Happy Anniversary Mudflats Forum!
Today, in addition to being “Talk Like a Pirate Day,” is the first anniversary of the Mudflats Forum!
Some of you are Forum devotees, and others have looked warily at that little link over on the sidebar and have wondered what might be in there, but haven’t checked it out yet.
The Forum, for those of you who don’t know, is rather like a big lodge with hundreds of little rooms, each dedicated to a different purpose. There are places to talk about the economy, about health care reform, about world politics and more. There’s a whole section called The Alaska Lodge where you can discuss local Alaskan politics and events in the area. There are places to organize meetups, or just get to know more than 2000 of your closest friends.
There’s even a coffee lounge where you can hang out and talk about things that have nothing to do with politics. We all need a break some time! Do you love writing, gardening, movies, quilting, books? Join a club! Create a thread to give support to a fellow Mudflatter in need. Periodically, there are swaps where Mudflatters send each other fun things in the mail…yes, the REAL mail! Imagine that! There’s even one going on right now!
You can even use the live chat feature for those times you want instant conversation with fun and fascinating people, and a “Shout box” to deliver a quick hit & run message to the group.
How is all this possible, you may wonder? Doesn’t this take an army of people to manage it all? Actually, yes it does! I know I am constantly amazed by the time and effort put in to the Forum by our wonderful staff of administrators and moderators. Yes, it does take a staff to keep all these wonderful rooms neat and tidy and ready for people to drop in, and they hail from Alaska to Australia, Japan, Hawaii, Ireland, France, Wisconsin and points across the globe.
So, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of those people who have participated in that process over the last year, giving an extra special huge thank you to Snoskred. The Forum was her brainchild, and her labor of love for this community. There’s no way to thank her enough, but we can try by giving a virtual standing ovation.
(This is where we imagine Snoskred standing on stage and me running up with a big bouquet of flowers while the whole audience of Mudpuppies stands and applauds wildly!)
While you’re all on your feet, keep up the applause for the rest of the Administrators and Moderators over the last year who have made the Forum possible. (They all run out from the wings on to the stage)
Current forum staff -
Aeroentropy
Alex
BigSlick
Cassie Jeep Pike Palin
Charcoal Sniper P.
daMamma
Deb aka commando coalfire
Deep Blue
Erin
ForumAdministrator
Forty Watt
Futurexpat?
Irishgirl Rosebud
Jaime from Wasilla
Jamie
Lani formerly Bash Budweiser
Memphis, NY
MonaLisa(inCT)
Rubo
Sephyroth
Serverguy
Sirenoftitan
TRconnie
Writing from Alaska
Past forum staff -
Amused and Bewildered
Deb the SwinePrincess
DownInMississippi
Harley Pinocchio Palin
Icy Russia Palin
Ira2
LJP aka Revolver Trooper
Kiterea
Julia O
Obamanos!
Palmdale, CA aka Gini
Phnxrising
Proud2bUSA Krinkle Bear
Rankle Hiway / Rabid Kayaker
Thanks to all of you, and to anyone I may have overlooked inadvertently. Please drop me a note if I’ve left someone off the list, so I can add them in!
I like the vision of us all running in from the wings, then we all join hands and do a synchronized bow for the audience!!
Forum is a GREAT place!
Those who are a bit wary…take the plunge!
It’s loads o’fun!
oh, and chat is a place where we can be all just let our hair down…so to speak…
ya have to go through the forums to get to chat….
It’s also a place where you can stay up all night waiting for the baby chicks to be hatched!! When you know you have to be up at the crack of dawn; lol
Thanks for a wonderful job that you all (Administrators) have done to the site. Thanks AKM and the Mudpups for continuous stimulating conversations.
Ahoy Mateys and Happy Anniversary to the forum.
I am amazed every time I go to live chat, and I encourage anyone who has not been there to just do it. What a warm and wonderful group of people. I add my thanks and my congratulations to all the moderators and of course to AKM, because it is the work of many people to make the blog and the chat a friendly, respectful, and informative place.
If the rest of the internet was like this, I can’t imagine where we, as a country, would be. I can hope, though….
Aaargh, me compliments to Snos and all the admins (it be damn hard to say that in pirate).
lol, Claw! indeedydo!!!!
chickie nugget sez “sqauck ahoy ya bilge ratz!”
and so ends speak like a pirate day…..
Thank you AKMuckraker and the Mudflats technical support groups! You are all wonderful and I thank God for y’all. I generally wander into the Forum when it’s late and I’ve read the comments here. It’s a good place to wander around in. Try it, you’ll find something that suits your fancy.
AKM-
I appreciate the forum for the PM function .
I’m one of those who gets lost over there otherwise though… whew.
Busy place…
I’m a hick.
I get lost.
Oh , well.
Thanks for providing a zillion ways for folks to share ideas, information ,and interests.
Even if I only use 2 of em…
But I get really scared and run away.
Running away must be hard if you are a global village – everyplace you go – there you are!
