[Nicko]

To All,

It has been a great year hasn't it? I am speaking specifically about here at ChefTalk but I also hope you have had a great year in your personal life as well. Here is what we have done the past year:

• Added a food photo gallery (almost 1,000 pics so far)
• Upgraded the forums with new social networking features
• Added blogs
• Updated the design of the forums
• Added a job listing forum
• Upgraded servers (I know we still have outages but it will be fixed soon)
• Added Brook to our staff as our cookbook reviews editor. Have you seen the quality of the cookbook reviews? Great job Brook
• Added some new moderators (Phatch, Shroomgirl, Ishbel)
• Partnered with Bevreview.com to bring soda and beverage reviews
• Added some outstanding new articles from chefs such as Jim Berman, Peter
• Martin, Bob Ballantyne and others
• Did an awesome knife give away from New West
• Did a cookbook a day give away for the month of September.
• Added the ability to remove the ads from the forums
• Updated the look of the main site
• Added RSS feeds for the articles, cookbook reviews
• Now have over 17,000 registered members in the forums!
• Now have over 17,000 subscribers to our monthly newsletter.
• Added a culinary school search
• Added a job search
  

So I ask everyone what are our goals for 2009? What would you like to see updated, added, removed etc etc from our community. Your responses are appreciated.

[ED BUCHANAN]

What to look for when purchasing:
meat
fish
veges
frozen
fruit
dairy

[OregonYeti]

This is why I am a site supporter

The additions I have used are great. I would ask for more improvement in the server. Brook is a great writer. I agree with Ed Buchanan's suggestion.

A request from the peanut gallery is being able to use custom emoticons, just for fun.

[bughut]

At the risk of sounding trite, Just keep doing what you do so well and i'll be happy.

[Nicko]

Thanks, guess I am looking for your big wishes. Facebook integration (have forum threads available etc), Article topics (how to make....), should we get rid of the blogs, more QA forums with guests?

[phoebe]

Boy, Nicko! Are you TRYING to make more work for yourself? The site is gorgeous; you've done an incredible job this year. Thank you.
But if you're asking, I'd like more Q and A. And though most guests might be available at a given time because they have a book coming out--which is fine--I'd like to see lively posts inspiring a given Q and A. The one about food writing: Your opinion of food writing and writers
might suggest a guest like Ruth Reichl or Jeffrey Steingarten.