.com.

Options +FollowSymLinks
RewriteEngine on
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^newdomain\.com [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://www.newdomain.com/$1 [L,R=301]

I'm going to switch to your code asap on the olddomain.com

I copied the whole new domain files and uploaded them to the new domain so the old domain is identical to the new. I'm changing every link to be http://www.newdomain.com/xxx.html. I'm trying to learn about http 301 header tags for the old domain.

Hutcheson, I owe you an apology. I'll be going away soon.

I don't need an apology today, can I save it for later?

Let me try again, with the quick summary:

(1) Someone has to notice a site has moved before anything happens. We may notice on our own, but any help you give may make it happen faster. If you don't help us at all, we may not find the new site quickly at all. If you help us, we're very likely to find it quickly (in ODP terms).

(2) We really aren't particular about the kind of help verifying a move, but it absolutely HAS to be somewhere on the OLD website (to protect websites against plagiarizing ODP-listing hijackers.) Anything a person will notice without too much trouble, is fine.

(3) Always, everywhere, what's on the website is more important than anything else. A suggestion without a website is nothing. A website is just as good without a suggestion. We list websites, not site suggestions, and not would-be ODP helpers. Focus on the website, focus on the kind of information that you are uniquely qualified to provide. And don't worry about the ODP at all, unless you want to help the dmoz.org website.

Hutcheson,

You always make me read between the lines. I would love to ask you a million questions, and others that have nothing to do with the internet, but that wouldn't be fair. I live on the outside, and you live on the inside. I'm going to have to read these over and over to see if I can find some answers to commend to my thoughtful consideration.

The best way I can figure out to thank you, would be to tell you what happened to me last night. There are a few hidden passages, between the lines, kind of like the passages in an american pie. It is written as a thank you to you, and the other thoughtful characters, including those unseen, knowing their are normal people in the stands, and also knowing that the stands are also filled with vice presidents. I imagined this dream, and when I woke up this morning, it was real.

Not so long ago, in a place not so far away, I scribbled a little note on a letter. It was just a note to mail away for something I wanted. When I went to the mailbox, to mail the letter, their was a little mouse in the box, sitting on all the other letters. It looked like it was his home.

That mouse had a colorful, mysterious, aura of light around it. It was like he lived in a world beyond the mailbox. I kept asking the mouse to get out of the way, so I could put my letter with all the others. And the mouse kept trying to help me. He moved up, and down, and here, and there. I think he moved almost everywhere.

All the other letters were type written, stamped, and pristine. Mine didn't even have an envelope. So I pushed the mouse out of the way, and threw my note in the mailbox. When I touched the mouse, their was something on it that made me start hallucinating.

I woke up in a room that was dark, with flickers of reflections, and lights. It was like I was in the middle of a coliseum, with a room in the middle. I could hear voices in the stands. Their were normal voices, mixtures of voices, and voices of vice presidents of companies. I had a pen in my pocket, and was wearing a hat that someone must have put on me while I was sleeping. It was a cone shaped hat that could either help me see some light, or be a spectacle for the classroom, or some mixture of both. I couldn't take it off my head.

It was all kind of frightening. Suddenly, I realized I wasn't in the room all alone. An inquisitive, multi-colored kitten, appeared in the shadows of darkness. She had bright, soft, eyes. She looked puzzled at me. I might not be in the right place. She tried to comfort me.

And I saw a wooden chest, made of hand-carved wood, in the middle of the room. It was made out of solid oak. It was worn, and smooth, as if it had been visited for ages. There were threads of gold, etched in the grain. A little beam of light surrounding the edges of the lid.

In the other corner of the room, there was a kind and thoughtful lady, with a microphone in her hand, like she does a lot of public speaking. But it wasn't a microphone, it was a warm cup of coffee. She appeared concerned about me too. I couldn't figure out why I was here.

