Well, we have seen the passing of the old year and the dawning of the new. 2008 holds many fond (and not so fond) memories for me, though I look forward to the coming year of 2009 - to the challenges we will face, to the rewards for our efforts, and to the memories that we shall create for ourselves!
We have seen the alteration of the site's interface several times. We've seen the introduction of the points system, and had to deal with the unforeseeable consequences of its introduction, including a new type of abuser - the Point Whore. We have been updated to the new version of Wikia, with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. And let us not forget the staggering numbers of users and IP addresses that have arrived, and the hundreds of people banned throughout the year.
We have seen our expansion quicken at a startling rate. We have gone from a relatively obscure wiki to a much-used and well-regarded resource for Halo knowledge. To a certain extent, we have almost become a social networking site. We have certainly developed our own unique community, with its own cast of characters, code of honour, role models, and so on.
We have seen the revelation of Halo 3: ODST, a plethora of new information for Halo Wars, and the release of Tobias Buckell's The Cole Protocol. We have yet to see what Halo: Chronicles has become in the capable hands of Peter Jackson's Wingnut Interactive, but I look forward to it in the new year. We have seen the addition of hundreds of new articles, and the expansion of our knowledge.
Perhaps my fondest memories are of the people who inhabit this strange, twisted, enchanted realm. The people who kindly take the time to pore over our articles, correcting any flaws they find and adding anything that seems to be missing. Some of them have left, either from real-life difficulties or because of dissatisfaction with the Point System, the new skin, or conflict with other members. But others have stepped up to take their place. Perhaps it goes to show that when nine people simultaneously tried to vandalise the site, our community was on top of them quickly enough to revert their idiocy before more extreme damage could be done.
We have seen the ranks of the admins swell. We lost GPT, and ED is no longer as active as he once was. But we have gained CommanderTony, Subtank, Simon RJH, and EwCDnaudee (not to mention my humble self!), and another two RFA's are open for another two, Delta-269 and Devout Atheist - admittedly Delta's was closed due to not meeting the edit number requirements, but the fact that he and DA were nominated at all shows that the quality of our members is improving.
What about you? What were your fondest Halopedia memories of 2008? Please don't include your worst memories - reminding ourselves of what we dislike only taints the memory of what was good. Let us look back on 2008 with pride that we did the best we could - and managed, I hope, to come away a little wiser and a little smarter for it!
I typically don't make a New Years resolution - I lack the self discipline and interest to stick to it, especially when it can be mistaken for hard work. But if I had to make one, then it would be to make 2009 better than the year that preceded it, and to make the year after it better still!
And wishing everyone a very happy New Year, the Halopedia Administration!
--Councillor Specops306 - Qur'a 'Morhek 08:36, 1 January 2009 (UTC)