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10th Aniversary !
| | I-BMW Newsletter | 10th Aniversary
April 2008 | | Dear K12 enthusiast;
This edition of the I-BMW Newsletter is dedicated to our "10th Anniversary", taking place April 19th 2008. You as a participating member are making this site what is today. Thanks for this....
Happy 10th Anniversary 'I-BMW'!
| | Interview with Founder; Vic Salemme | 
I-BMW.com, 1998-2008 -10 years online-, April 19th 2008.
An interview with the founder; Vic Salemme:
·How did you get the idea to start off "i-BMW.com"?
Having ordered a new 1998 K1200RS upon seeing one in the BMW dealership (literally pulling my car over to inquire what that beautiful steed was) I, as anyone venturing out into the world of motorcycling, was faced with two choices: 1) solo riding or 2) group/club riding typically comprised of dissimilar bikes and dissimilar riders/egos/attitudes.
Being social as well as selfish, what choice was there but to 'start' something? - Something Web related, based on 'push' (immediate, visually threaded, intuitive & interactive- with image/ file upload capability) rather than 'pull' (email, yawn & wait) technology as was the case in non-subscripting based email only 'forums', as after all, 'email' was so nineties, so boring, uninspirational.
·As "i-BMW.com" is a forum based upon a database today, was this actual in 1998 too? And give us some info concerning software availability to build of a forum-like community of those early days.
Thank 'Allah' for the likes of Marc Andreessen & Ray Ozzie, the former, just a couple of short years earlier, formed a useable Web browser; Mosaic & Netscape Corp., the later, my former boss @ Lotus Development Corp, the pioneer of 'groupware' (Lotus Notes/Web based Domino) & now the chief architect of Microsoft as they made it possible for literally anyone (clearly) to throw a Web server to relatively empty internet trade winds & chart a course.
I simply leveraged 'borrowed' software, inside information & customized an HTML interface that though fairly crude, would allow for database backed 'threading' of conversations (posts/replies/replies to replies etc.) archival, key word & date driven searching etc., within an appealing look. It was a place you 'wanted' to visit, an oasis of sorts, one where like minded folks could engage...
At the time, there was nothing that allowed for this type of interactivity.
·What kind of OS & computer did you use to start "i-BMW.com"?
Windows NT server 4.0, circa 1997? on a very crude single CPU tower with 256MB of RAM on a dedicated cable line in my friend's garage.
·When first online, how did the public react?
Like 'crickets' until & after gleaned emails from a myriad of BMW motorcyle lists were 'marketed to' with the URL string from that server (later I registered I-BMW.com) & with a note suggesting a 'K12 Interactive Website' exists; click here.
Shortly thereafter & surprisingly since 1998's (or late 1997) the initial year for the K12 line, the list grew rapidly to hundreds of users - most of whom were K12 owners.
·How did you manage the control of "i-BMW.com", how many 'helpers' were onboard and are some still here as Forum leaders?
'PCAnywhere' was a handy tool @ the time as it facilitated remote entry to the machine for database re-starts due to maxed out connections, memory leaks, inefficient stored procedures & growth in user activity crippling the server- infrequently, then daily after the first year. Often, I found myself driving to the server late at night for cold-reboots when 'PCAnywhere' went down. It was a frustrating experience.
·Could one make a 'fortune' by running a Forum like "i-BMW.com"? 
Well sure, it funded the 6 bed South Beach Miami I-BMW condo didn't it? (insert diabolical laugh here). In reality, no, of course not, unless we're talking 1999 & the 'dot-bomb' era where VC's would fund the IPO of a retirement home's bake sale.
Sadly, there are site 'owners' who profit negligibly these days from similar 'me-too' on line communities (we know who they are) via banner ad pollution while creating an abysmal disservice to the end user which is evidenced by the poor traffic they receive as a result.
I-BMW chose to let the enthusiasts fund 'their' operation. It works.
Side note: 2008 has seen two distinct offers of a buyout including one from a very big named suitor for $25,000 & the acquisition of our 7,500 'active' members that would have resulted in a proliferation of banner ads & heavy handed moderation. We said 'um, we're all set'.
