10th anniversary .....we have made it !!!
Jul 24, 2014 5:53:48 GMT 10
cobber, DC3Td, and 2 more like this
Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2014 5:53:48 GMT 10
Well folks, congratulations! ......we have made it
If you have a look at the forum age down the bottom of the forum, ..............we've finally hit the BIG 10 !!
and what a journey it's been! ......many thanks to one and all for making this forum what it is today
!So, how did the forum start anyway
........The website vintagecaravans.com was started in August 2002.
I had no idea about building websites or web pages, so I employed webdesigners.
I provided the content , and advised them how I wanted the website formatted.
Following the launch of the website, I starting receiving emails to the mark@vintagecaravans.com mailbox. The mail grew ....... and grew and grew......... stories and pictures from people all over Australia about their caravanning experiences and also pics from likeminded people wanting to match an old caravan with their classic car.
One of the most interesting letters I received via snail mail was from from a fellow by the name of "Richard Dickins" (forum member Don Ricardo), who explained the story of his family's Don caravan, and how he and his wife were caravanning in Dad's old Don caravan, and had been for many years. He described his Don caravan to me in minute detail, which was of a lot of interest because I had recently purchased a Don caravan.
My first knowledge of internet forums was when a mate from the local West Australian "FE FC Holden club" (in which I am still a member) told me about a forum that the National FE FE Holden clubs had started. He encouraged me to join and get involved, that I did……….the date was August 2003.
My mind started ticking of how good it would be to have a forum for the vintage caravan hobby. Instead of interested people emailing me, they could post their stories and pictures for the whole world to see, and share and enjoy.
But how do I start an internet forum? .............with me not being a "tech-head",……. I had no idea.
In early 2004 there were a few emails and phone discussions between myself and Ret, the guy who designed and kicked off the FE FC discussion forum. Being an IT guy by employment, Ret's computer literacy was way ahead of mine, so whilst I appreciated his advise, it was going nowhere…....….I still had no idea
.What can I do
?.........how I can I start a forum 
?........ then a brainwave 
, I'll advertise in the local community newspaper for someone computer literate to start an internet forum. I got a reply from the mother of a 16 year old, her boy was studying IT at school and she believed he could assist.And that he did
...........he found "proboards forums" and set up our forum, I emailed him the format I required, but he set it up. I never actually met the young guy, and his phone communication skills were lacking, but he delivered the goods! ......Then a week or so later (must've been around July 23 2004) I received an email with a link with basic instructions that opened our new forum! …..................................wow
what a moment!Jenni (forum name ditzygypsy), did the opening "welcome" post, which remains on the forum today:
vintagecaravans.proboards.com/thread/1/welcome
The rest my friends, ……….as they say is history!
Fact: ..............................there were no facebook or twitter when the forum started........yeah folks, we kinda had our own version of facebook happening, ....because it's the faces and people that have made our V V community what it is today .........the caravans and cars are merely tools to enable like minded people to have a great time!
What was happening in my shed (well....... for need of a shed
) at the time I started the forum (July 2004)?on a ladder in PJ's
so what were YOU doing in July 2004?
Mark
), 10 years later we're still here and still having some fantastic fun meeting new people on the various outings that are organised on an ad hoc basis nationally.
).