[94SilverCab]

<!--fonto:Times New Roman--><!--/fonto--><!--sizeo:3--><!--/sizeo-->I looked at my calendar and realized that a second year has rolled by since Eric decided to pass the mantle on to Bob, Pete and I so I thought I would put a few thoughts down as to the state of the state.<!--sizec-->
<!--/sizec--><!--fontc--><!--/fontc-->

<!--sizeo:3--><!--/sizeo--> <!--sizec--><!--/sizec-->

<!--fonto:Times New Roman--><!--/fonto--><!--sizeo:3--><!--/sizeo-->2009 was a banner year for me. I surpassed my 968^th posting, and managed to keep right on going unlike our friend Biotechee who decided to go silent for about a month just so he could keep the golden moment alive. I also passed 76,000 miles.<!--sizec-->
<!--/sizec--><!--fontc--><!--/fontc-->

<!--sizeo:3--><!--/sizeo--> <!--sizec--><!--/sizec-->

<!--fonto:Times New Roman--><!--/fonto--><!--sizeo:3--><!--/sizeo-->Melva and I made our first trek to Paso Robles and inaugurated the first year in which we participated in not one, but 2 drinking and driving events. It was an honor and a pleasure to meet 30 new enthusiasts that share this passion. Thanks to Brian (BVA) for teaching me that a day of wine is best capped off with a dose of 12 year old single malt. <!--sizec-->
<!--/sizec--><!--fontc--><!--/fontc-->

<!--sizeo:3--><!--/sizeo--> <!--sizec--><!--/sizec-->

<!--fonto:Times New Roman--><!--/fonto--><!--sizeo:3--><!--/sizeo-->On the East Coast, Melva and I attended our 5^th 968 Celebration (3^rd one in Hershey) and the last celebration to be hosted by Don Hassenbein. Don, you will be remembered as the standard bearer and we will try to keep the tradition alive.<!--sizec-->
<!--/sizec--><!--fontc--><!--/fontc-->

<!--sizeo:3--><!--/sizeo--> <!--sizec--><!--/sizec-->

<!--fonto:Times New Roman--><!--/fonto--><!--sizeo:3--><!--/sizeo-->Darryl and Christine had a “Detail Day” in Virginia the same day that Flash held one in LA. That was the first time we had a simultaneous web-cast from 2 locations. My wheels are still sparkling (thanks Darryl).<!--sizec-->
<!--/sizec--><!--fontc--><!--/fontc-->

<!--sizeo:3--><!--/sizeo--> <!--sizec--><!--/sizec-->

<!--fonto:Times New Roman--><!--/fonto--><!--sizeo:3--><!--/sizeo-->As one last hurray before the dead of winter set in, RS Barn decided to have a little gathering of friends. It was overwhelming to have 19 968s show up, and many new friends that we hadn’t met face to face. It was as much fun chatting about cars as it was to sample the wines at Washington Crossing Vineyards. <!--sizec-->
<!--/sizec--><!--fontc--><!--/fontc-->

<!--sizeo:3--><!--/sizeo--> <!--sizec--><!--/sizec-->

<!--fonto:Times New Roman--><!--/fonto--><!--sizeo:3--><!--/sizeo-->968Forums continues to grow and the circle of friendship is ever expanding. How great it is that our friends in Belgium organized their event and reported through 968Forums. Our membership has grown in Canada, the UK, France, South Africa, even the Dominican Republic. I look forward to expanding our travel to someday join our friends up North and overseas. <!--sizec-->
<!--/sizec--><!--fontc--><!--/fontc-->

<!--sizeo:3--><!--/sizeo--> <!--sizec--><!--/sizec-->

<!--fonto:Times New Roman--><!--/fonto--><!--sizeo:3--><!--/sizeo-->While we have seen many new owners, a few have moved on to other (but not better) Porsches. I note with respect the sale of 968s by Duckman, RPM, and PorscheDude. You are all gentlemen and always welcomed here. Someday, you may part with hundreds of thousands at Barrett Jackson and join our ranks again.<!--sizec-->
<!--/sizec--><!--fontc--><!--/fontc-->

<!--sizeo:3--><!--/sizeo--> <!--sizec--><!--/sizec-->

<!--fonto:Times New Roman--><!--/fonto--><!--sizeo:3--><!--/sizeo-->The content on the site is growing by the day, and we look forward to upgrading the software in 2010 so that the site becomes even better, faster and more capable of holding and organizing the encyclopedic knowledge being built.<!--sizec-->
<!--/sizec--><!--fontc--><!--/fontc-->

<!--sizeo:3--><!--/sizeo--> <!--sizec--><!--/sizec-->

<!--fonto:Times New Roman--><!--/fonto--><!--sizeo:3--><!--/sizeo-->I leave this post with a conversation that has been echoing through my head since Paso Robles. I mentioned at breakfast on Sunday morning that the site had become such a tight group of friends that we were like a social network. One of the party’s significant others said “don’t make the site into another MySpace, there are plenty of those out there…” . I replied that “We” don’t make this site anything; it is the membership that determines the direction of the content and use of 968Forums. I smile to think how true that is. Thanks to all of you for cruising this road with us.<!--sizec-->
<!--/sizec--><!--fontc--><!--/fontc-->

<!--sizeo:3--><!--/sizeo--> <!--sizec--><!--/sizec-->

<!--fonto:Times New Roman--><!--/fonto--><!--sizeo:3--><!--/sizeo-->Jay<!--sizec-->
<!--/sizec--><!--fontc--><!--/fontc-->

<!--sizeo:3--><!--/sizeo--> <!--sizec--><!--/sizec-->

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[PorscheDude]

Congratulations guys!!!

