Ducati Monster Forum

As promised, I am writing to give information to members concerning the state of the DMF.   This is a litle earlier than a true quarterly report, but things have happened so quickly it's the right time.

We have been running for two months now although it feels like much longer (I suppose for the admins it is as you'll see some of our posts are from January).

In those two months we have over 2,400 members, almost 6,000 topics, and we're closing in on 100,000 posts.    Thank you, members.  You folks rock.  We made the url change smoothly and we have a logo.

Many of you have noticed that we have some sponsors on board now too.   They are guys and gals who have been involved with our addiction and are similarly aflicted, and are truly great resources not for just emptying our wallets but for helping along our education about riding, owning, maintaining, and modding Ducs.

Which brings us to money.  We currently have a little over $2,000.  Much of that is donations, which will be kept separate specifically for the running of the site (and the occassional beer for the admins if so specified when you donated...thanks, folks).   Running of the site includes any actual expenses we have and some rewards for the guys who have put in tremendous time above and beyond the simple schmoozing and talking I do for instance.

We now also have a small stream of sponsor fees coming in.  It is not much as we have continued to say this is not for making us wealthy...but we are hoping it can be seed money for some swag that everyone is clamoring for.

growth of the forum is not a primary goal.  While we are happy to have as many people as who want to join, this is not a commercial enterprise.  More people sharing the Ducati Monster enthusiasm is great and it simply widens the knowledge base and the social networking (having folks with the same interest all over the world is admittedly a lot of fun), but we're not simply trying to grow for the sake of growing and having statistics to show off.

More money in means more money out.   You all are great, but the minute you effect our taxes something is wrong and we'll be looking for ways to spend/donate/raffle/build/something.   We're a long way off from that, but it'll come.

I, and the other admins, will continue to be happy to answer any questions and we will attempt to be as transparent as possible concerning our goals, our thoughts for how the forum should run, the funds involved, etc. 

We all owe a big thanks to the 'webgeeks' who have been doing a ton of work to make this place work and look the way it does.  Thanks, guys. 

I am very happy to report that the state of the forum is good.  Thanks, everyone.

It feels like much longer than two months and I am amazed at how fast this community came back together. I offer my thanks to all of the admins and founders that made this place a reality.
Jon

+1.
Big THANK YOU  to the people how've made it happen. [thumbsup]
 [clap]

Oh boy -- when I saw the title "State of the Forum" -- my first thought was the bandwidth use might have exceeded the host locations limitations or a server upgrade was already required. Glad to see it isn't! (yet)

Given this has been only "live" for two months, I'm wondering what it will be like a year from now.  Lessons learned from TOB and a more open statements like this give me great hope that hopefully I have a home for many years to come.

Thanks everyone for building this site and making it happen!  It truly is appreciated.  [clap]

What about the WMD?  The African uranium connection?  Naked aggression?

But seriously, great news!  Thanks for the update.

Thanks for the update - and thanks for giving us all an excellent place to play!

Big thanks to the Flounders and Webgeeks! [thumbsup] [beer]

You flounders and geeks are doing one hell of a good job [thumbsup]
 [beer] [drink] [beer] [drink] [clap] [clap] [clap] [clap] [clap]

(http://celebrate10.wnd.com/files/celebrate10.wnd.com/images/shared/clinton_pointing.jpg)
"let me make this perfectly clear....I did not have relations with those Canadians"



Congrats Chris [beer]

WOOT!  [beer]  [beer]

(http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/files/bush-mission.jpg)

 [clap] [clap] [clap] [beer] [beer] [beer] [drink] (zig-zag man)

A huge thank you to the Flouders and webgeeks.

I love this bar.... ;D

 [drink] [beer] [wine]

webgeeks [beer]

i started lurking on the other one at about the time of the switch...mainly looking for 696 info.

seems like i made the right choice.

Thanks founders and webgeeks.  I don't know what I would do without this place.   [clap] [clap]

 [beer]

verrry nice!

I had just (FINALLY) purchased my monster when TOB went down the tubes...

