RootsChat was launched on 31st. December 2003
see
[About us] and
RootsChat in the Public EyeSlowly it grew:
1 year old .....
2 years old ......
3 years old ......
4 years old ......
and, now, on Wednesday 31st. December,
RootsChat will be 5 years old !!
On 14.12.2008 the statistics showed that we have
Members: 70841 • Posts: 1937360 • Topics: 296185 Today (29.12.2008 at 10:30) the statistics tell us that we have
Members: 71539 • Posts: 1955376 • Topics: 298004 So within two weeks we have 700 new members, over 20,000 new replies and nearly 2000 new topics.
But that is just numbers.
What the statistics don't show is the quality of the help being offered by RootsChatters.
And what the statistics also don't show is the sense of community that makes RootsChat such a successful family history forum.
As in previous years RootsChatters have accepted challenges to find out more about people and things that caught the eye, the heart and the imagination ....
for instance:
Topic: ANZAC puzzle /
Are you a relative of Alfred Parr ? Another recurring theme was the
"Scavenger Hunts", where RootsChatters make great efforts to knock down particular brick-walls.
The sense of community was also very noticable on the
Totally Off Topic Bit and in the
Chatroom, where RootsChatters could let their hair down, relax from the rigours of Family History, vent a few feelings, find comfort and support, have a few laughs,
........ and go back refreshed to the rigours of Family History
On the "technical side" we have expanded the moderating team,
re-written the
pages,
and expanded the
RootsChat Reference Library (Lexicon, Useful Links, Time Lines, Topic Catalogues)
RootsChat grows and grows: sometimes it gets a bit slow, due to it's popularity ("a victim of it's own success") ....
but it's well worth waiting for .....
So, raise your glasses and join me in saying
Happy Birthday RootsChat
and
Thank You, Sarah and Trystan
for having the idea,
and then having the courage, the strength and the patience to implement it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Further reading:
Topic: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RootsChat ! or: "Then he said, 'why not do it?' so we did."
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,115557.msg507377.html#msg507377Topic: The RootChats Experience
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,194252.0.htmlTopic: The RootsChat Phenomenon
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,194133.0.html