How to celebrate forums 10th anniversary?

Mouth

Mouth

Well-known member
My site was started 13 years ago, with the the very first forums added to the site almost 10 years. So, in just 6 weeks time it will be the 10th anniversary of my site's forum. (for this interested, phpBB -> vbulletin -> xenforo )

Interested in some thoughts and ideas on how to mark/celebrate such an auspicious milestone with the site community? How would (did?) you celebrate it?
 
Or beer, there must always beer and cake.

Guinness cake with a pint (of 6) or Guinness.

On a less serious note though :) Maybe you could do a few competitions or give aways?
 
We have budget just for this....

It's not for hosting, for administrative work, legal support, domain names, software licenses, or renewing anything .... It is just for our 10th Anniversary.

Socially Uncensored will be 3 years old this year..... :cautious:

My advise.... Go big or go home.
 
What about a Memories collection - ask members who date back to recall what it was like back then ... and the most interesting challenges and pleasures along the way?

Put their contributions in a private forum and open it on the day.Add a sticky to the top or a decorative Notice honouring the contributors by name as your ancestrals.
If it looks interesting enough as you collect stuff, issue a puff about it in advance.

It might populate eagerly or you may need to coax and recruit and then chase your candidates.
 
Go for a simple contest, so that everyone can participate, and have a awesome prize.

Also do a style update something cheesy like "10 Years is just the beginning" etc...I'd go far as adding balloon graphics on the header.

BUT do not add those annoying flash fireworks. lol.
 
[PS] Unless you have quite a few old fogeys so you can be confident of at least some response to a call for contributions, I suggest a personal contact PC to ask them to join the project - with lashings of flattery about how important they are/ how great it i to have them still with you.

People LOVE to be personally invited rather than asked to volunteer.

Re the Notice at top of forum page, (most) people love their name up in lights evn better with a graceful message from you with a few words about each one of them. This also acts as a teaser and summary to readers.
 
Maybe a prize is to feature a display article about THEIR bike with pics they supply?
Ive seen this done in a paper magazine for model boat owners and they love it. Your members presumably put love and money into their bikes and each has a story.

By the way great looking forum.
 
Real life meet up/party/ride.

Pre-event competition of some kind, with the first prize including flights accom to the event maybe?
 
Issue a mug with your logo/ Tshirt with your logo/ badge
sell it cost price for a week at the anniversary

Is there something specifically bike related - like a tool of some kind you could get a discount on?
Or get it printed with your logo? a tools bag?
 
Thanks everyone, some terrific ideas in there!
I agree cake and beer ... BUT (isn't there always one), we are Australian and for those that don't know, all of Europe and then some would fit into Australia, so it's a very wide and far apart community to be sharing cake and beer or meetups and has, unfortunately, put noses out of joint if some regions miss out :(

Memories collection, contest and prize, style dress-up, free premium membership, feature article, cost price mug/tshirt ... all great stuff. Maybe I should just do all of them? :) Will be hard to pick.

0xym0r0n said:
Forum swag?
Click to expand...
Sorry, that is?
 
Our site, which is a Pokémon one, did a post with memories from staff (and comments open for members), a contest where we ran a Pokémon distribution for all entrants and a physical prize for the winner, and to top it all off... we announced that we'd be moving to XenForo :D
 
Mouth said:
Thanks everyone, some terrific ideas in there!
I agree cake and beer ... BUT (isn't there always one), we are Australian and for those that don't know, all of Europe and then some would fit into Australia, so it's a very wide and far apart community to be sharing cake and beer or meetups and has, unfortunately, put noses out of joint if some regions miss out :(

Memories collection, contest and prize, style dress-up, free premium membership, feature article, cost price mug/tshirt ... all great stuff. Maybe I should just do all of them? :) Will be hard to pick.


Sorry, that is?
Click to expand...

LOL Aussie sites have meet ups too :p Air fares are very cheap if you book ahead and choose a popular destination. I am Australian also btw.


But sure, if it doesn't work for your site, no probs.

You could always have a virtual meet up, we used to do that on one of our sites, every now and again we would have a virtual party and invite everyone to be online at X time... it was an absolute hoot, we closed off the whole forum but for one special party forum which had a unique party theme, and the members usually did 5 or 6 pages worth of threads in the party time frame! It was insanely good fun.

There are a lot of ideas you could go with along the lines of competitions at the virtual party too, give aways, best dressed (avatar) etc.
 
Congratulations on getting to 10 :)

We've done a few things over the years. Mostly along the lines of "online parties" with quizzes, competitions, plus giveaways with car stickers and the likes (these and "limited edition" enamel badges are great for members and help plug your site too). If you have any sponsors or advertisers you know, they might be willing to put up a prize for a competition at no cost to you, in return for some free advertising. Everyone wins with that one.

Birthdays are always good PR and show you're a long standing community. Mine is 12 now (my site is over 14 years old). I do like to check the member list now and again to see who is the longest serving, still active, member apart from me :)
 
Mouth said:
My site was started 13 years ago, with the the very first forums added to the site almost 10 years. So, in just 6 weeks time it will be the 10th anniversary of my site's forum. (for this interested, phpBB -> vbulletin -> xenforo )

Interested in some thoughts and ideas on how to mark/celebrate such an auspicious milestone with the site community? How would (did?) you celebrate it?
Click to expand...
Get pissed, I would.
 
Back
Top Bottom