MFF 10 Year Anniversary

[skip]

Well 10 years ago today I decided to start the Malta Fishing Forum. It was I believe a Friday evening in 2006 and after discussing the idea with my girlfriend (now wife), even though she didn't think it would work in Malta, I went ahead and started to build the forum over the weekend.

The look of the MFF forum pages has gone through a few design changes and new features were added since it first went live in 2006 but for the past few years the look and feel have remained the same. With only a handful of friends who joined initially, we started to discuss fishing/techniques and slowly slowly the forum began to have it's first few members sign up.

Since then the Malta Fishing Forum has grown to 3,460 members to date and I have deleted over 10,000 spam accounts that have been created over the years. We get loads!! The forum has taught more people how to fish in Malta then many would like to admit, indeed there are a few people who benefited greatly from the forum who would like to have people believe they knew it all from the start! Alas such is not the case, but testament to the power of a community that shares their knowledge, skill and above all their experiences with others. And of course if it wasn't for the MFF members who signed up and posted, there wouldn't be 55,497 posts!

The MFF was paramount in launching several local firsts, our most memorable and exhausting for all those involved was the ORIS National Big Game Fishing Tournament in aid of Puttinu Cares that raised if I remember well around €16,000. It was the most professionally organised fishing competition to date and no one else has yet come up with something better. Indeed many of the ideas, regulations and guidelines were taken and adopted by others organizing local competitions, a true testament as to what we managed to achieve during that competition.

I have been but the Forum Administrator, I couldn't have done it without the various members of the Senior Moderator Team that have provided their time for free over the years, and of course without you, our members.

One can argue that perhaps the peak of the forum has come and gone, nowadays the strength of social media sites like Facebook having overtaken websites and forum's by a considerable margin. However where these social media sites fail, is in archiving and storing the information discussed in an easy to reference manner. And for newbies signing up this is where the forum is still a major resource that they can access.

We've had members join and leave, some of those key members who made major contributions; we've had our ups and our downs; friendships built, friendships lost; and some fantastic events of the past ten years. With my own efforts now focused on my family and other endeavors, indeed perhaps the time has come for a new administrator to take over....someone in their mid to late 20's like I was back in 2006, or perhaps the time has come for the forum to be run by a new owner.

For now (this year at least) the forum is here to stay and I hope that you all continue to enjoy it and continue to contribute, whilst being mindful of the varying skill and knowledge levels of our members. We all have to start from somewhere, be nice and patient to the newbies, I can remember quite a few of you who were very green ten years ago!

Tight lines and may I wish you all a fantastic fishing season.
Skip

[markmalta]

I would like to thank you for your dedication! 

[benri]

Well said Skip.... Wonderful words!
Tight lines mate!

[baghira]

Thanks to you...
I would not say friendships were lost..... there were some misunderstandings......... but much more friendships were made......

The competitions organised were the best this island have ever seen.

I did my part, as many others here.......
Unfortunately many people just complain, but they want everything ready without moving a finger. Many people just blather, and then say they have many commitments, as if nobody else did.....
So there comes a time when everyone of us has to make a move, and let others continue.......

Hope that all the information gathered in 10 years is not lost, and someone can take over this wonderful forum... and maybe revamp it to the old times....

Thanks Nick

[Granitu]

I can only thank you for the sincere hard work you put in the Forum - often done out of your own pocket! It is unimaginable the amount of work typically there is in a public forum.

Truly alot of friendships have been made and there have been the misunderstandings, yes but I do believe that all in all the forum unites the fishing community.

I disagree to an extent that the forum is past its lifetime, I believe it just needs to evolve to the present times and present trends. I hope the forum is kept alive.

Best of regards Skip and hope you remain around the forum!

[Ruzett]

Speaking for myself, this forum has been a fountain of knowledge and information that really helped me to increase my catches both in number and in size All this thanks to skip and all moderators and every member of this forum that in one way or another kept this forum alive.

