Nikonians: The Genesis

Every once in a while the founders of Nikonians are asked "How did you guys get together? - How was Nikonians started?" This page gives you a short rundown on the genesis of Nikonians.

J. Ramón Palacios (jrp) and Bo Stahlbrandt (bgs) met online in late 1999. JRP had made some comments on Bo's original F5 review and Bo had made some comments on JRP's Brief Love Story. A strong friendship develops. It grows from mutual respect, shared values and a common interest: Photography with a Nikon®
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They both reacted to the fact that many discussion forums "out there" were frequently pretty rude, with an impolite tone in the messages exchanged and false. The main issues recurrently experienced at other sites and what they thought was wrong were:

So they decided to create their own community, less than a month after they met online.

Two months were spent on detailed planning and design, from philosophy to policy to layout and colors.

Immediately an Alpha version of the main site went online and soon later the Beta version.

The site is open to the public April 30th, 2000, with 30 members.

It took them four months from decision to deployment.

It took them 22 months to meet in person for the first time.

The first anniversary, April 30th, 2001 is celebrated with 2,600 registered members.

By July 8, 2008 the community had 135,000 members, well over one million visitors per month, and has grown in services to members:

• Helpdesk
• Photo Galleries
• Photo Pro Shop
• Newsblog
• Podcasts
• Newsletters
• eZine
• Workshops
• Over 70 specialized forums
• Our own advanced Search Engine
• Resources, reviews and guides; and one of the best photo glossaries on the net

And it also had to grow in specialized and most professional service units to sustain the growth of the community:

• Forums moderation
• Publishing
• Marketing
• Advertising
• Customer and Public Relations
• Community Relations
• Accounting and Finance
• Software and Systems Engineering
• Photo Pro Shop management
• Legal Counsel
• Contests Management

Since our start, back in 2000, the Nikonians community remains loyal to its core values and the adjoining benefits to all of our members:

Who we are
A not for profit community; that means that all revenue generated through the community is reinvested in the community to maintain it and sustain its growth.
We are a top-tier reference site helping digital and film photographers to shorten their individual learning curve and to improve their own photography skills and results, while making long lasting friendships across borders and often continents.

Our Mission
Our mission is to provide a friendly, creative and inspiring atmosphere for ambitious photographers of all skill levels and demanding imaging professionals where there is room for each photographer to learn and grow.

Our Vision
Our vision is to be the worldwide home for all Nikon photographers, regardless of their level of expertise or location.

Nikonians has an eigth years track record and members who now represent 140 nations. With your cooperation and support we are positive we can fulfil the founders vision.

The founders are very proud of what they have accomplished with an international team of now more than 45 passionate photographers from all continents, who are with you around the clock, 7 days a week, continuously working on keeping it an interesting and fun place to share, learn and inspire.

Nikonians is today widely recognized in the Net as the friendly, reliable and informative; sharing, learning and inspiring community for Nikon users. Thank you all for making it possible.

New members are expected to become contributing paying members if and as soon as they happen to like this community and appreciate the resource it is for their enjoyment and progress as photographers. Your support is appreciated and needed to sustain the growth of the community. To see the benefits of upgrading your membership, aside from having the pride of contributing to supplement the founders efforts, click here.

You can get in touch with us online, right here

Or by postal mail here:

Nikonians EMEA
Raiffeisenstrasse 15
D-78166 Donaueschingen
Germany

Nikonians North America.
2901 N. Causeway Blvd., Suite 302
Metairie, LA 70002-4842
United States of America

For more detailed info

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