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[madridcab]

Congrats!

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Johannvb]

Thanks for making this forum possible. Without this forum owning a 968 would not have been anywhere as much fun as it is. I have learned so much about my car and I really do feel part of this community.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Fox944]

Congrats and a big thanks for everyting you guys have done. 968 ownerhip is much more pleasant thanks to this forum and social network. I'm countint the days untill the next Hershey.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[ds968]

Nice post Jay, and congrats guys !

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[wiseman]

Well said Jay. It continually amazes me............ that for a car that was only built for 4 years, thanks to you guys, this site has more information readily available for the 968 than you could find anywhere else for new Ford. Thanks for all you do!!

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[biotechee]

Kudos and congrats Gentlemen! This site and everyone involved are incredible!

And I am honored to have been mentioned in Jay's announcement!!! I blush I blush! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif[/img]

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Anchorman]

Kudos.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[pmcrespo]

Arriba, arriba! Andale andale! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif[/img]

Congrats guys...

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[pbc1548]

Thanks to the 3 of you for making ownership so much more enjoyable, insghtful and fun.
Best regards, Paul

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[flash]

i have wanted to get to this for about 2 weeks now, but have been absolutely swamped with "real" work

i want to take a minute to say thank you to all those who support the site - without you there would be no site

thanks to all of the individual sponsors who have contributed their hard earned money to support the costs of the site - as you know, we don't have and don't want a lot of sponsors, and feel the site is best served by not selling out like so many other sites, nor do we want it splashed with commercial ads everywhere - that isn't what we are about - we are all about the members - consequently we rely heavily on the members and their individual contributions - thank you to all those who have stepped up

on that note, we have seen an ever increasing number of new members - since we took over 2 years ago, we have seen nearly 500 new members - that is over 1/3 of our current membership - to think that any site could add that many to its membership two years AFTER the first two years definitely tells a tale

other than the 22 people who joined in the last 30 days but have not yet said "hello" 100% of our membership has been active on the site - we don't have a stack of lurkers - what we do have are friends - each and every one of the members has now had a chance to reach out and be reached out to - the camaraderie here has been very gratifying to see, as have the new relationships that have been formed

we have seen new members from all over the globe, which goes a long way toward displaying the variance and depth of our experiences, and how universal the love for this car is

this coming year will see a lot of changes and improvements in the site, and a whole lot more content being added to the resource library - as the ultimate 968 resource point, we will stop at nothing to insure that every bit of 968 information is right here

you will also soon see a couple of new and exciting sponsors joining the ranks

you can expect to see some added benefits to active members coming up too - we are working hard with vendors to make some things available to them

in all it has been a great year, and i for one look forward to 2010 bringing more friends and more enjoyment of my 968

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[rhudeboye]

<!--sizeo:5--><!--/sizeo-->Wow Fresh post jay.<!--sizec--><!--/sizec-->

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[PorscheDude]

Flash I would expect nothing less. Jay, Pete and yourself have done a stellar job
of keeping the information correct and very easy to find.
I don't know how people actually find the right info or DIY's for their cars on other forums.
This data base is going to be a treasure in the future.

Here's to many more enjoyable years!

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[flash]

lol - they don't - that's why almost everybody is here

the database preservation is the key, and exactly why there are 3 owners and not one - the likelihood of all 3 abandoning the site is extremely minimal - we set it up as a partnership and there are mechanisms in place to insure that it would be passed down should a partner want out

that is exactly why this is the single best place for all information 968 - no other site offers the stability, consistency, and continual review that this one does

no other site has the oversight capabilities of multiple owners that this one does - unlike other sites, there is no unilateral activity based on someone's personal agenda - every significant move made regarding the site must go through the review of the owners and be unanimously approved

obviously we have gone to great lengths to organize the information in an easy to find layout - it may seem difficult at first, but once you learn the "outline" structure shown in the Tutorial, it becomes very easy - it will get even easier with the new software

it is an ongoing developmental process, and we will continue to review, modify, and add features that we find enhance or expand the abilities of the members to access the needed information and further expand their base of contacts and friends

but we really have eric sandoval to thank - back in late 2004, when he first called me and told me he was thinking of setting up this site, and we had the first organizational and structural conversation about how it would be lain out and run, i knew right away that it was going to be something special, and far beyond anything that had been out there - when he launched it, it met little resistance - other than the few who could not stand the idea that they would not have control of the 968 community anymore, it was welcomed by everyone

we have merely taken that dream and continued it and expanded upon it - we have many many plans for the site, and some of them will happen fairly soon - keep watching - keep letting us know what you think

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[ebarone968]

Congrats Guys ! This is a great site with alot of much needed information as well as a fun group of people. Keep up the good work !! Hope to see you soon ( Probably Hershey ) [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img]

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.