LessThanDot (LTD) is coming of age and making a great name for itself with all the communities.  This past week the primary administrators and operators of the site once again paid, from their own pockets, the server costs to keep us going. We also moved the site to a better server during this process. 

OK, we may not be running on Watson but I have a feeling it will help a bit when chrissie1 says he is leaving VB.NET or when gmmastros releases a version of the awesome SQLCop application.

LTD doesn’t make any money and really, we don’t get much for clicks on that donate button at the bottom of the page.  This doesn’t bother me in the least.  Myself and the others have this site available to help others and create a place people can feel comfortable in asking questions and getting answers. 

I know LTD has a large SQL Server community following due to a few key blog contributors that are well known.  Outside of SQL Server content, we also have some of the brightest .NET minds around.  The site’s purpose was always to contribute as a technical community in all of the areas and not restrict it to one specific topic like SQL Server.  Of course, I love the fact that I’ve been able to be such a large part of the SQL Server Community and have LTD to thank for a large part in that. 

This last weekend I received some great feedback about LTD and we’ve added a few bloggers to the site.  The content will be SQL Server from these new bloggers and I’m really looking forward to seeing their blogs take off.  When people ask to be a blogger on LTD, they always thank us, or even me personally, for getting them up and going.  Honestly, it is LTD that thanks you all for contributing to the site by adding some really awesome content.  Taking another chance, I’d like to thank everyone that blogs on LTD.  These thanks goes to not only the newer contributors but the ones that really put a lot of time into filling our content up with some really good articles.

I think over the years, LTD has made a great impact on the SQL Server Community for one, by helping brand individuals and show their skills, along with branding LTD as a really good resource.

This past week I also received some negative feedback on some things regarding the site.   We are working on those things now and hope to have something out there in the near future.  Really, those negative things were things we were not aware of and I’m glad someone finally shared them with me so they could be addressed. 

When I created a private forum almost a decade ago (or more…getting old), I saw a group of people that only wanted to do one thing; help others with no intentions of greed or return for themselves and resist the temptation to grow exceedingly large egos due to their skills.  That group turned into this site and even with all the years that have gone by, the group still has the same vision and manner in which they hold themselves. 

I would sincerely like to thank the group that is LTD for allowing me to be a part of what this site and focus is.  I truly feel honored to have everything I have accomplished listed by my name but even more so cherish the fact that I can put this site’s name next to everything I do.

Thanks LTD!