Thanks for having me...  [thumbsup]

 [beer]  [drink]  [beer]

Big  [thumbsup] to all the Hard working people behind the scenes

Have a  [drink] or 5, You deserve it!!
 ;D

YaY for the DMF  [beer]

Thank you Flounders and web geeks! I wouldn't have met him without the forum!   [thumbsup]

There's no place like home... ;)

Cheers [thumbsup] [beer]

I'm gonna remember this statement   [laugh]

awww crap

So does this mean that Chris is the President of the DMF? [laugh] Most likely all the flounders just decided that the lawyer could say it best eh?


[laugh]


Oh, and of course, thank you!

hoorah for people who know more about the inner workings of computers and the internet so that I may learn more about the inner workings of my Duc.

thanks guys, glad to here it's going well.

I suggest if we are not going to have memberships, with cool things given and super stars  ;)

maybe a post up on donating when things get to low, to keep just enough in there. What ever is just enough.

I could always scratch up enough to make small donations now  [thumbsup]

As long as it isn't some monthly fee, where if you don't pay all your posts are gone  [puke]

You guys rock for having an alternate board when the motherland was invaded.  Thanks for all the hard work and for giving us miscreants a place to call home. 

 [beer] [thumbsup]

Yea,......... well .........that's all well and good, but I'm still a Jr. member! :'(

LA

 [thumbsup]

You guys are awesome!

 [beer]

Statler, thanks for the update, good to hear! [thumbsup]

Thanks guys, this is great!!!

http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=1241.0

thanks one and all for your efforts and initiative.  it's been impressive to say the least...    [beer]

Flounders and webgeeks ROCK  [beer]

It has only taken 4days, 9 hours, and 3 minutes of my time from 5 May to be here, but it feels longer.  Longer in a good way. 

You can use part of my donation for snacks too!   Good [drink] deserves good snacks  [clap]

 [beer] to all the flounders, thanks for the update.

I don't think I can say it better than anyone else has already.

Too see the growth of the community, I don't mean the site I mean the community, has just been amazing.  I had just started participating on the TOB about a week before the switch and I immediately knew that the reason that I had begun posting had moved and came over here.  Since then I've learned a ton and have hopefully contributed something for someone else to learn from. 

All of the people here have been amazing.  Answering mine, and others, questions without making us feel like idiots and welcoming new members with open arms.  Seeing cool pictures and videos, "hearing" cool stories, it's all been a ton of fun and I look forward to it continuing.

Thank you to all the flounders, webgeeks, and members that have made it all possible.

 [beer]

How to describe the DMF in one word: ROCKS!

Cheers, everyone!

Don't worry Larry, we all know better. You're just out riding more than posting!!   [thumbsup]


I resemble that remark!  [laugh]

So glad the Flounders and WebGeeks had the notion to do this. Otherwise I might actually have to get some work done when I'm not riding...  [evil]  THANKS AGAIN FOR EVERYTHING !!

That's all well and good, but, WHERE ARE THE T-SHIRTS  ;D

Seriously, Great Job Flounders and Webeeks [beer]

Big thx to everyone involved.  Long live the DMF!

I admitedly (sp?) didn't really read the previous posts in this thread, but all I can say is THANK YOU!!  [clap]

-Owning a Ducati is tough when you don't have people to go to for answers when the inevitable "Why does my bike do this?!?!" question arises, and it was sad to see a community fall apart that supported each other in this respect. Which makes this forum sooo great!!

-Plus, we LOVE all things desmodromic, and that's the most important thing!!   ;D

 [thumbsup] [clap]

Thanks to flounders and everybody in the background that made this work.  Shows that profit motive isn't always a force for good, is it?

Wasn't it A.C. Clarke that said any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic?

I think this place is pretty magic. 

thanks for the magic.

J

+1, well said Ash. Cheers to ALL involved and that includes you all, the members. - Chris

(http://www.therainmen.co.uk/Sallysbunch.jpg)
thanks for the new cage guys [thumbsup]

Ametuer!


I'm up over 10 days now! ;D

Yes, but Mary has a life and can spell  [evil]

you know, it's not about the amount of time spent here or the post count. it's the quality that really matters...

Ohh yeah, Chris et all, thanks for all this. It's nice to have a place to come and relax that feels like home.

