A NEW START

We are happy to report that this is likely to be the start of a new day for WidgetLaboratory. While more details will follow shortly, our first order of business is to complete the construction of our new website and presence. Although we appreciate the good-natured "ribbing" we have received from having our temporary outpost located on Blogger... it was obviously only a safety blanket until more formal plans could be drafted.

Here is an outline of what to expect from the LAB in the days and weeks to come:

1. A new website and return to consulting for all of our former, and many of our newer clients. WidgetLaboratory has the resources and experience to assist any business owner interested in making money through a Social Networking presence. This core-aspect of our business has been uneffected by recent events. If anything, our latest adventures in Silicon Valley have given us further insight and experience into how to build a profitable business with "no money down" in a world of multi-million dollar VC giants. Let us show you how to do the same;
2. The construction of a new WidgetLaboratory factory for all of our products. The details on this will follow as soon as we are able to reveal the same, but it is the focus that is worth sharing now... a Full Bill of Rights, LSA, and True "ownership" for Social Network Creators. The place where you next see us emerge will have these important elements wrapped into whatever relationship you have with the host of your Network, so that you can be assured that your livelihood is not at risk;
3. Management and progress towards a resolution of any outstanding claims involving existing customers who feel that they were caught in the middle. We have requested that anyone who has questions can email us for specific information at help@widgetlaboratory.com and we further encourage anyone seeking redress to complete a customer information form indicating the scope and extent of their damages from the method that was used to remove WidgetLaboratory.

At this time we look forward to "moving" forward. We are neither gone, nor forgotten, and consider this experience just a milestone along the path towards greater accomplishments that benefit our customers and clients in their efforts to build powerful solutions for work and for play.

Thank you!
Spencer Forman
CEO
WidgetLaboratory

SOCIAL NETWORK BILL OF RIGHTS

BILL OF RIGHTS for Social Network Creators and their members:

1) That you as the creator and administrator of your Social Network have the RIGHT to access your content and membership data at all times, even in the event of a disagreement or dispute between yourself and the network host;

2) That should there be a disagreement or dispute between yourself and the network host, then your site content shall remain accessible to you at all times, even if it is no longer "online" for general use and consumption by your membership during the time it takes to resolve the aforementioned and/or to protect the rest of the network from any objective and demonstrable harm;

3) That there shall never be any use of force, coercion, threat, extortion, or harm to you, your data, or your membership by the network host, under ANY circumstance;

4) In the event that network host and yourself cannot agree as to the means or method to solve any disagreement or dispute, then you shall be provided a free and transportable copy of ALL your data from the Network immediately;

5) That the network host shall NEVER interfere in the contractual affairs between yourself and any third-party developers or parties from whom you have purchased software to run on your social network site. In the event that any such software should be shown to cause a Network-related issue, then your site shall be temporarily assigned by the network host to "offline" status until such time as you solve the clearly-stated technical reasons for any Network issue, or until you otherwise remove the third-party software. Under NO circumstances shall your previously-purchased software be prohibited by the network host without a written explanation of cause and specific technical details and proof as to the reasons for said prohibition;

6) There shall be a PRESUMPTION that the Social Network Creator is INNOCENT and that any alleged network issues were created without malice by the Social Network Creator;

7) Any decision by a network host to remove a Social Network shall be subject to the decision of a neutral third-party. This mutually agreed third-party shall have the final authority to determine removal or restoration of the Social Network to active status;

8) That any statements or comments made in the public forum of the Network Host relating to such matters shall NOT BE CENSORED, sanitized, deleted, edited, or otherwise removed by the Network Host without archiving the same and offering a right of reinstatement upon written request for review by the author.

PUBLICATION OF CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN WIDGETLABORATORY AND NING

As promised, here is a complete record of correspondence from August 2nd, 2008 through August 22nd, 2008 between WidgetLaboratory and Ning.

Ning has premised their shutdown of WidgetLaboratory solely on the basis of "unduly degrading the performance of the Ning platform." It is our position that there was no warning of any such degrading prior to the termination notice (which was sent after the termination had been completed). Any prior mention of TOS issues had solely to do with whether WidgetLaboratory was entitled to utilize member login information in order to support its customers and products.

Please notice the August 7th communication from Ning to WidgetLaboratory, where there is no warning as to any imminent or future shutdown. The last we heard, Jason Rosenthal was going to be contacting us about "business conversations" on the 15th of September. The next communication from Ning is on August 22nd, where their counsel informs WidgetLaboratory that we have already been shut-down.

WidgetLaboratory Correspondence with Ning - Upload a Document to Scribd

Read this document on Scribd: WidgetLaboratory Correspondence with Ning

Ning has unilaterally removed WidgetLaboratory without Notice - Information to Our Customers

As of this morning, August 22, 2008, we learned from our customers that Ning had unilaterally removed Widgetlaboratory.com and all of its products. We have received no formal notice or explanation at this time. We have not violated any Terms of Service, nor have we violated any published "guidelines" from Ning.

This action by Ning was completely without any notice, was without any merit, and in our opinion was done for the sole purpose of eliminating a company that had started to provide a useful and valuable service to all of you. We have a full and complete documentation of our relationship with Ning from the very first moment that we contacted them in November of 2007 and met with them subsequently to get their blessing for creating our company and products. The facts and details contained therein will substantiate our claims regarding Ning's actions.

We have achieved a level of market penetration into the Ning community that has made WidgetLaboratory a somewhat "essential" resource for add-ons and widgets. Based upon the personal phone calls and correspondence from the entire Ning team, including their entire Executive staff, it would appear that they decided to elminate WidgetLaboratory for anti-competitive purposes alone. This is truly ironic to us, given the fact that our products have demonstrably INCREASED the popularity of Ning and caused more customers of Ning to purchase their Premium Services. This was truly a win-win-win relationship between Ning, WidgetLaboratory, and all of you.

We assure you, our valued customers, that this matter will be resolved favorably and that we stand 100% behind our products and our legal rights to offer them on the Ning platform. We ask for your patience and understanding this morning while we attempt to obtain any information at all from Ning.

We are now attempting to get Ning to at least answer our emails or phone calls, but to no avail. They have removed not only WidgetLaboratory, but also our personal websites on Ning (including Trikepilot.com), which further demonstrates an ulterior motive, as that site was about flying trikes and had nothing to do with WidgetLaboratory whatsoever. We have the means and the method to bring this matter into the public light should Ning not immediately reconsider this somewhat short-sighted action this morning. They have not harmed WidgetLaboratory alone, they have (most importantly) directly and intentionally harmed ALL OF YOU and your business endeavors, as most of you have built your business sites utilizing our products and Ning.

Please refer back to this page for more updates as the situation progresses.You can also follow the Ning Network Creator's Forum for more information and to voice your opinion directly to Ning at this LINK.

Spencer Forman

CEO and Co-Founder

Widgetlaboratory.com