The layoff support network was created as a way to help people who have lost their jobs due to either the downturn of the economy or the greediness of big business. With record numbers of people being laid off, the skills required to survive unexpected unemployment have changed. The job market is flooded with highly qualified people and the competition for newly opening jobs is greater than ever. Couple this with the fact that many companies are continuously eliminating positions, the prospect of rapidly finding a new job is unlikely.

This website was created as a way to unite displaced workers. By combining the accumulated knowledge of many people that have survived, or are currently surviving without a job, the Layoff Support Network is becoming an invaluable resource.

Where this website differs from any other on the web is that its founders are real experts in surviving unexpected unemployment. The Layoff Support Network team is made up of people that have expertise in several different areas related to living after a layoff. The advice and support given by members of the LSN as well as the LSN team are being done so on a volunteer basis. Guest columnists have not been compensated (though guest columnists are allowed to put in a plug for their own businesses at the end of their articles). All submitted articles are screened for their relevancy in value to this site. You will not see any articles that are really advertisements in disguise.

The founders of LSN hope to "give back" to the society which we have enjoyed all our lives. We hope that in the not too distant future the economy will return to previous levels of prosperity.

What are the goals of the Layoff Support Network?

We are hoping that as you experience issues, problems and emotions caused by unexpected unemployment you will come to this website and seek the advice and comfort of people that are feeling the exact same things. Remember, you are not in this alone. There are hundreds of thousands of other people experiencing similar things. Please come back to the Layoff Support Network whenever you are feeling alone.

Of course, much of our focus is to help you get a new job. Over the upcoming weeks we will be posting articles written by employment professionals to help you with your job search.

Absolutely not. Contribute in any way you can. Please by all means pass the address of this site to your friends and colleagues and anybody else you think could help us out. If you would like to write an article, and want an opinion before writing it, please send us your idea. If you want, write the article and send it to us. We will review it for publication. Send ideas or articles to articles@layoffsupportnetwork.com. Helping out the Layoff Support Network will gain you "good karma" points!

You can write about anything you feel will be helpful to the members of the Layoff Support Network as long as it fits under one of the three main categories: Living, Money, or Health.
Our terms and conditions that you agreed to when signing up lists content that is prohibited. We do not condone content that is:

• patently offensive and promotes racism, bigotry, hatred or physical harm of any kind against any group or individual
• harasses or advocates harassment of another person
• involves the transmission of "junk mail", "chain letters," or unsolicited mass mailing or "spamming"
• promotes information that you know is false or misleading or promotes illegal activities or conduct that is abusive, threatening, obscene, defamatory or libelous
• promotes an illegal or unauthorized copy of another person's copyrighted work, such as providing pirated computer programs or links to them, providing information to circumvent manufacture-installed copy-protect devices, or providing pirated music or links to pirated music files or other copyrighted material

Disclaimer: the Layoff Support Network, its owners, its team members, and anyone else that participates in its operation are not responsible for statements made by its members.

There are several different ways you can provide contact to the Layoff Support Network. One way is through a Blog. Every member can create his or her own Blog. You can put whatever you want in your Blog (with the exception of the aforementioned prohibited content). You can chronicle your life from the day you were laid off; any experiences you have gone through; post links for articles; write a commentary about a topic that you care about; do anything you would do in any regular block. Members of the layoff support network do enjoy reading the blogs of other members. So please keep the following in mind: when you write something that appears on the Internet it lives forever. Be very careful about how you might describe things such as the relationship you had with your ex company. Future employers may come across your posting and be negatively impressed. But that is up to you. This is your own blog and you can write about whatever you want.

Another way to contribute is by posting questions and answers to the various forums. Forums are a great way to get information quickly about issues you are concerned about. Forums are also a way in which you can use your experience to help other people. Please visit the forums regularly and contribute your wealth of experience. People are very grateful to find answers to their problems and again, you will score good karma points for helping people out.

You can also join a group. Groups are made up of people that have something in common with the group’s topic. Under the Category of “Reunion” you may find a group that was created by someone who was laid off from the same company as you were. If your ex-company doesn’t have a group, create one yourself. It can be a lot of fun commiserating with fellow workers. Look under the category of “schools”. You may want to hook up with fellow graduates so you can question the value of your education

We are always anxious hear your ideas. The Layoff Support Network was designed to help our membership. If you have an idea that you think would be appropriate for this site, please share it with us. No matter how strange or bizarre it may be, please don't hesitate to tell us about it. The concept of the LSN being created and funded by two unemployed guys somehow seemed unlikely when I first had the idea. But here it is. We certainly don't hold a monopoly on good ideas. Please share yours with us.

The best way to help us is through corporate sponsorship. We have many more ideas that would be helpful to the members of the LSN. Some of these involve software development, more powerful servers with load balancing, possibly even hiring a small staff. All of these things require money. By contributing to the layoff support network you are showing that you care about something other than the bottom line. There are companies that are especially thriving in this environment (can you hear me McDonald's?) Show people that you have a heart. By helping us you are helping them.

Another benefit from helping the Layoff Support Network is that we will publicize the names of sponsoring companies and encourage our membership to use their services. People in dire circumstances are very appreciative for any kind of help. Your contribution will be paid back to you many times over in customer loyalty. And, let’s not forget all the karma points you will receive for your contribution!

We did consider using the same ad services you see on most websites but this created two problems. These ads take up a lot of screen "real estate". One of our goals was to create the most aesthetically pleasing and easy to comprehend website possible. After installing them, we felt that they were too distracting. We have nothing against Internet advertising. Internet advertising makes much of the great free content we see on the Internet possible. But in the case of the Layoff Support Network, people are dealing with very complex situations and the advertisements took away from the content. We are not saying that we will not have advertisements in the future. If we are unsuccessful at finding other revenue streams we will consider them again. For now, we are not going to use them.

Another reason for not having is that our user base is stressed-out enough. Members come to the Layoff Support Network to find helpful answers to stressful questions. We felt that it would not be true to the philosophy of the site if we were constantly subjecting our members to flashing advertisements.

If you are interested in having an advertisements on our site, instead consider becoming a corporate sponsor. By supporting the site you would be showing you have a heart.

The layoff support network was created by Craig Brown and Javed Ikbal. Both have been working in information technology for over 25 years. I (Craig Brown) have been fortunate to grow with the industry and experience its many highs and lows. I was working as the Information Security Officer for WGBH in Boston until I was laid off on February 10, 2009. But this is not my first time experiencing unexpected unemployment and I am dealing with the situation as constructively as possible, by creating this website.

As the only source of income for my family, I understand all the complex issues that arise from being laid off. Being short on cash is only one aspect. There are many other issues that any person who has been laid off must deal with. Financial issues; psychological issues; depression; sadness; hopelessness; frustration; anger are just some of the things we must all deal with.

Thus far, the Layoff Support Network has been entirely funded by its founders, Craig Brown and Javed Ikbal. We strongly believe that the Layoff Support Network will do a lot of good for a lot of people and we will continue to fund it as long as we can.

As the site continues to grow in popularity, we will soon migrate to a more powerful server. The cost of this is too great for us to find ourselves. That is why we recently put out a donation button. By making a donation of five dollars or more you will be ensuring the continued operation of the Layoff Support Network.

We are currently seeking corporate sponsors. If you are one of the fortunate people still employed, please consider speaking to the appropriate person at your company about becoming a sponsor of the Layoff Support Network. By doing so, your company management will be showing that they do care about something other than just profits. If you are a manager at a company that has laid off people; and would like to show that you never-the-less care about your employees; please become a corporate sponsor. Show them you have a heart.