Come Celebrate 15 Years Of Techdirt (And 50,000 Posts)!

from the here's-to-15-more-(at-least) dept

We recently wrote about Techdirt turning 15. A few weeks later, without anyone (including us) noticing, we also published our 50,000th post. Every day I'm in awe of the community here and the conversations and discussions that we've had. In the back of my head, it still feels like the early days, when I'd publish something and know that absolutely no one would read it -- even though that doesn't appear to be the case any more. I'm thrilled that I get to "virtually" spend time with all of you every day, and to celebrate, we thought it would be great to see some of you in person too! We're having a 15th Anniversary Meetup/Happy Hour in San Francisco next Wednesday, October 10th from 6pm to 8pm. The event is being hosted by our good friends at Hattery Labs and should be a lot of fun. It's free, but we have limited space, so please sign up to get on the guest list before we run out of space... We look forward to seeing many of you next week!
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Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

Filed Under: happy hour, meetup, techdirt


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  1. icon
    kyle clements (profile), 3 Oct 2012 @ 4:42pm

    "it still feels like the early days, when I'd publish something and know that absolutely no one would read it"

    How times have changed. Now I can hardly post a comment without a dozen other people getting their remark in first.

    And I'm sure the number of readers who don't comment is much higher than the number who do comment. (I'd guess 10X higher)

    Congratulations.

    Here's hoping the next 15 years will be just as good.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. icon
    rosspruden (profile), 3 Oct 2012 @ 4:48pm

    Thanks!

    I can say without equivocation that the insight offered here on Techdirt has changed my views on many, many things. I would have it no other way.

    Thanks, Mike, for starting this wonderful adventure.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. icon
    Adam Singer (profile), 3 Oct 2012 @ 4:58pm

    Totally there!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. icon
    Dark Helmet (profile), 3 Oct 2012 @ 5:05pm

    Come see Dark Helmet in action!!!

    Cheers to Techdirt and its 50kth post! As I'm sure all of my fans, and really, which among you can't say you love me, I'm from the greatest city in the world, Chicago. As such, Techdirt, I'm sure, will be flying me, free of charge mind you, out to San Fransico for this wonderful event. Yes, it'll be all limos out of San Fran (Oakland? Please!!!) and champaigne with those awesome olives that have garlic in them.

    While I have yet to receive my complimentary air fare, limo voucher, and subsequent 3 day stay in Napa Valley to sample exquisite wines and various French cheeses, I am certain all of the above will be arriving in the mail any day now. So, for those of you fans who love you some Dark Helmet, I encourage you forthwith to show your appreciation for all the free shit I want my part time job to give to me.

    I promise you, if your protestations are successful, I shall entertain you with naughty jokes and possible nudity.

    Love and kisses,

    Dark Helmet

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. identicon
    Jeremy, 3 Oct 2012 @ 5:15pm

    15 Years?

    I'm humiliated that it took 14 years to find this site. This site has replaced normal news for me.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. identicon
    DMNTD, 3 Oct 2012 @ 5:24pm

    I also mostly just found this site and I direct people who miss points all the time to it. I would show up at that get together, I know peeps in San Francisco..maybe next time.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. identicon
    monkyyy, 3 Oct 2012 @ 5:27pm

    whaaaaaaa im 19 O__o this site has been around for most of my life

    link to this | view in thread ]

  8. icon
    Mike Masnick (profile), 3 Oct 2012 @ 5:42pm

    Re:

    this site has been around for most of my life

    Thank you. I feel old.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  9. icon
    Capitalist Lion Tamer (profile), 3 Oct 2012 @ 5:54pm

    Congratulations on 50K

    50,000 is a whole lot of words. Impressive enough, but when most of the words have been aimed at various members of the establishment, so much the better.

    I would love to join you in your celebration but flying out of the local airport means finding a qualified biplane pilot who's still alive. It also means carry-on baggage is limited to handheld bombs to throw at the Kaiser.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  10. icon
    Dark Helmet (profile), 3 Oct 2012 @ 6:16pm

    Re: Congratulations on 50K

    If only we Tims could wrangle up enough support to pressure Mike to flying us out there for free, on a private jet even. Come on, wrangle the masses!!!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  11. icon
    The Infamous Joe (profile), 3 Oct 2012 @ 6:27pm

    Subject

    Congrats, everyone!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  12. icon
    Zos (profile), 3 Oct 2012 @ 6:37pm

    Re: Come see Dark Helmet in action!!!

    be sure to properly enjoy your time behind the emerald curtain.

    Just don't come back via texas.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  13. icon
    Chronno S. Trigger (profile), 3 Oct 2012 @ 6:52pm

    I've got to ask

    With 15 years and 50,000 posts, how many comments do you have?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  14. identicon
    Gary, 3 Oct 2012 @ 10:30pm

    Re: Re:

    Sadly this site hasn't been around the majority of my life,
    but since finding it just before the SOPA debacle I'm here
    everyday and will continue to be!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  15. icon
    Mike Masnick (profile), 3 Oct 2012 @ 11:24pm

    Re: I've got to ask

    With 15 years and 50,000 posts, how many comments do you have?


    According to my profile page, it's a bit over 16,000.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  16. icon
    The eejit (profile), 4 Oct 2012 @ 1:22am

    Re: Re: I've got to ask

    ...slacker. /s

    Still, the journey goes on.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  17. icon
    Ninja (profile), 4 Oct 2012 @ 4:13am

    Re: Re:

    Thank God he/she/it didn't say "longer than my life". Wait till the kids start calling you "uncle Mike"!

