It's hard to believe: NikeTalk is old enough to legally marry in the state of Alabama.
Like Nelson, I'm very proud to be associated with this community and all those who've made it such a vibrant and engaging place.
For all the immaturity, for all the materialism, for all the petty squabbling, there's a true spirit of camaraderie and community here that you just don't see very often online or off. NikeTalk has become a very special place.
We are a small town with a gigantic airport. If you're here to take, you'll take your chances. If you're here to give, then you will never leave empty-handed, or emptyhearted.
This year, I had an internal goal of raising $50,000 for charity. Between the $11,000 contribution the American Indian College Fund to establish a scholarship program, the $5,000 (and counting) we will soon be matching to help Mercy Corps support typhoon relief efforts in the Philippines, and the $35,000 submitted last week to Room to Read for a new library/education project in South Africa, we will clear that bar. In 2013, we will have raised more money for worthy causes than ever before - and at a time when small site owners and message boards are really struggling to hang on amid the concentration of social media and online advertising. That's nothing less than a total team effort from every single person here (and everyone at Huddler, too.)
NOTHING that NikeTalk has accomplished can be attributed to an individual. Everything we've done, we've done together.
Next year, our goal is to continue to raise the bar, as always, for our social responsibility efforts - and to make NikeTalk an even more valuable resource for our members and visitors. This industry is in a sorry state. "News" sites regurgitate press releases. Corporations dictate culture. SEO spam like arbitrary "Top _ lists" frequently misrepresents its audience and dilutes our discourse. Newcomers deserve to read real product reviews from real athletes, not puff pieces from groupies. They deserve to read real consumer opinions, not corporate cheerleading. There's a lot of knowledge from veteran users here that deserves to be passed on. Our website needs to do a better job of empowering our fellow members and leveraging the full power of the platform to develop better resources for everyone.
How great would it be, with all the knowledge assembled here, if we had wiki guides that trusted members could update to provide a comprehensive history of our community and sneaker culture, or if we could definitively say, based on average review scores, which are the best basketball shoes to play in this season?
In our early years, there was no doubt that NikeTalk helped shape the agenda. When you spoke, brands listened. It's our job to give you a place to express yourselves, but it's also our job to help you make your voices heard.
Our fourteenth year was certainly a step forward for the community, but we want to see everyone work together to make year fifteen great.
I look forward to reading more wonderful reflections on our past - and more of your hopes for our future.
If an OG wants it (and most importantly will rock it) hit me up its yours free of charge.
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Salute.