That said & to answer your question, 'no' you can't make money at this.
·What is the Yearly/Monthly cost to stay online & how is I-BMW funded?
Basic data center costs of a high end 'dedicated' (owned) & related firewall server such as ours is approx $175/month. Add to that the yearly software license costs of roughtly $300. Add to that the costs of provisioning the box with up to date release cycles for OS, PHP, MySql, Apahe, caching programs & related; $0 but not so insignificant time & labor.
Certainly there exist cheaper (or more expensive/unnessicarily 'complicated') alternatives however, and as we run a decent amount of throughput, and are security concious, we chose this 'owned' route as opposed to the 'shared' (no control / easy hack) route that many communties favor - illustrating a less than serious approach to the member base.
Funding? The rare begathon in combination with $$ donation acknowledgement from the many hundreds of legacy members who respect the fact that I-BMW's enriched their lives and is the #1 place on the net for anything K12 related.
*How do you see the future of "i-BMW.com"?
Status Quo and as evidenced by monthly participation/ thread & post volume year after year exceeding all prior months, simply letting it 'run' through involved 'stakeholders' & limited policing. By 'stakeholders', I refer to mods, admin/owners, contributors, helpers and their associated, permission specific, sub-forums within the global community, all of whom assist in the effort & will ensure this place thrives.
On the above & what's unique to our community, is the self policing, limited 'big-brothering' & realization that the member base is (with the exception of a few) mature and intelligent, while requiring little moderating. I often get a kick out of some of our BMW sister sites and their 1st amendment repressed approach should you disagree with their egos or over-the-top moderating. It's a 'motorcycle hobby site' people, we're not finding a cure for cancer nor are we that important for cripes sake (LOL).
Anyways; welcome to the next 10 years everybody - thanks for the ride so far-Vic
| | "The 10th Anniversary of i-BMW.com" |
By the time your scribe here joined i-BMW.com in October, 1999, i-BMW.com was a rip-roaring success.
It was impressive to see so many dedicated owners of the new K12RS coalesce around the "electronic campfire" as some referred to the website discussing all the various aspects of their beloved and very advanced machines sporting an astounding 130 hp, and the new, for BMW, sexy bodywork that many traditional owners of the marque shunned.
The administrator of the i-bmw.com "list", Vic Salemme, had forecast and predicted quite correctly as it turns out in todays world-wide-web that the entusiast would use the then fledgling internet as the basis to share, communicate, and show information on their motorcycles of choice.
i-BMW.com or, as we grew to affectionately call it back in '99, "The Vic List" was really quite rudimentary compared to the complex website you see here today.
Just one forum for everything! You went chronologically, posting threads that descended down the page even as new posts were entered into any specific thread.
One of the most endearing _ well endearing now _ traits of this formative i-BMW.com website was the limited amount of time to construct a post and submit it to the website. If you dallied, everything you wrote just got wiped out as your time alloted expired. Very frustrating at the time.
And, as time went by, the website became the home of the K-RS riders to form and participate in the first of the "rolling rallies" for which i-BMW.com became famous. Organized to ride the Blueridge Mountains, the BRPR was initiated with a couple dozen riders joining in. This being an early spring rally, it was only natural that it was followed by the summer Deal's Gap Rally.
In 2000, one of the stalwart members of our jaunty website and a rider of his quick K-RS organized the first get-together dinner for all K-RS riders attending the Midland, Michigan rally. This was followed on other occasions by such dinner gatherings at ensuing MOA rallies.
The first i-BMW.com website was characterised by some notably cultural aspects that hold until today: it was free-wheeling, jo-momma style rhetoric punctuated by many threads and posts. i-bmw.com was the place for very self-assured riders of the K-RS motorcycle. It was a time for self expression and no-holds-barred communication.
Eventually, though, the base grew and grew as more K-RS members joined in. It was no longer the bastion of a handful of hard riding, hard-core members centerd exclusively in the United States. Others joined, females saw the beauty and the performance available in the K-RS, we cautiously became international as the reaches of the internet expanded world-wide.
