Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. Some time you will need to release your anger and get on with your life. Joyce [Comment in response to Creative Memories Wins PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction]
Every time I write about Creative Memories or Our Memories for Life, I get hate mail from one side or the other. Let me clear the air by stating that I am not angry, upset, or even a little bit perturbed at either company. What I am is someone who believes in the truth. When I see information that is either false or misleading I believe in correcting the record, even though I recognize that my blog rarely reaches as many people as the original information. Sometimes I use humor to make my point; other times I am more direct.
Most recently, I questioned the information Creative Memories includes on their web site on product testing. My hope was that Creative Memories would update their web page to reflect what they were actually doing. In this case, that did not happen; however, now when searching for information on “Creative Memories product testing,” the fourth hit on Google is my blog. The reference to my blog appears right after a couple of Creative Memories links, including the “Our Promise” page with the misleading information on product testing. In this way, scrapbookers now have information that they might not otherwise receive, and they can get this information even if they are not a subscriber to my blog or if they miss the links I post on Facebook and LinkedIn.
Last year, I published information on Our Memories for Life, indicating that their albums were not photo safe because of the material they used for the straps. When I wrote that post, I received a number of comments questioning my results and why I would publish them in the way that I did. In this case, the company chose to redesign their product to remove the unsafe component. When they did so, I published updated information. After all, my goal is to present the truth and to have it available for all.
All About Images Blog 
Like. Thank you.
And that is why I subscribe to your blog. I know you’ll tell me the truth about these more expensive products and I know I can trust your information because of your expertise with this type of product (because of your past work with Creative Memories all those years ago). I still have some of your articles that they sent out with the product. The one that saved a lot of photos for me was the tip on removing photographs from unsafe albums using dental floss and how to angle it so it won’t tear the photo in the process (if you ever want to post that up here I’m sure there’s plenty who’ll appreciate it). Anyone who can’t see the satire in your words just isn’t a sophisticated enough reader to realize that it’s satire. :p
Thank you for always calling things to our attention, good or bad, CM or OMFL, and for keeping us updated with the truth about our industry. We truly appreciate your information and candid responses!
I find your humor very amusing and feel that you have the knowledge to share with those of us that aren’t as educated in areas of photo safety. I was a Creative Memories consultant when you worked for them and always had confidence in the safety of the products I was using…I trust your knowledge and appreciate all the wisdom (and humor) you share on your blog…I giggle often:)
Thank you, Mark. I so appreciate your honesty as well as your courage in stating truths.
Your blog information is most helpful to those of us who care about the products we use to preserve our most precious memories. Thanks for keeping us in the know!