diff --git a/config/app_config.yml b/config/app_config.yml
deleted file mode 100644
index bd306725ed61e66dcc613616a843a70e15f09646..0000000000000000000000000000000000000000
--- a/config/app_config.yml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,17 +0,0 @@
---- 
-default: 
-  socket_host: 0.0.0.0
-  socket_debug: false
-  pod_url: tom.joindiaspora.com
-  mongo_post: 27017
-  socket_collection_name: websocket
-  socket_port: 8080
-  pubsub_server: https://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/
-  mongo_host: localhost
-  debug: false
-production: 
-development: 
-  pod_url: tom.joindiaspora.com
-test: 
-  pod_url: http://example.org/
-  socket_port: 8081
diff --git a/config/initializers/_load_app_config.rb b/config/initializers/_load_app_config.rb
index ac14c97d84e8676020eab4c41cbea5c4be26c0cf..33f7b183be8cf732c9a37e5780484f12feedc73a 100644
--- a/config/initializers/_load_app_config.rb
+++ b/config/initializers/_load_app_config.rb
@@ -2,10 +2,20 @@
 #   licensed under the Affero General Public License version 3.  See
 #   the COPYRIGHT file.
 
-raw_config = File.read("#{Rails.root}/config/app_config.yml")
-all_envs = YAML.load(raw_config)
-if all_envs[Rails.env]
-  APP_CONFIG = all_envs['default'].merge(all_envs[Rails.env]).symbolize_keys
+def load_config_yaml filename
+  YAML.load(File.read(filename))
+end
+
+if File.exist? "#{Rails.root}/config/app_config.yml"
+  all_envs = load_config_yaml "#{Rails.root}/config/app_config.yml"
+  all_envs = load_config_yaml "#{Rails.root}/config/app_config_example.yml" unless all_envs
+else
+  puts "WARNING: No config/app_config.yml found! Look at config/app_config_example.yml for help."
+  all_envs = load_config_yaml "#{Rails.root}/config/app_config_example.yml"
+end
+
+if all_envs[Rails.env.to_s]
+  APP_CONFIG = all_envs['default'].merge(all_envs[Rails.env.to_s]).symbolize_keys
 else
   APP_CONFIG = all_envs['default'].symbolize_keys
 end
diff --git a/db/seeds/backer.rb b/db/seeds/backer.rb
index 1730ee202faa7bb57c439bf29a173dc05cfec0b1..8fa72f23dc941ea7a197ece0667be833595cccf5 100644
--- a/db/seeds/backer.rb
+++ b/db/seeds/backer.rb
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ def set_app_config username
   current_config[Rails.env.to_s] ||= {}
   current_config[Rails.env.to_s]['pod_url'] = "#{username}.joindiaspora.com"
   current_config['default']['pod_url'] = "#{username}.joindiaspora.com"
-  file = File.new(Rails.root.join('..','shared','app_config.yml'),'w')
+  file = File.new(Rails.root.join('..','..','shared','app_config.yml'),'w')
   file.write(current_config.to_yaml)
   file.close
 end
diff --git a/db/seeds/tom.rb b/db/seeds/tom.rb
index d8152a33bf79d58a3abe9212d0098526434495eb..50d41eb91994eb2ae6c46dd3cb04edadd25bacdb 100644
--- a/db/seeds/tom.rb
+++ b/db/seeds/tom.rb
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ def set_app_config username
   current_config[Rails.env.to_s] ||= {}
   current_config[Rails.env.to_s]['pod_url'] = "#{username}.joindiaspora.com"
   current_config['default']['pod_url'] = "#{username}.joindiaspora.com"
-  file = File.new(Rails.root.join('..','shared','app_config.yml'),'w')
+  file = File.new(Rails.root.join('..','..','shared','app_config.yml'),'w')
   file.write(current_config.to_yaml)
   file.close
 end