A NEW CLASS OF FTLOP'er

[Roy Hersh]

As we approach the end of 2010 and I can reflect back on five and a half years of the website and in this particular case, the Forum ... which began on July 28th 2005.

I will occasionally pore through the old post from several years ago, either looking for something that someone requested OR just for a nostalgic look back at the "archives" of the Forum.

What I notice is an ebb and flow of participants here. So many people from so many countries have visited over the years. As was the case in 2005, one dynamic which has remained a constant ... oddly enough, with an AVERAGE of 30-31 posts/day 365 days a year since inception. I keep records by year and that has been nearly the identical number (+/- 1). I could be a pessimist and say, "We're not growing ... what is going on?" But in reality old people stop coming back whether due to lack of interest or lack of time or whatever.

I prefer to look at the positive side of the coin and see that the quantity of people who continue to join our midst whether as lurkers or participants, is quite substantial and this I track by month, every month since we've begun as I do the number of topics and posts on a monthly basis too. Very interesting to peruse.

Anyway, moving forward it is a natural progression of any online wine community (or any hobby Forum) for participation to change. I've made many wonderful friends from the FTLOP community over the past five years and have met over 200 people who have posted here since the inception. What keeps thriving, is new content and coming up with new and interesting topics is not always easy. But more importantly is having NEW Port enthusiasts to join us. Additionally, it is keeping our Forum an open place for the exchange of ideas, whether old or new ones or ones that new people either bring back from old threads or new ideas.

That said, I have had a look at some of the "new class" of 2010 ... and apologize for those I have missed. These are people who have joined us recently and have more than one post on FTLOP's Forum. There's two dozen new active participants who've become part of the community. Here's a quick shout out to our new friends, just under 40% of whom are from the USA and the vast majority from overseas in Europe and Australia: We hope you will all continue to enjoy visiting and posting here as much as we appreciate your doing so!

Thank you

[Barry Sunderland]

I would like to thank the very Honorable 'Dean' Hersh for those encouraging words.

As a member of the FTLOP Class of 2010, I'm truly honored by those who have gone before me, and those who will continue to light the torch; a torch that will burn
brightly; a brightness that will illuminate and show us the way; a way of decision, and at times, indecision...will it be Port or Madeira?

On behalf of the FTLOP Class of 2010, I thank you.

[Paul Fountain]

I'm class of 2010 as well and I'll second Barry's words.

I'd also like to postulate that a consistent number of daily posts during the life of the site is an excellent result.
My theory is that a lot of the questions that would have been asked by newbies like myself have been answered previously and a bit of searching will find those answers. The volume of information in the forums and on the site in general is not insignificant. I can't tell you how many times I've referred back to the vintage reports from 2000 - 2007 in the past few months, mostly when I'm looking at port availible in my local auctions to see whether I should buy or not. I've also used the tasting notes database extensively and it's great to see so many opinions on a particlular wine over a duration of time. So thank you everybody and I'll endeavour to do the same.

[Lamont Huxley]

Roy,

I discovered FTLOP in 2008 so I hope you don't mind if I post in this thread, but I wanted to respond to your comments about the growth of the site. I think it's highly commendable that the site, and in particular the forum, is still alive and vibrant after 5+ years. Regardless of the rate at which it's growing, you've managed to create what (imho) is the single most useful reference for port knowledge on the internet.

Before finding FTLOP I remember stumbling around the net searching out reviews on different ports I was interested in and having a lot of trouble gathering information. When I could find notes, they were generally the same recycled reviews from the same few "experts" which were not always so helpful, and when it came to more obscure bottles I usually wasn't able to find anything at all. It was really frustrating. Finding this site was like stumbling onto a goldmine and since then I've rarely ventured anywhere else to look for advice on port.

The fact that you can get such a wide range of opinions from all over the world on just about any port you can think of is really awesome. Regardless of the number of people who come and go from the site, you have certainly brought together a solid core of enthusiasts who not only provide a wealth of valuable information and insight, but are also extremely welcoming and encouraging.

At this point the only thing that keeps me from posting more consistently and becoming a perennial subscriber is the fact that my financial situation usually falls somewhere between "just getting by" and "all-out crisis", and so my ability to drink port is sporadic at best. I'm hoping that's all about to change with the new job I just landed .

In any case, I just wanted to express my appreciation as I'm sure there are many others out there who have been just as enthused to come across this fantastic resource that you've created. Here's to many more years of FTLOP!

[David Baghdassarian]

Jeez - you guys are making me feel old!

But seriously, I don't spend as much time on here as I would like, but whenever I come here, the conversation is always lively and interesting and the forums are full of great info. So happy to see the site prosper. Well done, Roy!

[Roy Hersh]

Thanks to all of you who've posted above. Maybe it is due to some of the recent mentions in the media, but this has been a particularly busy month for new folks signing up here on the Forum. If there were four or five days left, I think we'd set a record for a single month. Either way, even since this thread was started, we've had several new participants who have "stuck around" and are seemingly enjoying themselves. If only 5% of the "lurkers" would come and post, we'd never be able to keep up with the traffic. Slowly but surely more seem to be joining us, realizing this is a pretty friendly place overall.

Thanks to all of you ... those who've posted and those who continue to just read and enjoy coming back!

[Mahmoud Ali]

Nice post Roy. I'm one of those who haven't been around for a while. Being away from home and in places where there are no ports and scarcely any variety of wine (mostly beer and Scotch) my interest wanes. However all it takes is a visit home to get the juices going.

Cheers..................Mahmoud.

[Roy Hersh]

My condolences Mahmoud. What part of the world do you get to travel to?

There are several fine Port retailers in Edmonton, as I am sure you know. Additionally, there are MANY Port enthusiasts up there too. I have probably had more people come on FTLOP Tours over the years, from Edmonton, than any other single city in the world!