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Author Topic: FORUM GROWTH 37% in 2008  (Read 4246 times)

Offline beemaster

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FORUM GROWTH 37% in 2008
« on: January 01, 2009, 05:42:37 am »
Here is the new members growth figures and it is wonderful. In 2008 we grew 37% in members - and please note that the nukbers we use are members who have posted and not just people who have registered, which often includes spam, which often inflats a forums numbers.

A growth of MORE than 1/3rd is incredible, it says things about the forum, members, staff and impression of all those things by people who visit, lurk and judge what type of forum it is and finally they JOIN and become active. A growth like this may not be sustainable but it surely is remarkable.

I would love to see these numbers repeated or increased as we continue to do things the way I (we) believe our forum should act and behave. Certainly there are many people who enjoy structure and not the wild wild west. It is those people who migrate here and make a home for themselves, growing our community and learning and sharing their knowledge.

We are on the right path - we grow and mold ourselves as we learn, but we stand by the basic rules of being kind to others, friendly to families and agree to disagree rather than break-out the flame throwers. So whether they post frequently, or they are happy to sit quietly reading and occationally posting when they feel their input adds to the topics!

Great work everyone, I know we are doing well and we again no.1 when searching BEEKEEPING FORUMS on Google - dispite we take no advertizing from Google or anyone else. Pretty neat huh? You did it, feel proud of yourselves, I am:)

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Please enjoy the forum, and if it has helped you in any way, we hope that a small donation can be made to support our FULLY member supported forum. You will never see advertisements here, and that is because of the generous members who have made our forum possible. We are in our second decade as a beekeeping forum and all thanks to member support. At the top right of every page is a donations link. Please help if you can.

Offline BjornBee

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Re: FORUM GROWTH 37% in 2008
« Reply #1 on: January 01, 2009, 08:29:32 pm »
And it was nice to see Decembers numbers actually up. Nice way to finish the year.
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Offline Cindi

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Re: FORUM GROWTH 37% in 2008
« Reply #2 on: January 02, 2009, 01:52:31 pm »
John, yeah, yeah, yeah!!!  We should all be proud.  We are those numbers that make this the place where people want to hang out.  Every little tidbit of information that we put into our posts, our humour, our love of each other, surely shines through.  That is indeed why the numbers increased so dramatically here.  Who wouldn't want to join?  Just feel the air.....have a most wonderful and awesome day, life, and health.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline beemaster

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Re: FORUM GROWTH 37% in 2008
« Reply #3 on: January 02, 2009, 02:22:19 pm »
Bjorn:

It is always an interesting cycle to watch as each season passes. The growth in Spring is always amazing, it is almost like the way WORLD OF WARCRAFT SERVERS must feel the days after Christmas - lol. It was a good December, any month where we have even a single member who melds with our tightly knitted group is a good month. I'm never looking for record breaking months or years or any of that, I'm a firm believer in quality over quanity and surely it is quality that we always aquirer here.

Cindi:

You know I could always grab you up and squeeze you like an Elmo Doll :) You have brought much happiness to sooooo many members that your gift of spreading love, life and laughter is contagous - having you is a blessing and your understanding of "who and what we are" and "what we do here" is remarkable. It is great to be understood that no agenda is set, we don't seek out perfection whether from those with knowledge or those seeking it - all that comes when everything else is laid solid in its foundation.

Being kind to all is nothing new, seeing that it is so remains a priority and is necessary if all the other things are to fall in place though. I still can repeat something I said years ago, and it is as true now as it was then: the number of people who have been banned can be counted on less than 2 hands. And out of thousands of members, this "remark's ability to hold up all this time" is amazing in an open forum on any topic.

The people who find us here, whether word of mouth, search engines, or by that magical surfing phenomonon that leads us all away from (example) looking up a recipe for green bean salad to a beekeeping forum, is a strange thing indeed. So many times I have started searching for something, got side tracked and by time I've finished reading all the neat stuff I found along the way - I forgot what it was I originally searched for - lol. Tell me "That" hasn't happened to us all. A few people in "greetings" have admitted to exactly that, and a few months later, through some unknow Karma a new beekeeper is born.

Lucky we are indeed, I say we are blessed to have you - but I have to add that the same goes for so many hundreds of people who I have met through the forum who I feel like I have known forever, yet could not pick out in a police line up of just two people. The Internet has its horrible sides, we have beaten the odds and created a fortress where kindness and happiness can safely show themselves without ridicule from the the other omnious traits of humanity. That is (as you have said) not just the work of the moderators, we all have our jobs and do them well, but it is the membership who are the real enforcers. They know what we hope they will do and how they will act, then step up to the bat and exceed these wishes by expecting the same or better from everyone who they meet here. Without membership like ours, moderation would be a bandaid, or it would appear as a monster trying to enforce laws that the membership clearly distain.

