Hey guys.
The surprise I was referring to last week, was this.. It's now been
6 months since the IceInSpace Forums opened for business.
The main IceInSpace site was launched in August 2004 without forums, and although the feedback for the site was excellent, a few people suggested I include some forums with the site. There was really only one other set of astronomy forums in Australia and they were always up and down and not very active. The look and feel and usability of those forums also left a lot to be desired.
An active, popular, independant, easy to use forum was really missing in Australia and so I took the advice and started the IceInSpace Forums on the 8th September 2004.
The first of the currently active members was Mick from QLD, followed closely by my friend mojo, and starkler and rumples riot were a few days later. They've seen how the forums have grown from humble beginnings to now be the best and most active astronomy forums in Australia.. maybe in the Southern Hemisphere!
We've fostered a friendly, family feel and the community here have embraced that and ran with it. Every active member here is friendly and helpful, always willing to help out a newbie with a problem. We all know how great this hobby is, and helping a newbie experience their first sight of Saturn is one of the best things you can do in astronomy. The aim of all of us is to get more people into the hobby, we just love to share our experiences and show others the wonders of the sky. You don't need a big expensive telescope - if you can get hooked on astronomy with a wobbletronic refractor looking at a tiny Saturn or the craters on the moon, that's all you need. Like anyone in this hobby, the upgrades will come as your knowledge and experience grows.
It's you guys, the IceInSpace community, that make this place what it is. I'm happy to have provided the means and the infrastructure, but now this community is self-sustaining and self-sufficient. It's great to finally have an active community to discuss ideas, ask questions, talk about our observing experiences, post our astrophotography, get and offer advice. It's increasing the depth of knowledge of everyone involved and that can only be a good thing for astronomy in Australia in the long run.
The IceInSpace forum and community has exceeded all of my expectations when I started this 6 months ago. We've now got 175 members, almost 1100 threads and almost 11,500 posts, and growing more rapidly now than at any time in the past! It really cements the fact that Australia needed something like this and with your help it will continue to grow.
The most pleasing thing for me personally is the friendships that have been made here. It's just amazing to see how members find other members that live close to them, arrange to meet up and have mini star parties, help each other out with equipment and have viewing nights together. These are genuine friendships, and it's this community that has brought them together.
I recently PM'd a member to thank them for their donation to the site, and his words really reinforced what I said above.
Quote:
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Mike because of you and this site I have met a number of people that I otherwise would not have done. This is a good thing :-)). I for one want to see the site continue for many years
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It's those words and feedback that give me the warm and fuzzy feeling that we've started something special here.
And it's only the beginning. I've got some big ideas for the site to keep it growing and to give people a reason to come back. With mojo's help, we'll soon be launching the IceInSpace Member Map, a feature that's never been seen on any Astronomy forum anywhere.. at least I haven't found one. The next version will blow you away.
With your help, I'm hoping to expand the review section to provide that much needed information and help amateurs out with their next purchase. The Resources section on the site will continue to grow, we've got the glossary now, and hopefully the files section will get more content too. The How-To section will soon get the GS Dob FAQ, and again i'll be asking for your help to fill it with valuable content.
I'm hoping to have a "What's in the sky this week" section, an interactive skymap, and more DIY projects. I'm working on getting a
.com.au domain name, which will hopefully open up the site for many more Australians amateurs who currently don't know we exist.
Anyway i've written enough, if you're still reading then you've done well
For those who have previously offered to donate money for the up-keep of IceInSpace, I thank you for your generosity. I have created a
donate page for anyone wishing to contribute. Your support will help keep IceInSpace online and continuing to grow and develop.
Thankyou, the IceInSpace community for a great 6 months. Here's to another 6 months and many more after that.
6 months of IceInSpace!
Thought it was an odd thing to do for a new user to call themselves "Administrator". 
