CM Digital Content Will Work in Panstoria’s Artisan!!

The motion was approved! 

Monday 9/30/13 there should be an update available so that Artisan users can use their CM content seamlessly!!

There is a lot of information about why you should make the switch to Artisan in this earlier blog post.  There is absolutely no reason not to switch to Artisan and Historian if you wish to continue using SBC+ and/or MM.

Learn more about  Artisan – and Historian. 

If you are interested in becoming an affiliate for Panstoria you can learn more about that here.  No contract required!

Why you should purchase Artisan & Historian. Now (or at least before 9/27.)

 

UPDATE:  CM Digital Center has experienced system issues – they have extended the Digital Center’s last day to Thursday, September 26, 11:59 p.m. Central Time.

There is a motion before the bankruptcy court that, if approved, will impact users of SBC+ and MM.   The motion has been endorsed by the UCC and CM…I think this means it has a very good chance of being approved by the Judge.

Here are some of the highlights SBC+ & MM users should be aware of .

If this motion is approved:

Panstoria will support SBC+ and MM until December 31st, 2013  with software updates as needed.  Software can be activated (even on new machines) until this date with support for software activation from Panstoria.

You will be able to download an update that will allow you to upload directly to Panstoria’s Print Shop to print your digital items.  This will be similar to CMs Digital Center but not identical – offering different products. 

Pending approval by the court of this motion, your CM content will work with Artisan.  Memory Vaults currently work with Historian.

You can use your SBC+ projects in Artisan.  They need to be saved as a SBC+ file in order to use them again in SBC+ (until the court motion is approved.)

Here’s why you should invest in Historian and Artisan if you want to continue to use these programs:

From pixels 2 Page's blog: "Panstoria will not be providing tech support, bug fixes (other than for printing issues), updates (again, other than for printing), or upgrades (to new versions of the software) for Creative Memories programs, Memory Manager and StoryBook Creator.  They will be providing all of those things for their programs, Historian and Artisan."  (LOTS of great information regarding these programs & switching from CM to Panstoria on the p2P blog!!)

So - you're fine using CMs programs until you need help, either moving to a new computer, if your computer crashes or if something goes wrong. If you need an activation code or other help you’re out of luck.  There will be no support for SBC+ or MM.

I think every SBC+ & MM user should invest in the Panstoria versions of these programs (assuming you want to continue using these programs.) I know it's an added expense but if you want to continue to use them then maybe looking at this as "insurance" will help. Thankfully, the programs are affordable.  Both sell for $39.95.

BONUS:  Artisan has fantastic features that SBC+ doesn’t.  Here’s a link to p2Ps video showing a bit about this.  My favorite new features are the in program photo editing tools!!! 

So, if  you’re using SBC+ and/or MM you’re going to want to invest in Artisan and Historian. 

Here’s why you should do this before  September 27th:

If the current motion before the court is approved:
If you purchase Artisan after September 27th, Panstoria will be obligated to pay CM 20% of any printing you choose to do via the Panstoria Print Shop.

CM got my money for SBC+, MM and TONS of digital content.   LOTS of it over the years.  CM has made it quite clear that they will not be supporting these programs, or me (a very loyal user/promoter since they were introduced)   or any other SBC+ or MM users any longer. 

What I know about the owners of Panstoria really, really makes me thrilled at the thought of doing business with them. Looking at this latest court document it's obvious that they took a big financial loss (or will if this is approved by the court) to ensure CMs customers can continue to use their products. It's a gamble & I hope it pays off for them!

I'm hoping that the extra 20% I’m giving to Panstoria by purchasing Artisan & Historian before Sept. 27th adds up & allows Panstoria to create some great new content, features & support!

Hopefully the motion will be approved and we will be able to use CM content in Artisan. If not there are work arounds. Time consuming but if a bunch of us get together we can make quick work of it. I'm already a member of a group dedicated to this topic - just in case!

Winding down with CM.

Here is a bit of info from CM regarding the closing of business:

Digital Center
The Digital Center website will shut down at 11:59 p.m. CT on September 23, 2013. All orders for Digital Center or StoryBook Creator projects must be completed by that time. If you’ve uploaded photos to Digital Center, your photos are available to purchase as prints or downloads through 11:59 p.m. CT on September 23. After that they will be removed from our servers and will no longer be available. Please note that we’ve reduced the fee for downloading your photos to $0.05/photo to make it more affordable for you to retrieve any photos you don’t have backed up elsewhere.

Unfortunately, there’s no way to download projects that have been uploaded to the Digital Center.

Project Center
The Creative Memories Project Center website will shut down at 11:59 p.m. CT on September 30, 2013. If you’re interested in preserving any of the project ideas that are on the Project Center, you can copy the images and instructions and paste them into a Word, PowerPoint, Pages, or similar program, then save them to your personal computer for future reference.
We can't thank you enough for your support and input over the last several years.
Sincerely,
The Creative Memories Home Office Team

Promising news from CM about digital

We’ve reached an agreement with Panstoria (the creators of Memory Manager and StoryBook Creator) which has been put before the Court.

Here are the highlights:

Both Memory Manager and StoryBook Creator software will continue uninterrupted. Software can be activated through December 31, 2013, and Panstoria will continue to provide software updates as needed. This means that software purchases you or your customers have made that haven’t shipped can be activated without any trouble, even if they ship beyond September 23.
Memory Manager and StoryBook Creator users will be contacted by Panstoria, and will be given access to printing and other features through Panstoria. The plan and timing for printing has not yet been finalized, but will be forthcoming. Please look for Panstoria news and updates in the Memory Manager and StoryBook Creator news feeds (right side of the main page).
Any Creative Memories digital artwork you’ve purchased can be activated (without an end date) on any computer.
Anyone who’s made an investment of time or money in software, projects or artwork can continue to use them uninterrupted.
It’s important to note that the agreement is subject to Court approval, so it is not yet final. But because the motion is being filed today, we wanted to ensure you had the information today. We anticipate a decision from the Court the week of September 23.

Also important to note: there are additional conversations happening between Panstoria, Creative Memories and a third interested firm. If that negotiation is successful, it will supersede this agreement between CM and Panstoria, but it will only improve on the above.

As a reminder, the last day to order Creative Memories digital products is Sept. 23. Any unexpired Product Credits, Print Plans, StoryBook coupon codes and/or Host Rewards coupon codes can be used on the Digital Center through that date. And while September 23 will still mark the final day for Consultant compensation on Creative Memories digital products, we are pleased that customers and Consultants can continue to use the digital software they've come to love. Here is the update from Panstoria:

I have to say that what I know about the owners of Panstoria really, really makes me thrilled at the thought of doing business with them. Looking at the latest court document it's obvious that they took a big financial loss (or will if this is approved by the court) to ensure CMs customers can continue to use their products. It's a gamble & I hope it pays off for them!