This will be my last band wagon letter for some time - I just needed to say I truely love you for who you are and how you have helped us, whether you really understand your part or not - it is a vitally important one and whether you know it, statistically your posts are some of the most read and replied to of all posts at Beemaster Forums. Yes Cindi, like it or not, you are a superstar!

Lastly, I will mention in public something I have never said before: my wife is a huge fan of you, Tracey purposely reads almost everything she can find of yours. It just felt like the right time to tell you, think of it as a friendly kick in the pants to start the new year off right!  She has interest in beekeeping, yet it mostly is because I do - but when she sees you have posted, it is like turning to a favorite TV show, she enjoys you extremely.
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Please enjoy the forum, and if it has helped you in any way, we hope that a small donation can be made to support our FULLY member supported forum. You will never see advertisements here, and that is because of the generous members who have made our forum possible. We are in our second decade as a beekeeping forum and all thanks to member support. At the top right of every page is a donations link. Please help if you can.

Offline Cindi

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Re: FORUM GROWTH 37% in 2008
« Reply #4 on: January 02, 2009, 05:44:21 pm »
The people who find us here, whether word of mouth, search engines, or by that magical surfing phenomonon that leads us all away from (example) looking up a recipe for green bean salad to a beekeeping forum, is a strange thing indeed. So many times I have started searching for something, got side tracked and by time I've finished reading all the neat stuff I found along the way - I forgot what it was I originally searched for - lol. Tell me "That" hasn't happened to us all. A few people in "greetings" have admitted to exactly that, and a few months later, through some unknow Karma a new beekeeper is born.

Oh John, I would not normally respond to a post about me like this, but I am compelled.  Thank you for so many, many kind words, you bring out the best of anyone, thank you, I wish you so much well.  You have made me cry, those tears of happiness, the ones that really make me feel that I can make this world a better place, if only in my teeny tiny way, I can barely see the typing on the screen, but that will soon pass.  Thank you, you have made my day happier too.

I have said this over and over and over, until my head would almost spin:  To think that things that I may write in my forum posts for all my special friends to read will always bring that beautiful smile to my face.  When I push those little buttons that give a wink, a kiss, a cool Afro dude, the roll eyes, the wink, the grin, the huh, that makes me smile when I push them.  It makes me happy that I can push a little button like that and everyone can see that little dudes face show up, the little faces that depict how we are feeling, our thoughts.  Sometimes when I push that little button that winks and then smiles, I actually do a little physical chuckle.  I know for surely that my Husband gets a kick out of me, as he sits across the room, studying on his laptop.....eeeks....ramblin' here a little,  ;) :) :) :).  See, it made three cute little smiles come to my face when I pushed those smiley buttons, aren't they just so cool.  Well,  say no more....the thought that any words that I could say could lighten anyone's life, make a sad day a little more happier, an OK day more OK, and a happy day, the happiest; brings me joy beyond what one could imagine.  I am sure you will recall me saying this time and time again, it is true.

I am grateful that I have this place to spend that safe time, that quality time -- that place I know which I know deeply that no one can dare to dampen or make ugly.  We are strong in numbers.  We have many, many friends here that even if there is the slightest note of anything that is ugly or bad or anything like that, it caught within moments in time, they are stopped, the ugly thoughts cannot even have but a few, mere moments in time to sneak in here, then they are gone, gone, gone.  Again, I will say, what more could we ask for.

Each and every one of us knows the quality, cleanliness and beauty of this forum.  We know it shines through. We know this is our safe home away from home, and home is where the comfort and joy begins.  I know that no one would ever dare to disagree with this, because it is so.

I want to thank each of my forum friends that I know intimately through cyberspace, the ones that I know I will get to know, the ones that may be very quiet and only contribute in their teeny tiny ways, with maybe just a word, or just listening for being who they are, we are strong, we are all important little specks on this place that we call Earth, the place that is our home, to share, love and take care of.  I love each and every one of you.  We take each other into our little places in our hearts, into our lives, we share our lives with each other, each listening so intently and strongly to what the others may have to say, isn't this a beautiful thing.  This internet, this place where we can travel to all parts of the earth within moments, into another's life, it is beautiful. 

This year of 2009 is going to be a work of wonder, as is every year, let's glide gently into 2009.  Have the most wonderful and awesome life, day, the best of all health wishes to us all.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service