Those beginning days were hallowed by many, but it was time to move on to a multi-faceted website with additional forums, and yes, the ability for the administrators to exert a bit of control over the festivities.
Gone forever were the "anything goes" days, but in its place was a much more elaborate website, a revision to the orginal constructed by Vic as a logical next step.
It seemed to coinicde with the taming down of the first gen K-RS with its blazing Marakeseh Red Color, the exquisite dophin blue, and the complexpatterns of the Yellow/check K-RS.
A revised, more, tourable and refined K-RS entered the scene in 2001 as did a revised and more refined website. The new 2nd gen festooned in larger upper fairing, electronic cruise control and progressive linked servo brakes!
Our membership continued to grow, i-bmw.com prospered, but there were warning signs on the horizon. The old, less expensive servers just were not up to the task. Our site tended to black out, crash, and when it was up, run very slowly.
Times were changing, we needed faster web service and even more sophisticated software.
An attempt was made to link-up and combine resources with one other website, but even as this experiment was tried and floundered on a clash of cultures, the more free wheeling i-bmw.com members from the original website felt confined.
Once again, it was up to the talents of Vic combined with, for the first-time, the assistance of Randy Massey and the international talents of Kjell Idsal to implement a leading-edge, very advanced web based system for BMW K-Series bike enthusiasts.
This came at a time when BMW was also stepping up with a very advanced, leading-edge machine that eclipsed everything in the market-place, set track-based speed records, land-speed records, and at the same time, was equipped to travel continents as a competent touring motorcycle. Enter the K1200S. Enter the new v-Bulletin i-BMW.com website.
And, as they say, the rest is history!! i-BMW.com's success is unparalled. And, yes, a very-happy 10th Birthday to i-BMW.com. May the next ten be as enjoyable and successful!
Miles Miller, Site Historian.
| | I-BMW Rallies | As you have read in Miles article above, I-BMW is hosting several Rallies throughout The United States that echo our 1st one; (Connecticut, 2000). Click links to get further info and updates.
THCR Texas Hill Country Roundup (April) BRPR Blue Ridge Parkway Rally (May) SSR Summer Soltice Rally (June in Vermont) SGR Sierra Goldrush Rally (September) DGR Deals Gap Rally (October)
Come to a rally in your area and meet your online friends face to face. The camaraderie of an 'I-BMW' rally is something that must be experienced!
Ride all day, swap lies, er. . stories all night, after enjoying a convival dinner with your fellow rally attendees.
| | I-BMW Statistics | -Active members: 7,520 -Threads: 13,560
-Posts:158,668
-Top Poster: KarlB (6,395)
-Most users ever online was 1610, 12-22-2006 at 03:49 PM.
-Welcome to our NEWEST member; 'reyster'
-Most Viewed/replied to Thread with 445 replies and 8,802 views:
2007 K1200GT idles at 3,000 after 9.1 install and no new airbox
-Most Popular Forum: "Chit Chat"
-Some amazing Ride Reports: Click
-All previous generation KRS/GT: Click
-All K1200S: Click
-All K1200R: Click
-All NEW generation KGT: Click
-An assortment of LIVE polls: Click
*Check out our Classifieds
*Gallery Statistics:
-Users: 7,520
-Photos: 5,807, Comments: 792, Views: 1,051,686 Go to Gallery
*Supporting Vendor: How Do I Become One?
*Supporting Vendor ads: Click here to view
| | ____________________________________________________________ __________________
Since 1998, one of the forerunners of Web-based Motorcycle forums, the goal of which was and remains;
The unfettered discussion of BMW K-Series Motorcycles.
Sincerely,
I-BMW.com
| | | | Remember Our Entry? |
| Those of you that have been around in the early years might recal Our 'Entry Page'
i-BMW.com
BTW: did you know why it's called
'i' -BMW.com?
The 'i' stand for 'Interactive'.
| | I-BMW; New Server | | We have just set-up a new server as of March 2008. We're uploading PHP, Apache, MySql & APC Cache to the Linux OS in the next few days followed by the new 3.7 version of vBulletin software.
It will be Beta-tested and runned parallel with the current server until we're ready for the cutover.
