Happy (Belated) Forum Anniversary Guys!

[shriekingviolet]

I meant to post about this on our actual anniversary date which was Monday the 16th, but I was still working on the new skin sets I wanted to release as something new to mark our milestone. I finished working on them earlier tonight (you can switch skins using the dropbox in the bottom lefthand corner, it's one new design available in 4 different color schemes), so I'm finally going ahead and break out the streamers and the confetti and saying "Happy Anniversary guys!"

 

We've gone through a lot in the past two years. We've survived a quick change in management (those who've been around since the beginning will remember that I did not have a hand in the founding of the forum, but took over a month later), been at three different internet addresses, lived on four different servers, suffered through three major upgrades in software, had a handful of major outbreaks of drama, and experienced major life changes that we've helped each other through. We've witnessed major growth for the company our forum revolves around, friendships formed, and regional gatherings organized. Later this spring, we may even see a miniconvention of sorts of forumites as dozens of us make the journey to New Orleans to visit the Lab while they participate in Convergence 12. May it be the first of many!

 

We've had over 3,000 members come to join our ranks, made over 400,000 posts in over 16,000 topics. Our bandwidth (which was the main reason that the founder gave the forum up in the first place) has grown from about 6 gb a month to 60-70 gb a month. Those numbers are quite reflective of our success as a community, but I think my favorite forum statistic is that of the 88 people who joined the forum during that first week of being open, 52 of them still visit the forum. That's 59% which I think is pretty amazing given the transient nature of internet communities and the short attention span of many consumers. I think that speaks volumes for the sense of community people experience here.

 

I want to thank my mod staff, to whom I will be forever in debt for their advice and aid in keeping the forum in order. I want to thank the Lab for encouraging the forum the way they have through their interaction and the offers of special perks like forum exclusive scents to our members. But most of all I want to thank everyone who has posted here other the past 24 months, as the forum could not have grown to what it has become without all of you. A product line alone, even one as extensive and wonderful as the Lab's, could not has driven a forum to become this large. It takes a lively community full of fun and friendly people to create an environment which makes people want to spend their time and share their thoughts in ways that keeps people coming. You guys have been great and have made the occasional frustrations worth bearing through. And for that I am grateful!

 

Happy anniversary everyone!