My eyes were starting to adjust to the darkness. I could see through a clear glass window, into another room. It was an endless room, that looked out over a vast ocean. There was a man that appeared to travel many continents. He had a surfboard tucked in the sand, and a bunch of padlocks stacked neatly beside it. He was saying that he really just likes to to go surfing, and doesn't really care about too many other things. I didn't really believe him, there had to be some hidden meanings I didn't understand. But, I was also scared he might run out and put a padlock on me.

I began to realize that all these characters profoundly care about a lot more things than they can openly profess, or I can really imagine. They live in these rooms, in the middle of the coliseum, with vice presidents in the stands, and a cold, harsh, world that constantly threatens their very existence.

Curiously, they also all appeared to be very comfortable with it all. There must be some kind of an invisible, powerful, force field that protects them from it all; or worlds beyond, they visit, for inspirations unseen. It sure looks like everyone can see them. Maybe, they have some kind of invisible powers.

I went to the hand-carved, oak, wooden chest to see if I could find the key to get me back where I belong. When I opened the chest, it was filled with a bright, blinding light. It looked like the sun. It appeared to have many meanings.

The light filled the room and I realized I was sitting in a maze of mirrors; some clear transparent glass, and some endless, cavernous, halls, like the rooms in a large library, that extends on forever.

Everything was carefully organized, and every room had a purpose. There were rooms for good things, rooms for bad things, and rooms for every subject you can imagine. There were rooms with books and messages; rooms with cob webs, and spiders; rooms for living things, rooms with flowing thoughts, and rooms for inspirations. There were rooms that hold things created all over the world. Voices, concerned and thoughtful, filled those caverns, and halls. There were rooms with golden riches. There was a room with cans of spam, piled from floor to ceiling. To everything a place, for everything a reason. There were threads, and hand-woven quilts. It was like I was in Alice and Wonderland. I never understood that story, it was too hard to see.

I started running through the maze of mirrors. There were venomous snakes, and horrible images, and distrust, and dishonesty, and things that no clearly thinking person could ever choose to be, certainly not for very long. I could see the vice presidents in the stands, and I could feel a lot of other people watching with hope, and care, and thoughtfulness. I felt like I was in a hotel in California, but I couldn't find the door.

And the light in the chest kept dancing around in my head. I went back to the chest, filled with the sun, and peered inside. It took me to a room with all the cob webs, that stretched as far as the eye could see. It was in that room, I discovered a little wooden key. It was simple and plain, and was calling to me.

On my way for the door, I met a wizard, that appeared out of nowhere. I'd never seen him before. He shared some thoughts of good will with me. He appeared to live in many worlds, and have wisdoms that I don't want to ever understand. All wisdom requires an understanding of both darkness and the light. Some things are better left unknown.

When I reached for the door, a yellowish-green character, not unlike Yoda in a story about stars, appeared and exchanged my little wooden key for one he knew would perfectly fit the door. He had a unique and special set of skills, with a little message that would work for me.

I was instantly transported to the place I was before.

I have a million questions, thoughts and ideas for things I've seen, and questions that have answers I have not found.

When I wake up tomorrow, I will have lost my pen, won't have any hats on my head, and won't be standing in the middle of a coliseum, with the entire world watching.

I don't know if I will ever open the mailbox again, because I believe we should all live by the same rules. I will have to give it some thoughtful attention, and answer for myself, what I believe. I need some time anyway, to just be alone with everything.

Every time I see a small, open, mailbox, perched on a post, I will think of you. I found a family of characters, that silently and deeply care about a million different people, places, and things. They are the unrewarded volunteers of a place not unlike Oz. I wished I could have been more careful of their time.

Thank you for guiding me to the answers I sought, without stepping outside of some carefully discovered rules; rules crafted through the ages of experience and time. I will remember this experience for the rest of my life. I will also affectionately remember you.

Long live Don McLean. I miss John Lennon. Shields up. The vice presidents are watching. I'm going invisible.

Wow, I understood that very nice story. I wish everyone could see it that way.