steve

Pitching in some help. Some extra backend issues to mend after the migration. None user facing -- hopefully :).

test update

@AndiB +1 on this. This is a core principal. Respect each other :)! We all have our own perspectives, biases and good+bad days... however we have to try our best to respect and support each other. It's what a community and family does -- and what VJ should be all about! Thinking on the mod side. If I go back to the early days of VJ, my moderation strategy was always to gently guide things back on course as a first reaction rather than heavy handed "rubber stamps". I also tried to lead by example and set the 'right' tone. I think it was helpful and wonder if this is an area we can work on collectively?

Thank you @TempunAlex for offering to help here! Data is GREAT and really helps. I'll reach out to you on PM as well but I wanted to thank you and others for offering to help improve the site! Excited to work together 🤝!

I'll jump in too and hopefully add some context -- as well as to offer myself as a resource to help redirect any potentially negative posting trends that have been suggested. For those that may not know me (I don't post as often as I used to) my name is Steve and I founded VisaJourney is 2003 :). 20+ years ago -- crazy! Some brief history... I met my fiance in Singapore in 2002 and we quickly ran into a brick wall called INS (later BCIS and now USCIS)! In short -- things were wildly confusing back then and there were only a small handful of good resources online. There were tons of INS work stoppages on family petitions and the forms were even more confusing back then. To give some context on my passion -- below are photos from a protest I helped to arrange (actually several) that we called the "Valentines day protests" where members flew to Texas, put up signs and stood in front of the Service Center there. Press and all. While the "waiting" times back then are probably small compared to now -- the squeeky wheel got the grease and we broke the log jam with the INS starting to process K1s (they stopped processing all K1s for 6 months!). VisaJourney was and is a passion for me. I personally spent years in the evenings and weekends, after my day job, coding and supporting the site and trying to provide the best resource possible to help the extended US immigration community. I care -- and still do! Life and a family has lowered my available time but not lowered my passion to help people get their personal VisaJourney's going. I know immigration is both confusing and intimately personal. VisaJourney has always been designed to be a supportive place where people can not only find information but also a shoulder to cry on and a hand to lift you up when things feel the toughest. If these values need a polish -- I'd like to offer (in addition 'capt' above) my personal time to help steer things in the right direction. PM me... "at me" in threads. I'm open to help :).

Way to go! Keep up the determination!! Squeaky wheel! 🥳

Congrats on the I-130 approval! Fingers crossed on continued speed ahead!