I don’t do the forum nor the live chat so I guess I don’t fit. I have been here since the beginning but I’m guessing that only matters to me.
I’m computer challenged and would have a panic attack on live chat anyway.
Whatever, I get it, I don’t fit
Michigander, you do too fit!! You just don’t do forum yet. Stick with us kiddo and we’ll make you into a geek yet!! LOL! I started on a Webtv in 1998. If anybody had told me then that I would be a Cybergranny, I would have said they were crackers. I learned a whole lot of stuff from other grannies like me and I pass it on to anybody who wants to learn. Once you get the hang of chat, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it. If you want some info or even a friendly hand holding, just leaqve a post on open thread and I’ll be happy to help. Hugs to my fellow mudpuppy.
Hey Michigander, cheer up….just because you don’t go to the forums doesn’t mean you don’t fit. I love listening to you here on the blog .
((((Michigander))))
Hey, and less of the Rosebud AKM…..I ditched that name months ago!!
The rosebud was my fault.
Sorry Irish! 
~ HAPPY BIRTHDAY ~
meant to say happy anniversary LOL, well i guess it it a birthday of some sort
I USED to be MonaLisa(inCT) ‘cuz you never know how many MonaLisa’s are lurkin’ around. Then I morphed into MonaLisa IS MY NAME! (once Ak leg. Doogan outed AKM ‘cuz HE felt she needed to be named… still makes me go ‘Grrr!’). Now I’m MonaLisa IS FIRED UP, READY TO GO!
‘Cuz I am!
But on the forum, I AM still MonaLisa(inCT). I’m gonna go search for ‘gardening rooms’ now (thanks for the heads up, AKM!) and see what people in my hemisphere are harvesting (and see what’s just springing up Down Under!)
Happy Anniversary, fellow lodgers! Many more years to us all!
Anniversary, Birthdays, both are fun. Especially, if your a mudpuppy. Happy Anniversary to the Mudflats Forum.
Now it’s time for cake and ice cream.
Happy anniversary and many, many thanks to all! ((((warm hugs))))
Happy Birthday Forum and all who sail in her. Oops, I’m still on Talk Like a Pirate Day.
I signed up for the Forum at the beginning, had a look, panicked and didn’t go back for eons. When I did, I can’t tell you how many virtual hands reached out to me to guide me through the process. The first two posts I made were a hot mess, in the wrong place, quote boxes skittering about all over the shop with no actual quotes anywhere to be found, I could go on……
Now I am a virtual helping hand myself. Who would have thunk it? Thank you to everyone, within and without the Forum. You’re all great in my book.
Happy Anniversary AKM!
Happy Aniversary Mudflats!
I have been lurking here for at least half the year if not longer. I can’t remember when I found this site of sanity but I know I found it while searching for info on SP during the election so probably closer to a year. I didn’t post until a few months ago however. I enjoy this site on a daily basis and will start going deeper into the forum and chat for more interaction.
Thanks for the wonderful time I have enjoyed with the gorgeous pictures and the funny, irreverant, thoughtful thoughts shared by all. I am truly a Mudflatter at heart!
Re #1 – Writing from Alaska
Great vision! Please include me in front row center, applauding wildly.
Great job, all!
happy anniversary mudflats!!! akm and staff, you are the best. i love the chat room but i am a very very slow typist so i don’t say much. i also love to check out the mudflats cook book. there are some amazing recipes and most are easy to prepare. thanks, everyone for putting up with this two fingered typist…..also, too, i am no longer a greenhorn. i am now a Community Organizer! i am so proud and happy about that. kisses and hugs akm!!
****michigander***if i fit, you fit. i type with two fingers. sometimes i type with one finger depending on pain in the right hand. also sometimes i type with one eye closed depending on whether they are both tracking together. or not. so come on in and feel at home. and because i told my mudpup friends what was happening to me, they responded from clear across the country and now i am much better. very seldom do i have disabling pain anywhere. i am eating right, taking the right vitamins and feeling FIRED UP AND READY TO GO!!!
I thank all your virtual hands (I am pretty sure they are attached to real people) for helping me out (like the quote box, for instance). I love the forum, and I am terribly keyboard and computer challenged, so any of you could do it too. My kids brought this computer into my office when they got tired of me asking them to look stuff up all the time! A year or so ago, I went to look up Alaska info for my sister who moved there (no, SHE doesn’t compute) I found Mudflats. I suddenly found a world of people, and new friends, not just the local information I came to find. I thank you all, and AKM for making it happen. HUGS!
Thank AKM you. You have created a place that informs, gives one the opportunity to express themselves and socially just enjoy each others company. And thank you STAFF, it all seem to just happen. But I think we all know it only happens because you are there.
Happy Birthday
Mudflats Forum!
I think that should be. Thank you AKM
Happy Happy Birthday to all, from our oldest friends to our newest newbies! I am stunned, I can’t believe a whole year has gone by already! WOW, WOW and WOW!
