UK Defence Forum - A Year On

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The Armchair Soldier
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UK Defence Forum - A Year On

Post by The Armchair Soldier »

Well, doesn't time fly? The UK Defence Forum is officially a year old as of today (well, technically, a year and a day old, since the forum was created on the 28th but opened to the public on the 29th). Me and RetroSicotte thought we'd put together a special thread to mark the occasion.

Firstly, thanks. You're all amazing. We're hoping not to make this thread a huge cheesefest, but, just know that all your contributions are appreciated and highly valued. We can't thank you all enough for signing up and making this forum as enjoyable as it has been.

A special thank you goes out to all those who have provided such informative posts over the past year; to those who shared their personal experiences, their detailed analysis, and for sharing those easy-to-miss but important news items.

A special thank you also goes out to our Senior Members: shark bait, marktigger, arfah, ArmChairCivvy and SKB. The rate at which you guys post is incredible. Your devotion (and everyone else's) is greatly appreciated.

To show everyone our appreciation, we have added a new style to the forum, very different to the others. It's called "Digi (Red)" and it's a dark style unlike the others. It will probably be a lot more comforting to your eyes. We hope you enjoy it.


Now, let's briefly reflect on our first year:

The UK Defence Forum (UKDF) was set up following the closure of a website that many of us kept close to heart: MilitaryPhotos.net. That site was a joy to many, including myself. The QE-class carrier thread, in particular, was something special. That thread was the reason many of us (including myself) joined in the first place.

When MP.net announced its closure, we simply couldn't let everyone go their separate ways and disappear. We rushed out to build another site to host our discussions, and, after two days of planning, building and sending out invites, the UK Defence Forum was finally born.

Shortly after opening, ThinkDefence.com announced the closure of its "Open Thread" section (an open discussion area similar to a forum). Although I was never part of it myself, I am aware that the Open Threads were hugely popular and had a very devoted following. When it closed, Think Defence encouraged his members to move their discussions here. A heartfelt thank you goes out to him for doing that. It made a massive difference to our activity.

We hope the UK Defence Forum has been a good substitute for both of those amazing websites.

Now, onto some stats:

Since opening, we have accumulated 887 members, 21692 posts and 452 threads. That's far above what we were ever expecting to achieve in just one year.

Our daily stats are equally pleasing; 59.27 new posts daily, 1.24 new threads and 2.42 new members. Again, far more than we were ever expecting at this point.

So what have been the year's hightlights? Everyone probably has their own, but the SDSR has to be one of mine. It saw a huge increase in activity, not just whilst details were emerging, but in the aftermath as well. The SDSR saw the creation of several new equipment threads, including one for the new General Purpose Frigates, which is now our most active thread. The SDSR also revealed how well-informed our community was; if you go through the pre-SDSR posts in many threads, you'll notice how right many members were about the SDSR.

Of course, it hasn't all been happy and fun. In November, we were sadly informed of the passing of one of our most valued contributors and a good friend of many: desertswo. Desertswo provided unrivaled insight from his long career of experience, sharing both technical detail and amusing anecdotes with anyone willing to listen. He will be greatly missed.


Looking ahead, there's lots we can look forward to discussing: our first super carriers at sea, the arrival of new maritime patrol aircraft, our first fifth-generation fighters, more details emerging on our future surface combatants, the future structure of the army - plus, obviously, a lot more. UK defence is constantly changing; there will always be something new to discuss.

Although this anniversary proves that UKDF can and has worked, we will always seek to make it even better. Maintaining a high level of activity and a good quality of discussion will always be two of our highest priorities.

Over time, we will also seek to "freshen up" the forum by introducing new features; new member groups, titles, perhaps even new sections. We will also seek to increase our international following through partnerships with similar-sized national defence forums.

Now, we want to hear how you have found your first year on the UK Defence Forum. Please rate the following out of 5 (5 being the highest) and post your responses in this thread:

Your general enjoyment of the forum:
The quality of discussion:
The moderation:
The level of activity:

Additionally, if you feel like it, here's a few other questions:

How would you change the UK Defence Forum for the better?
Are there any particular threads or members which stand out for you?

Of course, if you have more to say beyond those questions, then please do let us know.

Your feedback will always be appreciated.

So, thanks again everyone and Happy Anniversary. Here's to another year and more!

The Armchair Soldier & RetroSicotte
UK Defence Forum Administration

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SKB
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Re: UK Defence Forum - A Year On

Post by SKB »

Happy First Birthday/Anniversary to the UKDF and thanks! :)

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ArmChairCivvy
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Re: UK Defence Forum - A Year On

Post by ArmChairCivvy »

The Armchair Soldier wrote: We will also seek to increase our international following through partnerships with similar-sized national defence forums.

Now, we want to hear how you have found your first year on the UK Defence Forum. Please rate the following out of 5 (5 being the highest) and post your responses in this thread:

Your general enjoyment of the forum:
The quality of discussion:
The moderation:
The level of activity:

Additionally, if you feel like it, here's a few other questions:

How would you change the UK Defence Forum for the better?
The beginning sentence answers the closing question: Such partnerships would surely bring more of a geopolitical angle into the threads (that was the loss from the TD Open Thread not continuing; both forums have Union Jacks as identifiers, but that does not mean that defence blogs should have purely a national point of view).

