Patrick

I went ahead and gave this its own thread. Welcome aboard, navi72. Patrick

Belated welcome, Karate Guy. Glad to have you. Patrick

Happy birthday to Mo (mazzybear)! Thank you for all of the great contributions that you have made to our community. Patrick

Happy birthday to Noah! Thank you for everything that you do around here. I hope that you have a great day! Patrick

Hello, Thank you for visiting KarateForums.com. We recognize one member every month as the KarateForums.com Member of the Month for their positive contributions to this community. Our honoree for April, who has now been selected as the Member of the Month twice, is... Spartacus Maximus. Congratulations! Thank you for your incredible contributions to our community over the last (almost) 3 years! Sincerely, Patrick

Maybe one day you two can connect.

Thanks for taking the time to add your thoughts here, SaiFightsMS. Patrick

Hey Devin, That's cool! Are you familiar with Jessamyn West? She's an acquaintance of mine and pretty well known in librarian circles (she's based in Vermont). http://www.librarian.net/ Patrick

Congrats Liam! :thumbsup:

Hey Bulltahr. It looks like you (and others in New Zealand) can catch it on SoHo! https://www.sky.co.nz/soho Patrick

Welcome aboard, Christine. Glad to have you. Patrick

Good idea, neoravencroft. Online community is the focus of my work. I am an online publisher and manage communities (like this one). Drawing from my experience, I write books, speak for companies, conferences and universities and do some consulting, occasionally. Patrick

Thank you for the kind words, LLLEARNER, Bob, catlike, Bulltahr, John, MatsuiShinshii and Brian. I'm glad that you enjoyed it. Patrick

Congrats on the second stripe! Patrick

Hello and welcome, Marlon Bangkil. Small aside, I just wanted to mention that many of our members are sirs, but many are not. No big deal, but just something to keep in mind for the future. Thanks, Patrick

Please read: http://www.karateforums.com/april-fool-s-about-patrick-s-dojo-vt50523.html Thanks, Patrick

Hey all, Thank you for visiting KarateForums.com! Earlier today, in honor of April Fool's Day, we announced that I was launching my own all-digital martial arts instruction service, Patrick's Dojo. Through Patrick's Dojo, I would teach you the martial arts, just from what I have gathered here, reading posts on KarateForums.com and observing an alleged over 700 martial arts. Check out the website for Patrick's Dojo: http://www.karateforums.com/dojo/ You might say the website was just a little tongue-in-cheek, promising "the most complete, and most lethal, system ever created." With a process described as "quality, value, convenience" (the slogan for television shopping network QVC), worthy students would submit a two page paper and $199.98 (and $147.98) to be considered. Then I'd train them through a series of videos. And after a separate testing fee, they would potentially earn their rank - which would be reflected on KarateForums.com. This joke spawned out of an idea from Danielle (DWx) with Devin (Lupin1) providing some excellent copy for the website and JR suggesting some ideas, too, with support from the staff as a whole. Thank you to all of them. I found it funny in a couple of ways. First, obviously, the scammy-sounding nature of the page, where it is a little out there, but also kind of believable, too. It's not so much a critique of digital instruction, which I know some of us feel can offer value, but just of those who seek to separate a person from their money. The other side of it is that, if you've been here very long, you probably know that. I think this has led to some people to question my motives for running this community, even 16 years in, and the move to a cash grab totally plays into those suspicions. The idea of me teaching the martial arts is really absurd. I hope that you had a great day and that this fake service gave you a chuckle. Thank you for your patience. Patrick

That's so great, LLLEARNER. Congrats. Patrick

Update: This was an April Fool's joke. Please see: http://www.karateforums.com/april-fool-s-about-patrick-s-dojo-vt50523.html Hello, Thank you for visiting KarateForums.com. I am proud to announce Patrick's Dojo, a new all-digital martial arts instruction service, bringing together my nearly 16 years of managing this community. Having observed more than 700 different martial arts, I have had the ideal vantage point to see what works, and what doesn't, and that is the knowledge that I have used to develop a series of intensive training videos that will broaden your ability as a martial artist. For all of the details, and to sign up to receive more information, please visit: http://patricksdojo.com Patrick's Dojo is about Quality, Value and Convenience. Instruction you can trust, at a price you can afford, that fits into your life. I am so excited to get to work and hope you'll allow me to help you grow as a martial artist. Thank you for reading. Sincerely, Patrick

Thank you, Safroot. That is very kind of you. I am grateful to have the group of people that I do on staff. And, again, I am really thankful for the outstanding contributions that you have made here. The way that you treat others is very much appreciated. Patrick

Good news, tubby!

I know tallgeese is watching. Who else?

Hello, Thank you for visiting KarateForums.com. We recognize one member every month as the KarateForums.com Member of the Month for their positive contributions to this community. This month, we are announcing a change to the program. From the inception of the Member of the Month honor, in July of 2004, we have only allowed each member to be honored once. Previous recipients were not eligible to be selected again. But this month, after 154 different members have been honored, we are opening the program up to those members who have not been honored within the previous 24 months. Our honoree for March, the first member to ever be selected as the Member of the Month two times, is... Safroot. Congratulations! Thank you for the amazing contributions that you have made to our community over the years. Sincerely, Patrick

Happy birthday, Nidan Melbourne. As you are in the future, I hope that you had a wonderful day. Thank you for all of the contributions that you have made here. Patrick