I Announce Yamaha Personal Keyboard Owner Closure – Six Years Comes to an End

After over six years in existence, the website I own and administrated – today sees the announcement of its eventual closure that will be completed in May 2011. This was an incredibly difficult decision as this Yamaha keyboard and digital piano enthusiast website has been a very big part of my life and has evolved over time to become a massive resource for visitors.

Like most things though, everything has a beginning and an end and it became clear that now was the time to let go and reflect on the past six wonderful years of YPKO. It has helped shape my experience in many areas including article writing, podcasting, DVD video creation and much more besides as well as affirming my passion for Yamaha keyboards and digital pianos. It was because of the Yamaha Tyros (1) that I was inspired to create YPKO, however even with this passion for the musical technology that still proves to be an amazing magical experience – the closure of the website just couldn’t realistically be avoided.

YPKO Statistics

• Nearly 12,000 members
• 34 million page views
• Over 300,000 forum posts

Below is the full announcement I wrote appearing on Yamaha Personal Keyboard Owner:

Today I am afraid I have to announce that YPKO will be closing in May 2011 permanently. All site content, features and of course the forum will be removed in a gradual process beginning immediately and finishing completely in May. The forum will remain open for a couple of weeks for members to exchange any details so the community can remain in touch with each other after the final closure of YPKO.

I understand that this decision will upset and maybe even anger parts of the membership, however it has become impossible to keep YPKO running at current levels of activity while keeping content up-to-date with all of the latest news including articles. This added with forum moderation, maintenance and general oversight becomes a huge time-sapper.

YPKO began its life in 2004 and ever since its inception has been a free resource for Yamaha keyboard and digital piano enthusiasts all over the world. In this time, it has evolved greatly in functionality and depth far beyond its original intention to meet ever greater demands of a growing membership.

This decision was certainly not taken lightly and for the past six years, it has been a pleasure to be your Administrator. I have weighed up many alternatives including taking on extra help, however no matter which way I analyse the situation, YPKO will always be a huge drain on my time & energy and in this difficult economic climate, this simply can’t go on. To protect membership records, these details will not be passed on to any third party and will be removed entirely from the database at the time of the final closure.

There have been some very happy times running YPKO, meeting members, discovering new musical techniques and learning skills – on the flip side of course there have been moments of frustration, however on the whole it has been a truly wonderful experience and one that I will look back on with very fond memories. The community has been instrumental in sharing a positive atmosphere within the forum and welcoming new members with open arms.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Yamaha UK and Yamaha staff worldwide who have been so helpful in assisting me with news, content and access to interviews. I would also like to thank Glyn Madden of the Yamaha Club Magazine, who has been a very positive influence while we have been working together, which will continue on various related projects including future tutorial DVDs. Finally of course to you the valued visitor/member of YPKO – for your support, participation and assistance.

I know this will have come as a shock to you all, however I will remain just like you an avid fan and enthusiast of Yamaha keyboard and digital piano products and will no doubt continue to discuss and be involved through sites including my own personal website and Twitter account in sharing my love for these amazing instruments.

All the best to you all

James Woodcock
Owner and Administrator of Yamaha Personal Keyboard Owner

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