As already said, I hope that all this information is not lost so that future recreational fishermen can benefit as well.

Happy anniversary and ad multos annos!

[The_Gaffer]

I look back with a sweet nostalgic embrace.  It was 8 years ago this month that i joined the Malta Fishig Forum.  As usual, i came in with all the energy, passion and commitment that makes me who I am.  Sometimes i was misunderstood, other times i may have taken it a bit too far.  Thats me, and although i may have no regrets, i still think i could have done some things differently.  Circumstances in my personal life also had a bearing on how i faced certain situations.  However, this usually works both ways, and i always believe people should make that extra effort to understand and empathise with any given situation. 
All in all, if i had to look back, its been one hell of a steep learning curve.  I made new friends, and lost a few as well.  I have no hard feelings for anyone, and am always ready to chat over a beer (bottle of wine).  As most of you have said here, the MFF has been at the forefront of organising some of the best fishing tournaments on the island.  Certainly we set a benchmark in prize giving, thanks to some very generous sponsors.  But we also had great people working together for a good cause.  How can i ever forget teaming up with a few people here and delivering the national tournament in aid of Puttinu Cares.  Or the Oris national tournaments, they were great times, where men were men, and everyone got involved in organisation, fundraising, tournament direction, article writing and editing, printing, and one hundred and one other activities which brought some diverse people together all working towards one common cause.  During the national tournament for Puttinu Cares, We cannot forget that one of us here was saying a last goodbye to his soulmate, his hero, the one man he must have always looked up to, his Daddy.  I know what that means, as i lost my dad 15 years ago, and there is not one day that passes that i do not think about him.
How can i forget the threads, discussions, the passion, the enthusiasm, and yes, sometimes the abrazzive writing we use to drive a point home.  Its so ething we Maltese ar so well known for.  Its becUse we are a people wit a heart, our blood boils and often spills when we really believe our argument is the correct one, and drive that argument home.
Well done Malta Fishing Forum, thank you Nick for giving us a medium whereby we shared our experiences, lived the passion, and sur, helped each other out and fished together.

[skip]

A very nice summary from The Gaffer, and kind words of support from those who posted. Many of us have given true dedication and personal sacrifice to the forum and in response to some of the posts above, I will never let the forum content disappear or become unavailable no matter what path it takes in the future. We may lose some of the gallery content as this takes up a lot of server storage space, but I would like to see the forum continue and as several have posted evolve as well.

I started it off as purely an online endeavor, it then evolved into meets, events, competitions but to truly make those work one perhaps needs to be a club with a physical presence. I know there was talk over the years of trying to incorporate that concept, however it requires a great sacrifice time wise, of those who would be running it.

[Moonwalker]

Thanks Nick and co for the dedication on keeping the forum running. I dont visit very often lately since Facebook had taken over - mostly it takes your time only though while  the forum is still a good place for a suggestion or discussion.

[redhead]

Thanks for your time and dedication Nick !

The problems (challenges) this forum is facing are the same all other top forums around the world are facing. The competition from social media has decimated even greatest of forums like 360 and SOL.

However a forum has one big advantage........archived info.

I cannot imagine the internet without forums.   

[twoutes]

Congratulations to you and your team on this milestone Skip. I'll never forget the time l visited from Australia and you took me out fishing....l'm still hoping to return the favor mate. I also remember you telling me about the vision you had for the forum at the time, and you and your team have exceeded that. Well done to all.

[malvizzu]

It has been a nostalgic and interesting write from all of you guys. The fountain of information has been fundamental for newbies like me when I joined in. I wish to thank all those who helped me with advises throughout these years, especially when venturing into buying my boat and engine. Last but most importantly to Nic and other moderators who have kept this Forum flawless for these past 10 years. Happy anniversary MFF.

[shanook]

Nice emotional write ups..so I keep it short....
Well done to each and everyone.