As those of you that have been faithful to the site are very aware, I’ve been working on getting a space for us to upload videos: as of a month ago, we are the proud owners of space on pCloud. They have a fine system set up that wasn’t going to break the bank but includes file links and even some streaming if we want to upgrade.
That said, days ago, I was contacted by and spoke on the phone to a legal firm that asked myself and the site
ironcheffans.com to ‘refrain from uploading or linking files which we do not own by copyright law’ in the best interests of protecting their client. I want to be clear:
There is no ongoing legal action against us or our site (and I could not afford such nor would I ask you as fans to help defray those costs). But we are required to abide by legal guidelines and precedent whether we are being watched by said law firm or not and I intend to do so for the best interest of our site.
We can no longer link videos of the episodes, and this is by law. While I know many of our sites members and visitors considered this to be the former site’s greatest resource, I’m looking as a webmaster through this experience and can see one resource even greater: our fan community. You.
Plainly put, in the last few months, we’ve invested over half a thousand dollars into what we have from both a business and marketing standpoint: our site is now an official business entity, we have a new PayPal business account for incoming funds, I’ve brought on a person to work out some site redesigns so that we can move from the WordPress format to something more flexible. We’ve got freelancing folks working on new musical and image content, and want to do a few more things with interactivity as the year goes on. As we go, I’m planning to put the information up soon so each of you have a say in what we become as a site and as a community. I’m not giving up on any of that and I’m not risking it either: we’re going to make something of it.
When I accepted this role, I had no plans to move this quickly, and I certainly didn’t see things going this way so soon after I took up the mantle. I know, too, that it’s a lot to take in, and I also panicked a bit as things started to shift around me, seeming out of my control. It’s hot and I had to ask myself whether the kitchen is where I belong…
Another saying goes “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” We’re the Iron Chef Fan Community, and lemons just became the theme ingredient. With your patience, your support, and your help, I believe we can counter with six dishes including something from the salamander, an artistic Delacroix extraordinaire, and maybe, just maybe, something special for refined and discerning palates out of the ice-cream machine.
Thanks for all your support and kindness: we’ll talk soon!
-Scott
Scott Richardson
6 March, 2020