A big congratulations and thanks to the flounders and geeks for putting this together for us!  [beer]

Oh, and on a side note, we now come up #2 on a Google search.  Just have to pass TOB for the #1 spot.

 [beer]

Common error, I transposed the letters.... ;D


You only say that now you are not the top poster....

I went from anger ,to utter dispair to think our world as we knew it was going away . Then just like a terrible storm after all the thunder and lighting ,suddenly the sun comes out and everything smells new and fresh . Most of all it's like deja vu allover again . We are back in our world and everything is ok. Life is good and our friends are still our friends .

Thanks to the powers that be for all the hard work and perserverance to see the dream come to fruition. We told them and you showed them that we meant what we were saying and poof...we were gone. Forever grateful.    Dolph

Oh absolutely not.   And I think the other guys could have said it a lot better, it was just my turn to do some actual work around here   ;D


 [moto]

A big thank you to the folks that made this site happen.  [thumbsup]

Thanks to the old timers who jumped over here. A lot of names I recognize but it seems too few compared to all the guys and gals that were on TOB.  I guess the family split up and went to different and new places.

Thanks to the new members that are finding this place. Hope you like it as much as the rest of us do!

Reverend, I don't know when you last checked, but today a Google search for "ducati monster forum" shows this site to be Number One.   [beer]

Just thought you'd like to know.   8)

...but if you google Ducati Monster...

we're on the bottom of page 5...

who cares?

It will change...

everything always does.

Hmmmmm....Did I ever say "Thanks guys"?  Probably not.  Too busy off on a rant somewhere instead!

             [roll]    Sheesh........Some people's kids!!    [roll]


THANKS GUYS !!

That's already a huge improvement from a couple weeks ago.  Things like this take time and with the kind of traffic we have here, it's only a matter of time before we're on page 1 and then result 1!

WOO HOO!!!!!11!1!

thanks for the hard work guys  [thumbsup]


 [beer] [beer] [beer] [bacon]

But two weeks ago it was on the bottom of page 9.

...like I said...

who cares?   ;D

It will change.   [thumbsup]

Thanks for all of your hard work guys.   [clap]

Like I said in a previous post, instead of using a bookmark for this site....do a google search and go from there!

Too lazy for that...

Thank you to all that brought the list back home. [beer]

 [thumbsup] [clap]

i love it here....!!!

 [beer]

haven't kept this one up to date...

Accounting for server costs from September 2012 on, we have just under two years worth of reserve if all the money dried up tomorrow.  2012 Sponsor stuff is up in the air (my delay not theirs) so likely all good.

Carry on...

Once again...

Thank you to all the Flounders for giving us a house to play in, and all the members who make it a home...   

[beer] [beer] [beer] [beer] [beer]





 [bacon]

Another update....


http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=ducati+monster&gbv=2&oq=ducati+monster&aq=f&aqi=g10&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=1481l3799l0l4964l14l14l0l5l5l0l173l914l6.3l9l0 (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=ducati+monster&gbv=2&oq=ducati+monster&aq=f&aqi=g10&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=1481l3799l0l4964l14l14l0l5l5l0l173l914l6.3l9l0)

Half way down but still on page 1.   [thumbsup]


Thanks Flounders!!  [beer]
I can't imagine a better place!

Thank you flounders, I haven't been here from the start, I don't have a Monster anymore but I still love this place!

I'm glad were on Page 1. And the old Board? I didn't see it anywhere. Hitler must be really mad at us.  ;D

                                                    [Dolph] Thanks from Australia  [drink][Dolph]

This forum has helped me meet some great people and enjoy some fantastic riding with those people.
 [beer]  you flounders have built a nice place to be. [bow_down]

The point of our donations was to get the Flounders drunk. Did that happen?




Our house even has a nice bacon smell [thumbsup]

Total Members:   9506
Total Posts:   955439
Total Topics:   44714

Average registrations per day:   14.84
Average posts per day:   698.24
Average topics per day:   37.52
Average online per day:   128.69


There's only one thing I would fix:
Male to Female Ratio:   10.1:1

(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5120/5894591262_404213c9a9.jpg)

leg humper....LOL

 8)






 [bacon]

Certainly did!!!  Thanks guys/gals!  [thumbsup]