# Army.ca Hits 10 Years



## Mike Bobbitt (31 May 2003)

This December, we‘ll hit the 10th anniversary for this site. To celebrate this milestone, I have a number of ideas in the works.

First and foremost, a significant redesign of the site, as it hasn‘t really changed in a long time. The 10th Anniversary changes are scheduled to be unveiled near the end of July. At the same time, I‘m planning on having a small celebration in one of the local pubs here in Ottawa. Everyone is of course welcome to attend. (Exact date and location TBA.)

As the planning comes together, I‘ll post updates here, but for now I just wanted to get the ball rolling.

If anyone has suggestions on what can be done, please feel free to post them here.

Cheers


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## Mike Bobbitt (4 Jun 2003)

Hi all,

Well, it‘s time to start planning the 10th Anniversary gathering. Here are the details:

26 July 2003

1415 - Meet at Canadian War Museum
1630 - End of tour
1700 - Supper: location TBD
1900 - Meet at The Brig for a few beer

Note: We have a reservation at the War Muesum, so please try to be there for 1415 if you want to participate. If you want to catch up with us once we hit The Brig, that‘s OK too.

The War Museum‘s address is:
330 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0M8

with a map available here:
 http://warmuseum.ca/cwm/cwmeng/cwmcueng.html 

So far response has been good, there are a number of people who will be joining us who aren‘t represented in the poll.

It‘ll be a good opportunity to put faces to names and solve the world‘s problems over a few pints. I hope those who are local will be able to attend. If all goes well, this may become a regular affair.

In order to help planning, please let me know if you think you‘ll be able to make it or not.

If you have suggestions, complaints, etc, please reply to this poll with your ideas.

Thanks


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## Pikache (4 Jun 2003)

Other option is if it was scheduled around CAC for Ontario boys/girls since CAC is in Pet this year...


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## Mike Bobbitt (4 Jun 2003)

Anyone have the CAC dates? I‘m away for the first half of August, but there may be some crossover...

I recognize that there won‘t be a date that works for everyone (probably not even half of us), but we‘ll try...


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## Devlin (4 Jun 2003)

Mike:

The dates for CAC according to my OPS O are Aug 11th - 24th. I would like to meet up at the Brig but I am working.


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## Danjanou (4 Jun 2003)

While not local, it‘s not too far (5 hours) so if I can sneak away from the wife for the weekend (Mike can you send her an e-mail saying I was recalled to the Colours?)I‘ll try and attend.

BTW can we smoke there? Or should I leave the Cubans behind?


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## Mike Bobbitt (4 Jun 2003)

Thanks for the CAC dates, that‘s good to know. My preference at this point is to go ahead with the 26th and make it a regular event, so nobody feels left out.    

We‘re a smoke free area now, though I think patios are still OK, and last time I was there, the Brig had a small one...

Edit: confirmed, they have a patio. Here‘s some general info in the Brig:  http://www.ottawaplus.ca/profile/41903/


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## Mike Bobbitt (5 Jun 2003)

Here‘s another thought: how would people feel about adding a "day event" to this? For example, tour the War Museum, then hit the pub?

Thought it might be more worth while for folks like Danjanou to make the drive if there was more to it...

P.S. Email to domestic 9‘er sent. Now you need to return the favour for me...


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## Danjanou (5 Jun 2003)

Actually i was thinking of making a weekend of it so I could visit the War Museum. I just realised that I haven‘t been through it in over 20 years.

In the doghouse again with 9‘er (never marry a naval type) so it looks like my weekend will be make up gardening or something similar again.


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## Mike Bobbitt (5 Jun 2003)

Apparently the Diefenbunker is also a decent Museum now, though I‘ve never been through it. Wouldn‘t be hard to make a pretty full day or weekend out of it...


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## Pikache (5 Jun 2003)

Hmmm... I‘ve never been to the War Museum before either.


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## rolandstrong (6 Jun 2003)

Boy, it can be lonely in the military out west. Museums, parties, etc. Anyone wanna come out this way and get run off the road by a VW Van because you wear a uniform? Could be fun...?!?!?


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## SNoseworthy (6 Jun 2003)

Wow, ten years, good job guys!


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## kurokaze (10 Jun 2003)

heck, I‘ll come up to Ottawa for a weekend.. 
might get lost but should be fun!

Visiting the War museum would be a good idea!


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## Harris (16 Jun 2003)

I‘ll be there.


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## Mike Bobbitt (20 Jun 2003)

Ok, we now have a reservation at the War Museum for 1415 on the 26th. I‘ve booked us as a party of 15 (minimum required to make a reservation), and I think we‘ll have that many. (We get a slight price break as 15 or more.)

A tour typically takes 90 minutes, after which we‘ll go for supper, then to The Brig. Any suggestions for supper? We could just go to the Brig, but that‘s not very imaginative. I‘d like to make a reservation at the restaurant as well, so we‘re not stuck waiting.

