State of the SM-Union address
Here we are four months into our first year and it's been quite the journey. The crash in May that echoed throughout the net. Two automatic bidding bots that needlessly drove up a website sale price. Countless hours wondering how we were going to do this. Countless phone calls around the world.
And countless obscenities when things didn't go quite as planned.
But ever since the time that Shorty, Prime and myself decided to give life to Short-Media all of you were there with us. Many stragglers hung on in another forum in our own special thread waiting for the big launch and launch we did in the middle of June.
And promptly crashed.
So we built a new server and tweaked the site....
And that one sank into the swamp.
So we built another and tweaked the site even more...
And that one held...then sank into the swamp.
But this one...this one seems to be holding. We've been in the basement and there are no leaks.
There were many people with us during this journey. Keebs, TD, Park, ALL of of forum mods, Jimbo, TK...and many more that have been there shoulders to the walls to keep SM standing. Without them we could not have done it.
We are closing on rankings where Icrontic used to be before the big meltdown when I managed it. We are beta testing new platforms to quicken the site loads and further increase stability. We are adding new sections in the very near future. Our first ever LAN takes place in January.
SM continues to stand 110% behind our folding team. They are top 10 and I know they are going to be top 5 soon enough. Imagine that...we are going to be dogging the heals of teams that have double, triple, quadruple the amount of members! I'm proud that Team Short-Media represents us so well.
So far it has been nothing but money out of our pockets, time, many exclamations of words too colorful to repeat here, and a few nights too many of nodding off in front of the keyboard....and do you know what? We love it.
Every day we get stronger. Every day we get more members. Every day we get better. Every day we thank ourselves for members such as all of you.
Mediaman
Shorty
Primesuspect
And countless obscenities when things didn't go quite as planned.
But ever since the time that Shorty, Prime and myself decided to give life to Short-Media all of you were there with us. Many stragglers hung on in another forum in our own special thread waiting for the big launch and launch we did in the middle of June.
And promptly crashed.
So we built a new server and tweaked the site....
And that one sank into the swamp.
So we built another and tweaked the site even more...
And that one held...then sank into the swamp.
But this one...this one seems to be holding. We've been in the basement and there are no leaks.
There were many people with us during this journey. Keebs, TD, Park, ALL of of forum mods, Jimbo, TK...and many more that have been there shoulders to the walls to keep SM standing. Without them we could not have done it.
We are closing on rankings where Icrontic used to be before the big meltdown when I managed it. We are beta testing new platforms to quicken the site loads and further increase stability. We are adding new sections in the very near future. Our first ever LAN takes place in January.
SM continues to stand 110% behind our folding team. They are top 10 and I know they are going to be top 5 soon enough. Imagine that...we are going to be dogging the heals of teams that have double, triple, quadruple the amount of members! I'm proud that Team Short-Media represents us so well.
So far it has been nothing but money out of our pockets, time, many exclamations of words too colorful to repeat here, and a few nights too many of nodding off in front of the keyboard....and do you know what? We love it.
Every day we get stronger. Every day we get more members. Every day we get better. Every day we thank ourselves for members such as all of you.
Mediaman
Shorty
Primesuspect
0
Comments
We rule!
Growth is steady - new members are conscientious and stable for the most part - new site additions are quality - good press - dedicated staff and administration. All seems to be going very well. Congratulations to all.
Thank you once again to Prime, Shorty & Media Man and everyone else that makes this place what it is....home.
I feel at home here. Sure, there are other places on the internet, and I go to them to get my news and information with which I come right back here to share, or store until someone needs it. Never has there been another forum to which I've attended for so long. There's something undoubtedly special about this place and the way it works...Perhaps it's because no one, on the outside, shows that they dislike anyone else. Perhaps it's because no one (For the most part. Heh) degenerates into infantile tirades. Perhaps it's simply because the people here operate in such a profoundly dignified manner, that others can't help but attune themselves to such an operation. I come every day, for several hours of my time, because I simply love to be here...To refresh the page even though I know no one is around to provide a reason for me to refresh. But hope of hope, there might be, and that keeps me going.
To other communities which I've been a part of, there's always a certain tragic fallout. A crucial member leaves, the administration calls it quits, funding vanishes, the community divides over an important issue. Our fallout, the vanishing of funds didn't even phase us. We reassembled ourselves, picked ourselves up from the virtual oblivion and reestablished ourselves. We have 1/8th the members, but I don't see that stopping us one sliver. Nor have I ever seen a website where the article-based content is largely driven by the members OF the website. Such lends to an incredible depth of knowledge, as well as an impressive breadth. No longer are the administrators or article-writers responsible for acquiring hardware in their entirity..The members can do it far more effectively and efficiently with their own wallets.
We've laughed in the face of adversity, offered money in the face of scarcity, delivered content when it was needed.
We've done the impossible, and done it faster than the impossible expected.
We pwned the internet when it pwned us.
When Icrontic died... I realized how much of my web "fix" was Icrontic driven. I felt lost, like when a friend moves very far away.... I knew I could make new friends but would it ever be the same? Shorty, Prime, and Mediaman.... you introduced me to a new friend. Someone in need for a friend just as much as I needed a friend. This "person" is Short-Media. I feel like I have a best friend here (multiple personalities). I too have Short-Media open 80% of the day. I get a bit down when there are only a few messages going around.
In Short.... This is the Shizzz, the bomb, the Jennifer Love Hewitt of websites. I appreciate the efforts of everyone, but especially to the owners...
Q
You can be proud of your accomplishment. All of you.
Is that even possible? I thought only Thrax could echo the words of Thrax.
LIN
/me Crys again
For crying out loud! i love this place so much I am driving from Fl just to meet shorty ( Whom i look up too figuratively ) Prime who I bug constantly about stupid stuff like ( hey u see those new brittney pics?? ) and everyone else who makes this the best place on the Intarweb! :bawling: :bawling:
this website, like many of us, is the first one i go to when i get to my computer, just to see if anything has changed. it is intelligently thought-out, and functions nicely as a virtual "home" for the lot of us.
the people on the SM forums are TRULY what makes this site feel like home to me. i enjoy the intimacy of the small community we have, it allows us to all get to know each other better so our correspondences become that much more personal and subsequently that much more genuine. when one of us is in trouble, we're all immediately available for comfort.
the "all for one and one for all" mentality applies to SM in that we're all about seeing eachother enjoy success, whether it be higher overclocks, higher 3dmark scores, or just getting the stupid machine to work in the first place.
in short, i feel at home here thanks to all of you
Thanks you three, and everyone else that's a part of our home here on SM!
I couldn't have said it better. I agree wholeheartedly! Thnx to all for the great web home.
Call it all off, we've found our man!