5 great years and counting, Happy Anniversary BigBendChat!

[mule ears]

So it is fitting that with my 1000th post that I toast  the five year anniversary week of BigBendChat.com.  Five years ago this week Casa Grande opened the board to registrations and they began to roll in from the old chat page and elsewhere.  You can look at the membership page and see the hall of fame but the first and still active is BigBendHiker, followed quickly by ShaneA (the posting champion), Chisos Muse and others.

Now with over 1800 members I think we can all agree what a great “gathering place” it has become for those of us who have been taken with the magic of Big Bend.  The wealth of information contained in these forums is staggering and it is all thanks to Casa Grande and RichardM!  And those of you who have generously contributed your knowledge and experience. 

Just the information and spirit in these threads alone makes the site invaluable:

Where Am I?  This one and it's mother thread "For fun where am I" will occupy you for months and show you places few have ever gone in the Park.

Backpacking Trip Reports Index

What’s the Big Deal?  Make sure your watch CurtR’s video (look for the latest link near the end of page 7)

So where am I going with this?  Well out of 1800 plus members only 967 have ever posted anything.  I get it, they registered to be able to see El Salon and other restricted areas or they got the trip planning info they wanted and never came back.  This doesn’t even count the thousands of “Guests” who read pages and pages of information.   

Only 102 have posted over 100 times (it took me about a year to arrive at that level).  Of those 102 folks an amazing 60 have checked in, in the last week and another 10 in the last month.

Of the 300 who have been registered four years or longer, we have lost a lot of them to inactivity but 20 percent of those are still active and have checked in with in the last month.  But there are new active members each week joining into the fray and my guess would be that we average 150-200 active participants.

Now this forum is free, somehow Casa Grande keeps it up and running out of his own pocket and spare time (even though he has had to change servers twice this year) and RichardM moderates as a volunteer!   

There is the Golden Eagle option for folks to subscribe which gives them multiple benefits including no ads and it is only $50 a year right now.  Just look right smack in the middle of the Home page and you can’t miss the big Eagle. The pitiful thing is there are only 38 Golden Eagle subscribers and nearly half of those have fewer than 100 posts!

Seems to me if you are one of the 80 or more people who check in each day and/or have 100 or more posts you should value this place enough to subscribe to help keep it the vibrant place it is.  Give yourself a present and spend the $1 a week and become a Golden Eagle.

Happy Anniversary BigBendChat and thank you Casa Grande and RichardM!!!
 

[RichardM]

For the record, I do get some compensation for my efforts. Not enough to allow me to quit my day job (that is, as soon as I find a new one), but not insignificant. That compensation comes at the generosity of Casa Grande, who redistributed some ad and subscription income my way after volunteering as moderator for a few years.

...and tomorrow will be my 5 year anniversary of participation here on BBC!

[chisos muse]

Thank you SO MUCH mule ears for starting this thread and congrats on your 1000th!  It is hard to believe that 5 years have gone by...

There was a time when very little info was available on Big Bend. I like to do research and that's how I found Virtual Big Bend. A few months later I received an email from David telling me about the new chat board, and I joined that day! It looked WAY different back then, with no avatar photos and there was only a handful of us. We quickly grew into a little family while sharing info and experiences, and the passion and excitement for one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Since then, Big Bend Chat has spawned so many cherished relationships and made our adventures in Big Bend more fulfilling and enjoyable! 

Thanks to ALL of our great members and especially David and Richard for making it all happen with class!   

[TexasAggieHiker]

YAY!!!! 

[SA Bill]

Wow! Has it been 5 years? I was on the old board off and on and naturally jumped on board here when the offer came. This is such a great place because of the people and because of the love we all have for BB. I check in here first thing every morning and then off and on all through the evening until I go to bed. I'm addicted!  Too much info, fun, wisdom, humor and companionship to not be on here a lot, even when I'm not posting. Just absorbing all that goes through here on a daily basis is a wonderful thing.

My thanks to CG, RM, and to all posters here, for making every day interesting! 
Well done all!!
   Bill

[MilesOfTexas]

Congratulations!!!

Thank you Casa Grande and RichardM!!!

I am very grateful for everyone here that participates and shares their invaluable knowledge and experiences!

 

[BigBendHiker]

Yep.  Best board on the planet, bar none.

5 years for me:  12/11/2005.

[dkerr24]

I know my hikes in BIBE were far more enjoyable with the knowledge I have gained from the members of this forum.  This is the one forum I frequent that I feel like I'm in the company of friends, who offers valuable insight.

The info I've received here has helped me with other trips as well.

Thank you everyone for making Big Bend Chat what it is!

Darin

[championbaum]

wow, very useful here mule ears. thanks everyone for putting information on here that gave me the courage to try new things in big bend! And the water reports!!!!!!!!

[RichardM]

And in the unexplained behavior section of member statistics, 194 people went to the trouble of creating a member id and activating it, but never logged in.

[dkerr24]

And in the unexplained behavior section of member statistics, 194 people went to the trouble of creating a member id and activating it, but never logged in.

Maybe it was a case of forgot my ID, so create a new one?

[RichardM]

And in the unexplained behavior section of member statistics, 194 people went to the trouble of creating a member id and activating it, but never logged in.

Maybe it was a case of forgot my ID, so create a new one?

We've had a few of those, but most are just never active.

OMG, I can't believe I put my comment inside of someone else's quote box. Now they've got me doing it.

[OldJeepr]

Well, it's not hard for me to see why this site is so successful.  The information so freely shared is a great thing, but the spirit with which it is shared is phenomenal. 
I'm one of those subscribers with less than 100 posts (but it's gettin' close).  BBC is a daily ritual, giving me the opportunity to "visit" BIBE when I can't physically be there.
Thank you to all who make this the best!   

[bdann]

Congrats to Big Bend Chat!  Thanks to David and Richard for all they do to keep it going. 

[chisos muse]

Hmmmmm

modify
And in the unexplained behavior section of member modify what? statistics, 194 people went to the trouble of creating a member id and activating it, but never logged in.

    shmodify!                                                                                what are
Maybe it was a case of forgot my ID, so create a new one?

We've had a few of those, but most are just never active.      you talking

OMG, I can't believe I put my comment inside of someone else's quote box. Now they've got me doing it.     about with the quote inside the box?