Fool.com: Fool Community Update [Special] February 7, 2002

On Monday, January 28, we announced some changes The Motley Fool is making to our Community. If you haven't had a chance to read that announcement, we invite you to do so by clicking here. We wanted to take a moment to update you on our progress.

First, we want to thank everyone who's signed up as a Charter Member! Welcome aboard. This has been the most successful launch in our history. By every measure, we are overwhelmed by the response. Thank you to everyone who has taken advantage of the special Charter Membership offer of two years for the price of one.

Reading the discussion boards as much as we have lately, we've seen two primary unanswered questions on the minds of our new members and those of you still on the fence. We'll answer those now.

1. Will things be the same after February 14?
In short, no. Life is ever-changing. In this case, though, we believe that the community will be pleasantly different on and after Valentine's Day.

Many of you have expressed the understandable concern that some of the people you admire will no longer be here. Rest assured that the vast majority of contributors over the past year are signed on as members today. For confirmation, we encourage you to visit the discussion boards. Any contributor with a blue jester cap icon next to his or her name has signed on as a member of the Fool Community. On most boards, it's a sea of blue.

Not only will the community be very active, but we expect the already high quality of discussion to improve further. As LorenCobb aptly points out in this excellent post, many of the people who historically detract from valuable conversation will depart. The Fool Community will be brimming with people who have made a commitment to quality conversation and to our long-time interactive mission of Learning Together, and to that we say, "Amen."

2. What about bringing in new members?
A second frequently asked question is can we not only maintain the excellent community that we've all created together, but also grow it with new members, fresh perspectives, probing minds. Well, first off, a truly motley crowd has always been among our aims and achievements in building Fool Community. More important, for the first time in our company history, we have a tangible economic incentive to grow the size of our community by leaps and bounds, to invest in it, to make the best community on the Web even better. We are highly committed to expanding the ranks of what is already an exceptional group of people.

Thank you for the outstanding response thus far. For those who are still undecided about joining, we want your business! If you have questions about our service, feel free to ask us about it on our Q&A discussion board. We hope this update answers your two biggest questions and that you'll join us as a Charter Member. The year ahead will be our best ever in Fool Community.

Our special offer of two years for the price of one ends on February 13th at midnight. Join us today!

-- David and Tom Gardner

Additional Reading:

• Letter to the Community
• Thank you for 10 years and counting -- David Gardner
• Tom Gardner answers "Why are you doing this?" -- Tom Gardner
• Frequently Asked Questions