Overall solution should be faster as it's on a MUCH quicker CPU set.
Figure May timeframe...
| | Spring Break California | | Once again 'eye.surgeon' brings us glimpses from Sunny California:
I did an awesome 375 mile ride today starting in Clovis/Fresno, hitting hwy 58, hwy 229, and hwy 1 up the coast from Morro Bay to just south of Santa Cruz, where my family has been spring-breaking it without me. I thought I would put some pictures up tonight for your viewing pleasure, especially for our snow-bound friends in colder climes.
See the pictures and read more here.
Further a selection of popular
'Ride Tales'
'The Oasis of my Soul'
'La tournee des zetats 2008'
'A Cold One handed Ride'
'Leaning'
'North Cape 2007'
'Mexico and Copper Canyon'
'Ride through HELL'
'Spain discovers Canadians'
Lean back and Enjoy!
| | "I-BMW Merchandise" | | Are You aware of our Store?
Here you can purchase our 'I-BMW' goodies & 10th Aniversary wares; T-Shirt, Polo-shirt, sticker, Coasters, Clocks, Buttons, Mugs, etc.
Follow this link please!
| | "I-BMW Funding" | | As you all read at the Interview with Vic; I-BMW had long ago chosen to let enthusiasts fund our site.
Here is a follow-up of latest funding thread for your information:
"Gang; behind the scenes FYI:
As we've recently leased a new staging server to ensure software & hardware upgrades are met, we've been running two servers, purchasing & installing licenses etc., we're incurring the costs of 'two' distinct operations @ the data center & until a cut over, slated for sometime in May/June can be met.
If you've never donated to this fine site, now might be the time to consider it & while we never beg for cash, $5 or $10 goes a long way, sets your profile to 'contributor' status & ensures we keep the 'banner ad' vendors at bay
We appreciate it - Thank you!"
Here's how to donate:
'Click this Link please'
| | The BMW S1000RR | | As known, BMW has just Introduced their new SuperSport, The S1000RR.
Here is an extract from the Intro by Hendrik von Kuenheim
General Director BMW Motorrad :
In choosing the name and designation of BMW's new Supersports, we are consistently following our nomenclature at BMW Motorrad. In this name, the "S" stands for Supersports, marking a new class of motorcycles from BMW. The "1000" designates the size of the engine, and the "RR" naturally stands for the model itself.
World Championship:
Today I can confirm that our preparations are proceeding according to plan in every respect: In compliance with the rules of the Series, the new motorcycle will be available to customers in 2009 and we will build 1,000 production models by the end of next year.
We are implementing our racing activities in close cooperation with our partner Alpha-Racing, a specialist very experienced in motorsport. Located near Munich, Alpha-Racing have already started work in a special production hall specifically for this purpose.
The process of building up the team is proceeding at full swing and we have already filled the key positions.
The team is a combination of specialists from BMW and members of the Alpha-Technik racing crew, as well as further specialists from professional Superbike racing.
Choosing the development and test riders for our racing machine, we are currently operating in a revolving system to gain as much experience as possible. The selection of test riders ranges from experienced riders still active today all the way to young "top guns".
In the upcoming weeks and months we will systematically start production of the racing machine in its individual power and performance stages, testing the new model as we go along.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We naturally realise that the established teams have many years of experience. But we wish to take up this challenge in particular and have put together a highly motivated team precisely for this purpose, a team which will prove the performance of our new motorcycle in professional racing.
Naturally, we will have to go through a certain process of learning - which is precisely why we have set ourselves realistic targets for the time being: In our first year in the Superbike World Championship we seek to bring home several places in the Top 10 and to consistently close the gap to the top teams. In year 2 we plan to catch up with the top teams and to win our first places on the podium. And our medium-term objective, obviously, is to win the World Championship!
Read the complete Speach.
Look at the first official pictures
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__________________
Vic; 1998 K1200RS; 115,000 miles - The other "M" ride///;  - The ugly one; 18,000 miles
US Patents: *4,940,318 *4,923,302 *4,906,087
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See the "Donate" link on the NavBar in the middle of every page! Thanks!
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04-19-2008, 09:08 AM
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