    Congratulations though ;)

    link to this | view in thread ]

  18. icon
    Ninja (profile), 4 Oct 2012 @ 4:15am

    Re: Re: Congratulations on 50K

    You Tim's could just get your arses moving and go anyway just for the booze ;)

    I was gonna say for the girls but then I stopped and thought about how many of them read TD. It'd be very sad to know that the best nudity we could get from TD is your Nudy calendar =/

    link to this | view in thread ]

  19. icon
    Ninja (profile), 4 Oct 2012 @ 4:16am

    Re: Re: I've got to ask

    How many comments from everybody? That must be a huge number...

    link to this | view in thread ]

  20. icon
    JustMe (profile), 4 Oct 2012 @ 4:49am

    Grats on 50k, Mike

    link to this | view in thread ]

  21. icon
    Niall (profile), 4 Oct 2012 @ 5:25am

    Re: Re: Re: Congratulations on 50K

    How about throwing a celebration in Brazil for 2014? ;) Then we can have football and Olympics and girls...

    link to this | view in thread ]

  22. icon
    Niall (profile), 4 Oct 2012 @ 5:26am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Congratulations on 50K

    Meh, 2014 for football and girls, 2016 for Olympics and girls.

    It's only a few weeks since the Olympics ended here and I'm already in withdrawal!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  23. icon
    Jeff (profile), 4 Oct 2012 @ 5:53am

    Congrats!

    Here's to the next 15 years! To bad I'm not in San Fran, I'd love to grab a nice IPA with you guys - especially since I know the Tim's won't be there! ;-)

    Regardless - 50K posts is an awesome achievement, and I'm glad we're here to rouse the rabble!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  24. icon
    Danny (profile), 4 Oct 2012 @ 6:29am

    Re: Re: Re: I've got to ask

    My comment as well: it has got to be in the one million range.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  25. icon
    Ninja (profile), 4 Oct 2012 @ 6:35am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Congratulations on 50K

    That could be nice indeed! Gotta do it on the beach though for added visual pleasantries! (good thing my girlfriend won't read this lmao)

    link to this | view in thread ]

  26. icon
    Mike Masnick (profile), 4 Oct 2012 @ 8:00am

    Re: Re: Re: I've got to ask

    How many comments from everybody? That must be a huge number...

    Just under 1 million. Getting very close to that millionth comment...

    link to this | view in thread ]

  27. icon
    Mark Gisleson (profile), 4 Oct 2012 @ 8:12am

    Congratulations

    Fifteen years is an awesome achievement, especially in a demanding area like IT trends. I've been tracking blogs pretty closely since my first one in 1999, and you are easily one of the most prolific quality bloggers out there.

    And no, I don't know why your anniversary isn't on all the news wires, or why you haven't received a MacArthur grant yet.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  28. icon
    Gwiz (profile), 4 Oct 2012 @ 8:14am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: I've got to ask

    Just under 1 million. Getting very close to that millionth comment...

    Ohhh. Will the millionth commenter get something special? Like when that happens at the supermarket checkout.

    You could make the comment a special color, maybe even add balloons and confetti as a background for the comment.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  29. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 4 Oct 2012 @ 9:59am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I've got to ask

    I'd think you'd have to make sure it doesn't go to a troll, because theyn they'll use it as a gloating point to claim that the site can't do without them.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  30. icon
    Mike Masnick (profile), 4 Oct 2012 @ 10:41am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I've got to ask

    Ohhh. Will the millionth commenter get something special? Like when that happens at the supermarket checkout.

    We'd thought about doing something, but there are way too many potential problems. What if it's a spam comment? And what about old spam comments that got through that we failed to catch. Just too difficult to precisely pinpoint who's REALLY the millionth comment. We may try to do something symbolic when it happens though...

    link to this | view in thread ]

  31. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 4 Oct 2012 @ 12:54pm

    Re: Come see Dark Helmet in action!!!

    "As such, Techdirt, I'm sure, will be flying me, free of charge mind you, out to San Fransico for this wonderful event."

    Ever the freeloader. I might go myself just to unravel one of the great mysteries in the tech industry: What color is Mike Masnick's wallet?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  32. icon
    The Groove Tiger (profile), 4 Oct 2012 @ 1:26pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I've got to ask

    order by date;

    link to this | view in thread ]

  33. icon
    rosspruden (profile), 4 Oct 2012 @ 1:31pm

    Re: Re: Come see Dark Helmet in action!!!

    I've seen it. It looks like this.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  34. icon
    Hephaestus (profile), 4 Oct 2012 @ 3:14pm

    Re: Come see Dark Helmet in action!!!

    I have seen pictures of you naked. That whole Paris Hilton tape you did ... shiver on multiple levels. ;)

    link to this | view in thread ]

  35. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 4 Oct 2012 @ 4:09pm

    The millionth Comment

    You just won ten million dollars in a Nigerian lottery. All you have to do is pay the taxes and we'll send you the money!!!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  36. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 4 Oct 2012 @ 4:19pm

    We want Techdirt Party!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  37. icon
    Ninja (profile), 4 Oct 2012 @ 8:08pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I've got to ask

    I'm tempted to bet $10 it'll be either bob, average_joe or some of the usual shills..

    link to this | view in thread ]

  38. icon
    Kevin (profile), 4 Oct 2012 @ 10:25pm

    All things equal

    50,000 posts for 50,000 dumb decisions by USA legislators and courts

    link to this | view in thread ]

  39. icon
    Bas Grasmayer (profile), 9 Oct 2012 @ 12:21am

    Congrats!

    link to this | view in thread ]


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