I‘ve updated the schedule above to reflect the changes.


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## robertmullan (26 Jun 2003)

I will  be coming on the 26 July. I plan to bring
my my cartoons with the intention of getting some feedback on which ones should
go into the book or not. Could you poll the ones who responded to see if
they would be interested in doing this or not
Cheers

Robert Mullan  :rocket:  

My cartoons:
 http://www.rcaca.org/Mullan-Humour.htm 
 http://regimentalrogue.tripod.com/mullan/cartoons.htm 
 http://www.geocities.com/hollywood/theater/7041/humour.html 
 http://www.canadaka.net/cka/modules.php?name=News&new_topic=30 
 http://www.canadaka.net/cka/modules.php?op=modload&name=My_eGallery&file=index&do=showgall&gid=33 
 http://www.militarymags.com/cartoon1.htm


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## Mike Bobbitt (16 Jul 2003)

Just a reminder to everyone that the site‘s 10th Anniversary gathering is taking place on Saturday, July 26th. Schedule follows:

1415 - Meet at Canadian War Museum
1630 - End of tour
1700 - Supper at The Brig

Note: We have a reservation at the War Muesum, so please try to be there for 1415 if you want to participate. If you want to catch up with us once we hit The Brig, that‘s OK too. I expect we‘ll be there for a few hours.

The War Museum‘s address is:
330 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0M8
[Map] 

So far response has been good, I expect there‘ll be about 10-15 of us. If you‘re planning on joining us, please post if you haven‘t already, so I have accurate numbers.

Looking forward to meeting some of the folks I‘ve come to know here!

Thanks

P.S. I‘ll bring Army.ca shirts for $15 for anyone who wants to buy one.


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## Mike Bobbitt (16 Jul 2003)

I should also mention that I‘ll be unveiling the new web site that weekend. I‘ve been working on updates for the last few months, so stay tuned for some big changes.


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## Mike Bobbitt (20 Jul 2003)

We‘re confirmed at the Brig for 1700, and if the weather‘s nice, they‘ll hold a spot on the patio for us.


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## Mike Bobbitt (22 Jul 2003)

For those meeting us at the Brig directly, it‘s at 25 York St, in the Market.

Hope to see you there! I may even buy a round.


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## robertmullan (23 Jul 2003)

Cheers
Hello Mike

Where is the Brig Near in the Market ?

Robert Mullan

My cartoons:
 http://www.rcaca.org/Mullan-Humour.htm 
 http://regimentalrogue.tripod.com/mullan/cartoons.htm 
 http://www.geocities.com/hollywood/theater/7041/humour.html 
 http://www.canadaka.net/cka/modules.php?name=News&new_topic=30 
 http://www.cdnarmy.ca/ 
 http://www.militarymags.com/cartoon1.htm


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## Mike Bobbitt (23 Jul 2003)

It‘s near the end of York St, by Sussex Ave. Won‘t be a long walk from The War Museum, just a few blocks.

There should be parking all around the area, especially at 1400 when we get there...


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## Mike Bobbitt (25 Jul 2003)

In 1993, this site made its debut on the Internet as The Canadian Army Home Page. Today, nearly 10 years later, it has been given a new look, new content and a new name: Army.ca

For the past few months, I‘ve been working on updating the site in anticipation of its 10th anniversary. I hope you enjoy the new site, which includes an updated intro, main page, military quotes, updated links, and much more. I‘ve also put together a "flashback" section, showing just how far the site has come over the last 10 years:

 http://Army.ca/10th 

To help celebrate, several of us are getting together for a tour of the War Museum and then off to the pubs for a few beer. Anyone local to Ottawa is more than welcome to join us.

I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone over the last 10 years for their corrections, assistance, patience and support. Over the years I‘ve seen a lot of people come and go, most good, some bad, but nearly all interesting. This site has been built by it‘s visitors, and therefore belongs to you. Special thanks to everyone for their recent support, including Kurokaze, St.Onge, and especially E-Town.

As a final note of interest, here is some useless trivia about this site:


The actual 10 year anniversary is in December - I couldn‘t wait   
For almost a year, it was run out of Michigan
It made the Ottawa Citizen a few years back about NDHQ "spying" on soldiers through these forums
It predates any official DND web site by 3-4 years
Estimates are that over 6 billion pages have been served to 2 million visitors
Over 80% of visitors are from Canada, about 6% from the US and about 0.5% from the UK (the remainder of our visitors are from over 100 other countries)
DND attempted to "buy out" the site in 1999 (today we have an excellent relationship with DND)
I bought the "Army.ca" Internet domain from an online dating company, hoping to capitalize on military relationships (I just can‘t make this stuff up!)

Thanks again for making it 10 great years with many improvements.

Enjoy!

P.S. Unfortunately, because of the domain name change, everyone will have to log in to the forums again. Your standard username/password will still work.


