Everyone,
A year feels long as it transpires, yet so brief in retrospect. Just twelve months ago, a few enthusiasts came together and launched a little website called SFF Forum, and we couldn't have imagined all that would happen over the subsequent 365 days - nor what we'd announce (and where we'd be headed) thereafter.
We've got lots to share today, so let's get to it!
Here's to the next 100 users, the next 1000 posts, and the next 364 days of SFF!
-Joshua
A year feels long as it transpires, yet so brief in retrospect. Just twelve months ago, a few enthusiasts came together and launched a little website called SFF Forum, and we couldn't have imagined all that would happen over the subsequent 365 days - nor what we'd announce (and where we'd be headed) thereafter.
We've got lots to share today, so let's get to it!
- Looking back: We've already had some retrospectives done on the first half of SFF Forum's existence - including the launch of SFF Forum 2.0 and SFF Network - but our pace of development and growth alike has accelerated significantly since then. We've introduced a new podcast, Low Volume, and expanded SFF Network's content by bringing Jay into the newsroom and receiving a deluge of hardware samples to review. We've also deployed multiple feature-rich updates to the forum, and introduced Supporter Subscriptions, which provide advanced features that make the forum experience even better. And the cumulative result of all of this hasn't been lost on the SFF community, as the growth rate of SFF Forum has been phenomenal: it took half as much time to reach 200 members than it did 100, for example. We've had over 100 members join in 2016 alone, in fact - and all meaningful metrics, from active users, to post counts, have seen double or triple-digit growth over the last three months, with daily traffic consistently being measured in the thousands.
- Announcing SFF Wiki: It's perhaps the worst-kept secret we have going, but we're super-excited to finally (and officially) announce SFF Wiki, and open it fully to the public. Although it remains very much in its infancy (with a quantity of content to match), SFF Wiki is the start of what we hope will become a robust repository of information on components, standards, build/mod guides, and other intelligence, that PC enthusiasts of all stripes can contribute to and rely upon as they work on their own machines. We've already solicited the help of some of the most knowledgeable members of the community to spearhead creating some of the first entries, but by bringing SFF Wiki live for everyone, we can finally begin the process of aggregating as much knowledge as possible, both from and for the community. It's our most experimental venture yet, but also the one with the most potential to enable enthusiasts - and even those unconcerned with SFF in particular - to be better informed, and better builders as a result.
- Looking ahead: 2016 is going to be an impressive year for SFF, with exciting components and technologies on the horizon, and renewed focus on the SFF market by many manufacturers. As such, we have much in store for the community in response, from more original reviews on SFF Network, to interviews with key community members on Low Volume, to some really exciting opportunities on SFF Forum that should help to continue our trajectory of growth, and engage with the community even more. We've spent year one building the foundation of websites and infrastructure to support our work in the long term, but year two will focus on expanding what we've got, and making our network of sites the very best it can be.
- And, finally, a giveaway!: When we said we wanted to celebrate, we meant it, and to do just that we have not one, but two fabulous components to give away today in recognition of 365 days of SFF Forum: A Prolimatech Samuel 17, and a short MSI GTX 950! To enter the random drawing to win either of these, simply post on this thread by February 29th, 11:59 PM EST, and we'll randomly select two winners. Just note that we'll be delivering from the United States, and that while anyone can enter, costs beyond shipping (taxes, duties, etc.) are the responsibility of the recipient.
Here's to the next 100 users, the next 1000 posts, and the next 364 days of SFF!
-Joshua