Discussion and moderation cannot be faulted; activity seems to gravitate towards ships (, and boats - I like them too, but land and air seem to have more sporadic bursts of activity).

To finish, UK Defence seems to have missed out on one Corps, but a logo will make up for it:

http://www.raidz3ro.com/media/catalog/p ... mbnail.jpg
Ever-lasting truths: Multi-year budgets/ planning by necessity have to address the painful questions; more often than not the Either-Or prevails over Both-And.
If everyone is thinking the same, then someone is not thinking (attributed to Patton)

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ArmChairCivvy
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Re: UK Defence Forum - A Year On

Post by ArmChairCivvy »

BTW,

I was not aware that you set this forum up in such a haste - what a great job!
Ever-lasting truths: Multi-year budgets/ planning by necessity have to address the painful questions; more often than not the Either-Or prevails over Both-And.
If everyone is thinking the same, then someone is not thinking (attributed to Patton)

arfah
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Re: UK Defence Forum - A Year On

Post by arfah »

.............
Admin Note: This user is banned after turning most of their old posts into spam. This is why you may see their posts containing nothing more than dots or symbols. We have decided to keep these posts in place as it shows where they once were and why other users may be replying to things no longer visible in the topic. We apologise for any inconvenience.

Tinman
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Re: UK Defence Forum - A Year On

Post by Tinman »

arfah wrote:Congratulations on your first year, well done!

What would I like?
I would like to see a wider international base of contributors discussing current events and tech procedures. I can be patient, though.

Generally, a bit more humour and light heartedness please.

Less Fanboi wishes and wet dreams.

Regards
What the loggie monkey said, there seems one fanboi who has a wish list bigger than a scousers compo.

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2HeadsBetter
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Re: UK Defence Forum - A Year On

Post by 2HeadsBetter »

"How would you change the UK Defence Forum for the better?" - Live coverage of the Ryder Cup would be nice.

Many happy returns.

arfah
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Re: UK Defence Forum - A Year On

Post by arfah »

:D Nice !
Admin Note: This user is banned after turning most of their old posts into spam. This is why you may see their posts containing nothing more than dots or symbols. We have decided to keep these posts in place as it shows where they once were and why other users may be replying to things no longer visible in the topic. We apologise for any inconvenience.

Dahedd
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Re: UK Defence Forum - A Year On

Post by Dahedd »

2HeadsBetter wrote: Live coverage of the Ryder Cup would be nice..
I'd rather watch paint dry 8-)


Thanks guys for all the work & dedication you've put into this forum.

downsizer
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Re: UK Defence Forum - A Year On

Post by downsizer »

Less pointless celebrity shit.

bobp
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Re: UK Defence Forum - A Year On

Post by bobp »

One year already, have enjoyed the forum immensely. How to improve reduce the amount of non defence subjects, such as Celebrity News as Downsizer mentioned above whilst keeping the politics and defence industry news.

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swoop
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Re: UK Defence Forum - A Year On

Post by swoop »

Well done, to everyone involved!

That went by rather quickly.

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SKB
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Re: UK Defence Forum - A Year On

Post by SKB »

Happy second anniversary/birthday UKDF :)

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Re: UK Defence Forum - A Year On

Post by SKB »

Happy THIRD anniversary UK Defence Forum! :clap:

Frenchie
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Re: UK Defence Forum - A Year On

Post by Frenchie »

Vive UK Defence Forum :thumbup:


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SKB
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Re: UK Defence Forum - A Year On

Post by SKB »

Happy FOURTH birthday UKDF! :clap:
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Re: UK Defence Forum - A Year On

Post by SKB »

Happy FIFTH birthday UKDF ! :clap:

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Re: UK Defence Forum - A Year On

Post by SKB »

Happy SIXTH Birthday, UKDF ! :clap:
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TheLoneRanger
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Re: UK Defence Forum - A Year On

Post by TheLoneRanger »

Happy Birthday.

I am truly truly grateful for having an easy to use website where I can come to discuss British defence issue - and indulge in my passion that the Tempest Programme!

I am happy that you have elected to use a forum software to make discussion threads long lived and easy(rather than another UK defence site that uses "comments" to posts which is not very good at all !!! ).

Keep it up! Here is to another few years of growth!!!!

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ArmChairCivvy
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Re: UK Defence Forum - A Year On

Post by ArmChairCivvy »

TheLoneRanger wrote: have elected to use a forum software to make discussion threads long lived and easy
I fully agree as that also helps to control the fragmentation of 'topics' into so many that nothing can be found from the earlier opinions/ contributed facts.

The platform, though, has a Microsoft English proof reading (for spellos) setting, which considering where we are is quire (sic!) irritating
- I appreciate that there might not be any alternative settings?
Ever-lasting truths: Multi-year budgets/ planning by necessity have to address the painful questions; more often than not the Either-Or prevails over Both-And.
If everyone is thinking the same, then someone is not thinking (attributed to Patton)

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The Armchair Soldier
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Re: UK Defence Forum - A Year On

Post by The Armchair Soldier »

ArmChairCivvy wrote:The platform, though, has a Microsoft English proof reading (for spellos) setting, which considering where we are is quire (sic!) irritating
- I appreciate that there might not be any alternative settings?
The forum software has no built-in spellchecker. Your spellchecker is probably built into whichever web browser you’re using to access the forum.

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