Special thankyous to AKM who dreamed it, Snos who built it, all our Admins and my fellow Mods that keep it and of course all our members who make it work.
michigander, pardon me if I choose to beg to differ with you. I believe you do fit, and very nicely too! All of us ‘old hands’ were newbies and not too adept at this whole computer stuff once. If you don’t hang on the forum because it is not your thing, that’s cool. I don’t hang on the blog either and rarely visit here. I simply prefer the forum atmosphere.
If you (or any other member) ever wish to take a peek at the forum, you will always be most welcome! Feel free to wander around and explore the place at your leisure. We Mods, and Admins too, are always available and happy to help or answer any questions folks may have.
I was a little distracted this morning when I posted and I forgot to say Happy Birthday. Also too, a HUGE thank you to AKM and Snoskred, the admins and my fellow mods.
I can remember all too well a year ago when Palin was nominated and I stumbled across Mudflats. I was hooked from the beginning. I loved AKM’s way with words, and the serious and hilarious comments on the blog. Gradually I got up the nerve to post a comment, I was very shy, but I felt I needed to be a part of all this, even if it was only from afar. Palin needed to be stopped and I wanted to be involved.
The night that the forums opened, I received an email from Snoskred asking me if I would be a moderator. I was stunned, but like Sarah, I didn’t blink. I said yes.
Much fun was had on the forums as we all taught each other how to use the quote boxes and merge topics. We started from scratch and we learned a lot on the way.
So, just saying this past year has been a blast. I have made so many new friends and even managed to visit them. And we now have President Obama!
{{{{{{{{{{{{{irish girl}}}}}}}}} HOLY MAMA OF MOE!! i just realized there were 5 heavy hitters at the nyc mudflats. JEEBUS! thank goodness i didn’t know. i would have jumped overboard. and sis with me. boy oh boy. gracious me.
Bubbles, I wouldn’t call us heavy hitters!
yes, you are irish girl. if you had not come, there would not have been what ended up a wonderful affair, on a perfect new york summers’ day on the Hudson. and i would still a lowly,lonely greenhorn. …bubs
I am faithful to the blog but only infrequently visit the forum and live chat. Bit I want to THANK YOU ALL for all that you do.
Happy Forum Anniversary to everyone !
I don’t spend nearly as much time exploring the forum as I’d like to. I’ve enjoyed the recipes and really like heading to the chat room a few times a week to blow off steam, regroup, share ideas and just laugh. ( awhile back I dubbed it “the tree fort” and I swear, that’s what it feels like to me. Climbing up top to hang with friends , getting away from things for a bit)
I appreciate every one of you and have learned much along the way. Thank you !
Goodness, if this is the anniversary, it means I’ve been lurking here since the beginning and didn’t even realize it. I know I first found this site the week the economy crashed. It seemed to me like it had been around quite awhile. Happy anniversary, everyone! This has been such a great place to visit this past year.
Ha Ha Bubbles! I am stealing your O HOLY MAMA OF MOE! That is the best I’ve heard in a beckin long time!
Thankyou so much for all your creativity, which has provided me with new friends, tons of information and loads of fun.
oh! I forgot to add a hello to 1smartcanerican @26 My Mom’s side is Canerican. Family in Fort Erie and St. Catherines.
Also wanted to give a big hello to all lurkers! I lurked for months and found this to be one of the very best online communities. Finally had to jump in and say hello. Glad I did !
{{{{{{{{{{{{letters from europe}}}}}}}}}}}} been meaning to give you a hug…bubs
(((bubbles)))). It was my privilege to meet you and your wonderful family.
thank you. irish girl are you saving up for next year? i heard somewhere that next year netroots will be in las vegas. if it is,it will be a blast.
Really?
I just checked in to see how the party is going–how about some guitar, Irishgirl rosebud?
Thank you BuffaloGal @42. I am West Coast Canerican (BC/WA) although I did live in Ottawa back in the olden days. Saying the years is too terrifying – it makes me feel really old!
I think there are lots of people with Canadian/American families, particularly along the border areas.
This is just the “bestest” place to listen in on others conversations and enjoy a few hours (daily).
Thanks to all!
I so appreciate the Flats, the Forum, & the Chat Room! A friendlier group of people can’t be found! I’ve made many new friends, all of them keepers!
I’ve been introduced to world politics, thanks mostly to Siren, where usually I would have skipped that part of the paper… I’ve found some great recipes, seen the helping hands of Mudpuppies on the Forum, in the Chat Room and here at the Flats.
Thanks to you AKM for being the inspiration to Snos for the Forum & Chat Room & many thanks to Snos & all her helpers at the forum!
Arrr Boodog….that was five bottles of rum talking!
Happy Anniversary Mudflats Forum! What a spectacular place! I’ve participated just a bit but my appreciation for the forum is immense. I can’t imagine the effort involved to establish and maintain it.
Hearty thanks to AKM, Snos, the Administrators and the Moderators! Snos, you deserve an all-day spa experience for your efforts!
Thanks to AKm,Snos the administrators and moderators that have kept this site on track.One day I will explore the forums.live chat I can’t keep up with people type to fast for me to keep up.