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posted by janrinok on Monday February 13 2023, @09:15AM   Printer-friendly
from the Happy-Birthday dept.

On the 12 February 2014, SoylentNews published its first 'official' discussion wittily entitled "Welcome to SoylentNews!"

There were 23 comments to that story but that belies the incredible effort made by a small team of enthusiasts who were determined to create and manage a site that lived up to their own expectations of how a site should behave. There are no advertisements and we are not beholden to any corporate group or business interest. All the support is still completely voluntary. We have also committed ourselves to reaching at least the 10 year birthday celebration too.

In the first story, a certain NCommander made the following remark:

Now that we're here, we hope to have made the wait worth it, but we depend on everyone in the community. To make this site a success, we depend on each and every single user even if its just from passing word of mouth. Remember, every single user can submit stories, moderate, and contribute to discussions all at the same time, and that's what makes us unique. May I be the first to welcome you to your new home.

That is just as true today as it was then. We are in a similar position to that in which we found ourselves 9 years ago. Software is having to be rewritten and repackaged. It is still based on software written 10 years before we even went live. It works but has a specific set of requirements that are becoming increasingly more difficult to meet. Hardware is being restructured necessitated by the changing economic circumstances that we as a site, individuals, and a community are having to learn to live with.

To say that it has not all been smooth sailing would be an understatement. The world and our community have changed far more than anyone could have envisaged in those first few weeks and months. The site has had to change also - sometimes to enhance what we offer each other as a community and at other times to prevent all of the good work being undone by a small number of people, one result of their actions being to drive away a significant proportion of our community. But here we are - a bit battered and bruised but preparing to move forward while meeting both legal requirements and community expectations as we do so.

Being in the same situation that we found ourselves in 2014 means that NCommander's words are just as relevant today as they were back then. We rely on the community to help us in exactly the same way. We would like to rebuild the community and we can do that with your help by word of mouth. We still rely on your submissions, comments and moderations so please continue to make them. And we are also in need of people who are willing to give a small amount of their time to a wide range of tasks that are necessary to keep the site operational. There is no specific commitment of time or effort - just to contribute whatever you are comfortable with. Get in touch and let us know what interests you, and we will look for a role that will meet those interests wherever possible. If we find a match then we will both benefit but if not there is no commitment on you to join the team.

As I write this we are trying to introduce 2 new volunteers to the sys-ops team, and possibly another editor in the next few weeks - more on that once they have found their seats!

However, if nothing else, please keep doing what you have been doing to support the site - your comments and views are what makes this site what it is. The site is nothing without the community.

Jan

Related Stories

Welcome to SoylentNews! 23 comments
I know it's been a long wait, but we've been steadily moving towards launch. With luck, you're reading this on the main index of the site, which means we've gone, and haven't gone mad in the process. Now that we're here, we hope to have made the wait worth it, but we depend on everyone in the community. To make this site a success, we depend on each and every single user even if its just from passing word of mouth. Remember, every single user can submit stories, moderate, and contribute to discussions all at the same time, and that's what makes us unique. May I be the first to welcome you to your new home.
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  • (Score: 5, Funny) by Rosco P. Coltrane on Monday February 13 2023, @09:47AM

    by Rosco P. Coltrane (4757) on Monday February 13 2023, @09:47AM (#1291513)

    SoylentNews published its first 'official' discussion wittily entitled "Welcome to SoylentNews!"

    The SN operators had a back and forth wondering whether the first post should read "Welcome to SoylentNews" or "Hello: kindly go fuck yourself", and eventually decided on the first option. And off it was to a good start!

  • (Score: 5, Interesting) by coolgopher on Monday February 13 2023, @10:16AM (4 children)

    by coolgopher (1157) on Monday February 13 2023, @10:16AM (#1291518)

    Let's celebrate with a rousing Buck Feta! then :D

    Honestly, the threads here have been of far higher quality than the green site at the time, so thanks to everyone who's been contributing positively!

    • (Score: 3, Funny) by MostCynical on Monday February 13 2023, @10:57AM (1 child)

      by MostCynical (2589) on Monday February 13 2023, @10:57AM (#1291524) Journal

      is there an official tune, or is it a chant?

      --
      "I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
      • (Score: 4, Funny) by pTamok on Monday February 13 2023, @11:34AM

        by pTamok (3042) on Monday February 13 2023, @11:34AM (#1291531)

        Lawyers, doctors

        Sheiks and bakers

        Mountaineers and undertakers

        Get their fix from Soylent News

        With a rousing cheer of

        Buck Feta!

        Inspiration [burma-shave.org]

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 13 2023, @07:19PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 13 2023, @07:19PM (#1291605)

      > Honestly, the threads here have been of far higher quality than the green site at the time, so thanks to everyone who's been contributing positively!

      Even our shit stinks worse. You can't ask for more than that.

    • (Score: 3, Funny) by kazzie on Monday February 13 2023, @09:04PM

      by kazzie (5309) Subscriber Badge on Monday February 13 2023, @09:04PM (#1291621)

      With inflation the way it is, can you still find feta cheese for a dollar?

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 13 2023, @11:04AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 13 2023, @11:04AM (#1291525)

    See you again when we hit double digits

  • (Score: 4, Touché) by timbim on Monday February 13 2023, @12:08PM (3 children)

    by timbim (907) on Monday February 13 2023, @12:08PM (#1291534)

    How could it be 9 years old? I thought we all left slashdot after they ruined their UX. That couldn't have been 9 years ago..

    • (Score: 3, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 13 2023, @12:48PM (2 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 13 2023, @12:48PM (#1291538)

      We suffered under the UX and new owners for a while before building our own place. Or as we can say now, we got a certain distance down the enshittification path before jumping ship.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 13 2023, @07:25PM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 13 2023, @07:25PM (#1291607)

        When I go there now, it looks like professional news stories or opinion pieces, not user stories. I.e. bland corporate mush. Is that what everyone else sees?

        • (Score: 3, Touché) by SomeGuy on Tuesday February 14 2023, @12:59AM

          by SomeGuy (5632) on Tuesday February 14 2023, @12:59AM (#1291659)

          Well, on the brighter side, they haven't adopted dizzying literal seizure inducing full motion video backgrounds yet that makes the site totally unreadable, like every other "modern" web site.

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