A letter from the outgoing CM, I_cant_Swim_

[I_cant_Swim_]

Six months and change, folks, was my time as acting Community Manager for DevStrike! In my last official editorial in this capacity, I’d like to spend a moment to reflect on these defining months, to look ahead, and to thank all those who got us here.

Half a year ago a group of ex-forumites came together, determined to save our unique community, and I do believe we’ve delivered. Today, DevStrike! is on the map. At six months our registered membership, now about one thousand, has reached the bracket we had expected for the first full year. For unregistered guests, an estimate is difficult (they’re not registered!) as we cannot tell how often the same guest returns. The numbers, though, appear to be in the thousands. In all, our membership has produced 43,000+ posts, which in turn have racked up nearly 3 million page clicks.

Our dedicated team of volunteer staff members have designed and put in place the most important infrastructure elements we need for the time ahead. DevStrike! forums and sub-forums are now complemented with ClanBase Clubs and Clans, a constellation we believe provides the necessary flexibility to adapt and grow in the years ahead. In the coming months, it will be our task to fill these new sections with good content. DevStrike! runs on a professional and highly capable platform, and our commitment to remain freely accessible (in almost all areas), independent, and free of advertising means that we must also strive to attract and retain new members with said content. This is the membership base that will ensure the survival of DevStrike! It is the base from which our future staff will be recruited, and also the base to which we must turn for funding support. The two important items for the fist year that remain on our To Do list - the Training Facility and our funding drive - are well on the way and should be available soon. With these items in place, I have no doubt that DevStrike! will secure its place on the internet landscape for years to come.

I’d like to pause here for a moment, to look back again at those turbulent times around Day Zero. Let us remember that, as we struggled first to come to terms with the loss of the old forums, and then with the fevered dash to create our space, we were not the only ones to try. Others offered the community safe harbor for at least an interim period on their existing websites, and yet others set out to create alternative forums themselves. Although we may not have made use of their sites, and although their new forums may not (yet) have succeeded, these kindred spirits deserve our thanks. For they too, are the embodiment of our community displaying resilience, our community trying to find a way forward. They too, are the spirit of DevStrike! So to them all, I offer heartfelt thanks, and I would be honored to welcome them here.

I have also had the honor of working alongside some great people, here at DevStrike! With gratitude I recall the support of the late Capt_of_Satisfaction, staff member and friend. I also thank those members of staff who, for various reasons, were not able to remain on the Team and have left. All your efforts are appreciated, and I wish you the best for the future.

DevStrike! staff colleagues, I salute you! I cannot thank you enough for your engagement in, and support of, our mission. The challenges we have faced till now, and overcome, have made abundantly clear to me that without you we would not be here today. You have moderated, produced content, created and led forum sections, discussed and helped solve all manner of issues. Heartfelt thanks to @yss_turtleship, @torino2dc, @SureBridge, @LittleWhiteMouse, @HogHammer, @Col_NASTY, @Chobittsu, @BOBTHEBALL, @Admiral_Karasu. I am honored that you accepted my leadership role, and I would be delighted to continue to work beside you in the future, under the  leadership of our next CM @HogHammer.

Last, but by no means least, I would like to thank you all, our members. For your faith in us, and in me, for giving us the space we needed to help us find our pace, e.g. in moderation, for the helpful feedback, and above all, for providing the fantastic content that makes us what we are as a forum. We are DevStrike!

 

May our paths cross again on the high seas.

I_cant_Swim_

First DevStrike! Community Manager (acting)

September 2023 - March 2024

[Navalpride33]

The path least sailed cannot be sailed forever... Though, one is a lover of the sea, its best to head to shore and spread them land legs.

When your time comes to head to shore... It takes a strong willed captain not to ignore it..

Whatever your next sea journey take you... Let it be as calm as the blue waters of the Caribbean.

Take care I_CANT_SWIM_ ... We'll take it from here...

[Col_NASTY]

[WaveRider]

No matter the level of feels for the game at any given time, having a forum to come and read/exchange views and just look at how the game is getting on is always a good thing.

I thank you and all the others that continually take the time to make DevStrike! as good as it can be and keep what is the only constant way I want to catch up on the game alive!

Thank you.

[Wolfswetpaws]

9 hours ago, I_cant_Swim_ said:

"... We are DevStrike!

May our paths cross again on the high seas.

I_cant_Swim_

First DevStrike! Community Manager (acting)
September 2023 - March 2024"

o7    🙂👍

[Admiral_Karasu]

BZ, Swim, thank you for all the work you put in building the community.

 

[Ensign Cthulhu]

(Unlike Kaiser Wilhelm II with Bismarck, we're all sorry to see you step down.)

[clammboy]

Thanks @I_cant_Swim_ for all your hard work in getting this forum up and running and thanks to all the behind the scene folks as well. You all did a really good job you should be proud you made a lot of people happy thanks again.

[Lord_Zath]

Thanks for all the work you have done!

[DDG44_Vet]

Heartfelt thanks to you @I_cant_Swim_ and to all of the other members who have dedicated so much time and effort to create and run this forum. It must be a true labor of love to do this on top of all the real life tasks and challenges you all have. As it says at the end of some of my Navy commendations, "you have brought great credit upon yourself in keeping with the highest traditions of the Naval Service" Bravo Zulu! @yss_turtleship @torino2dc @SureBridge @LittleWhiteMouse @HogHammer @Col_NASTY @Chobittsu @BOBTHEBALL @Admiral_Karasu

[BOBTHEBALL]

17 hours ago, DDG44_Vet said:

Heartfelt thanks to you @I_cant_Swim_ and to all of the other members who have dedicated so much time and effort to create and run this forum. It must be a true labor of love to do this on top of all the real life tasks and challenges you all have. As it says at the end of some of my Navy commendations, "you have brought great credit upon yourself in keeping with the highest traditions of the Naval Service" Bravo Zulu! @yss_turtleship @torino2dc @SureBridge @LittleWhiteMouse @HogHammer @Col_NASTY @Chobittsu @BOBTHEBALL @Admiral_Karasu

It's my pleasure

[MBT808]

for someone who can't swim, you created helped create a great swimming pool here on devstrike. I salute you, sir!

[Sailor_Moon]

My personal thanks to you and the team, @I_cant_Swim_. I'm majorly proud of what you and the Devstrike team have done here for the WoWs community by building DevStrike! I am also honored to be a member, of course, and it's been a pleasure watching this website grow from simply a DM'd idea on Discord (I think I still have those messages when we were discussing the preliminary stages and moderation and whatnot).....to a full-fledged WoWs Forum 2.0.

Also, as the official mascot (I haven't forgotten!!), we really ARE DevStrike!

Let's hear it for ALL of us DevStrikers!! Yeah, yip, woo!!!!! Go DevStrike!!! ❤️

And as always, in the name of the Moon, I'll wish you and everyone else too fair winds and following seas!! See you all on the virtual battlefield, and of course, on the DevStrike forums!

Edited April 1 by Sailor_Moon

[Sailor_Moon]

Also, I'd like to further congratulate @HogHammer for taking up the mantle as our new CM! *salutes*

[Guest]

@I_cant_Swim_ thank you for your contribution to Devstrike and all the work you put into it  👍

[MBT808]

Congrats to @HogHammer , if you ever need during your reign of terror:

[Marmmadog]

Thank you for all your hard work. This is a great forum

 

 

[Cammo1962]