Once again the past year has been a busy one at Outpost 10F. Ever since we restructured our Administrations department to include the Executive Council (previously the "Command Group") we have seen a significant increase in productivity. This year our most key advances include the development and initialization of our Vision Plan and of course the development and launch of v2. These two items followed 2000/2001 accomplishments of obtaining and effectively launching our web server and of course the Amsterdam union.

I must say that I have been extremely impressed with our membership and in particular, our Executive Council members and Departmental managers. So many people from all over the globe have volunteered their time here at Outpost 10F to do what they can to see the community "live long and prosper." Even through tough times (and trust me, we had some downers this year) our group remained confident and intact, and encouraged each other to stick with it and have fun. There are numerous reasons why people enjoy Outpost 10F - the scripts, the cool features, etc - but when it comes down to it it is the people that really are the reason we spend the time we do in and around the community. Without the people and the friendships that have developed we would not find this pocket in cyberspace overly interesting.

After five years of Outpost 10F in my life, I still have not let it bore me. Every day there is an interesting new email in my box, a script to work on, or yes, a problem to sort through. I'd like to think my efforts here are meaningful and valuable. I know they are to me, despite what others have told me (i.e. "why do you spend so much time there?" "what a waste of time!" etc..). I suppose I'm still captivated by the concept of an online community and working together with everyone to see OTF really achieve its goals and evolve into what it's destined to become. WAIT a minute...

Is it the goals that really count at OTF? Is it REALLY what we become that's of importance? We might often be led to believe that being "number one" or "the best" is what counts. However, that's not really what's important. What matters is the here and now - what Outpost 10F is and has always been. It really is about the friendships and relationships that evolve (and yes, we love Henri). It's about interaction. It's about learning - not only technical skills but more importantly self learning - learning who you are. It is a place where you can come and be yourself and know that you will be treated as a person, for who you are. Be yourself.

Heck I'm not against having goals - goals are great tools because they bring focus and direction (direction is always a good thing), however, they are not the sole reason for participating at Outpost 10F and never should be. Let's not lose site of what's important in the coming years and ensure our goals are secondary to enjoying Outpost 10F for what it is.

Ok, enough of the deep stuff! I'd like to take the opportunity now to clarify a few things. People have asked me about these areas throughout the year and I figured it would be a good place to shed some light on them:

The Vision Plan sounds overwhelming...are we becoming a business?

No, Outpost 10F is not becoming a business. Outpost 10F is and always will be a community that encourages global interaction and participation. The Vision Plan is a document that contains our goals and visions for Outpost 10F's future. Some of them are more drastic than others but the fundamental objectives and values of the community are not questioned or challenged. However, the Vision Plan does and will implement business-like terms and processes within Outpost 10F. We have a Marketing Division who does just that - spread the word about our community and seek promotional avenues for us. We will be collecting revenues from the sale of web accounts and Outpost 10F merchandise (t-shirts) in order to fund the server ($3,000 CAN a year) and other community items and events. We will also be writing a Constitution and a set of SOPs (standard operating procedures) to govern the management of the community. All of these things are needed and can be implemented without the community "becoming a business."

What DOES the Executive Council do?

Perhaps the EC is somewhat secretive...but it's not such on purpose. The EC is composed of our site leaders and focuses on making high level decisions. The EC also is responsible for assembling goals and objectives for the community and processes and plans to attain them. The EC works to obtain opinions and ideas from all key site facets - the technical, the management, the marketing, the visionary - and mesh all areas into providing solid decisions to benefit the community. I can confidently say that the EC is an extremely diverse and dynamic group consisting of very dedicated individuals. We have our differences in opinion but at the end of the day we all are there for the community.

How do I get permoted?

Ok, this one ALWAYS comes up. Please, just read the Promotion Criteria page already! :)

So, what can we expect over the next year? Well, Outpost 10F will be shifting its focus from internal development and enhancement to marketing and promotion. We'll be working to spread the news about who we are and what we offer. We will be making new t-shirts, caps, and other items available for sale. We'll try our best to bring in special guests for interviews and visits. We'll also be working to host our third official union during the summer of 2003 (location still to be decided). So, although development work has pretty much concluded, we still have a lot on our plates.

In conclusion I'd like to thank everyone for another great Outpost 10F year. I hope you too have enjoyed yourself and that we'll be seeing you around our humble nook in cyberspace over the next 12 months. Until next time!