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## Spr.Earl (25 Jul 2003)

First Mike,I would like to thank you for providing a site for those of us serving and for those who are interested in the Force‘s to were we can come and inform and learn,even I after 27yrs in the Reserve Engineer‘s,I have learnt quite a few tid bit‘s here.

Secondly,I like your new lay out,funky intro man,takes me back WOW!LOL.

Thurdly,You are providing an exellant service.
Thank you.


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## Veteran`s son (25 Jul 2003)

Hello Mike:

The changes/new look of the Army.ca site look great(the old site was great too, though    ).
This site has alot of information for anyone who wants to join or learn about, the Canadian Army.

Again, thank you for starting this great site, Mike!


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## robertmullan (26 Jul 2003)

Great site Mike and all the best for the next ten years.I hope my cartoons has added bit of humour to your site.Look forward to seeing you at the anniversary.

 :gunner:  

Cheers

Robert Mullan

My cartoons:
 http://www.rcaca.org/Mullan-Humour.htm 
 http://regimentalrogue.tripod.com/mullan/cartoons.htm 
 http://www.geocities.com/hollywood/theater/7041/humour.html 
 http://www.canadaka.net/cka/modules.php?name=News&new_topic=30 
 http://www.cdnarmy.ca/ 
 http://www.militarymags.com/cartoon1.htm


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## Mike Bobbitt (26 Jul 2003)

Thanks guys, I apprecaite it! It‘s been fun and very informative over the years, I sure have learned a lot!   

Cheers


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## Gorgo (26 Jul 2003)

Let me add my congratulations to those who‘ve been thanking your for this service, Mike.  I‘ve been able to learn and link to many things on the Net thanks to your site.  All the work you and everyone else has poured into this place is certainly more than appreciated by this retired Adm Clk now teaching English in the Land of the Morning Calm.    

Cheers!

Fred


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## SNoseworthy (26 Jul 2003)

Congratulations on ten years of excellent work Mike. Your site has been an inspiration for many CF websites, or, at the least, mine lol.


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## Deleted member 585 (27 Jul 2003)

Hats-off to you, Mike... and also to every member that helps make this site worthwhile.

Cheers!


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## zortag (27 Jul 2003)

I haven‘t posted much around here, but I‘ve been lurking for a while and would like to give you my kudos on your site, it‘s great work.


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## kurokaze (28 Jul 2003)

Keep up the great work Mike, and care to provide
some details on the potential DND buyout and
the army.ca dating scheme?     I‘m curious to
know more!


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## Mike Bobbitt (28 Jul 2003)

Well, 3-4 years ago there were a lot of unofficial army sites, of varying quality and accuracy. DND put together a project to clean them up, by getting rid of most.

In some cases, such as this site, DND made an offer to host the site. A system would be provided, all the traffic would be free, and even a small stipend would be paid out. The catch however is that the site would then be under the official umbrella and would have to confirm to DND‘s content guidelines. I declined the offer.

Things have come a long way since then, and while DND may not condone this site, they do tolerate it. I don‘t know how DND/NDHQ feels about this site officially, but I do know that there are some good heads there who don‘t want us to go away.

As for the dating scheme, the when the .ca domain opened up a couple of years ago, I tried to get Army.ca, but was beaten out by someone else. (I ended up getting CdnArmy.ca, my second choice instead.) Turns out that the guy who got it runs an online dating service, and was looking to break into the military market. I talked to him several times, trying to persuade him to sell me the domain.

Honestly, I imagine an army centric dating system would go over like a lead balloon. At any rate, I finally offered him the right amount of money, and he sold Army.ca to me a few months ago.

The rest, as they say, is history...

Cheers


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## McG (30 Jul 2003)

Mike,
Excellent new look.  I especially like the new navigation bar at the top of the page.  You‘ve come a long way since you first opened the site. I remember seeing the original, but it was about two years before I began to visit regularly.  

You don‘t seem to peak.  I can‘t imagine what the future has in store for these pages.


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## Doug VT (30 Jul 2003)

Things sure have evolved over the years.  In the beginning on the dragon server the "War Diary" was really nothing more than a guest book.  Now it seems as it has made itself the main attraction of the Canadian Army Homepage.  So much so that most usually only refer to the site as the "War Diary".  Not a bad thing, I‘ve been here for the ten years in its entirety and its been interesting...


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## Mike Bobbitt (30 Jul 2003)

Yeah, it‘s definitely come a long way. Thought it would be worth a chuckle to see it in it‘s previous incarnations, so that‘s what prompted me to dig up the flashback section. Couldn‘t find anything older than 1996, but still, finding a 6 year old backup isn‘t bad...

Doug, you‘re probably one of the very vew who have followed the site right from the beginning. If I‘d known then how much time, effort and money it would take, I‘m not sure I would have had the stomach for it, but overall it‘s been a good go.

Definitely couldn‘t do it without the help I get from you guys though, so I really appreciate it. Thanks!


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