Welcome the last Friday Files for 2006. It's hard to believe but we're about to close the book on another year. The "year in review" specials are airing on television and we're being reminded of all the significant events of the past year. I can't come close to wrapping up 2006 but I'll do what I can for our world, X5world.

Here at xoutpost.com we've experienced another incredible year of growth. We're approaching the 10,000 member mark! The X3 forum has steadily grown and with the introduction of the E70 we have another forum in addition to forums for future models like the X6 and V5. So much has happened here on so many levels. We've had members add cars to their garages just as we've had members add babies to their homes. We've seen some additional females join us further increasing the diversity. We even have more smilies now too. We have had in increase in Premier Membership which is good because it shows that people appreciate the valuable resource that this site is and how great a social spot it is. Premier Membership is not required but for all that this site has done for so many X5 and X3 owners, it's the least you can do to give a little back. Speaking of Premier Membership, we've seen WWW move to the Premier Membership Forum and the shift from Freaky Friday to The Friday Files. Many people have questioned those decisions and to sum it up succinctly, they were the right decisions for the right reasons at the right time. As the site grows and we get more attention we need to make sure that xoutpost.com continues to be the definitive BMW SAV site on the Internet. We all have a vested interest in maintaining the high level that this site has achieved. Speaking of getting attention, a great achievement this past year was the amazing review we got in "BMW Car Magazine" from the UK. That article confirmed what we already knew.

As many things happened during 2006 on xoutpost.com, the major things that happened that really shows the type of place X5world is and what embodies the spirit of the site were the big meets: the D.C. Meet and WestFest IV. JV was the man behind the Washington D.C. Meet and it was attended by many of our members. Many drove but many others flew in to meet the people who they had gotten to know through a keyboard and monitor. It was a time to put faces with names. As we like to say around here, X5world is a place you come for the information but stay for the friendships. The D.C. Meet is not the first meet we've had but it was one that brought a whole new group of people together. That continued with WestFest IV put on here in Southern California by one of the coolest guys around. That'd be me. :p As the name of the meet suggests, it was the fourth meet for us. Each one has gotten better than the previous one and IV was no different. So many people from X5world, most of whom attended the D.C. Meet as well, converged here to spend a great weekend of X5's and friendship. We even had a member from the UK fly over for it. That was priceless! It was a fun weekend meeting some of the people who make X5world so great. Check out the X5/X3 Meets Forum and search for the posts and pictures to see all of the fun we had. Will there be a WestFest V? Who knows. We do know that plans are in the works for SunFest '07 to be held in Florida. I think that it is safe to say with all of our meets that we are the premier automotive enthusiasts Internet site that brings people together in person, face to face, beyond the anonymity of the Internet.

To close out 2006 I would like to extend some thanks and shine the spotlight on some people who make X5world possible. First and foremost I'd like to thank UcrewX5 (aka El Jeffe) and Drex for their initiative in creating this site and their dedication to making it as good as it is. You guys have been great and you know that we all appreciate it. I'd like to shine the light on the moderators: Kaefer, SuperGreg, Michelle, ekaz, KewlX5, and x5Monkey. They along with me, spend quite a bit of time here making sure that things run smoothly here and that X5world continues to be great. Fortunately we haven't had to do too much and we've been able to maintain a high level of maturity and content. It is our aim, and it should also be everyone's aim, to ensure that. We moderators and UCrewX5 and Drex are committed to that. Thanks fellow mods for being caretakers of this treasure of information and friendships.

Finally, I'd like to thank all of our members. Thanks for a great year of sharing information and knowledge, a great year of spirited debate and sometimes even enlightenment, a great year of humor, and a great year of being the best automotive enthusiast site on the Internet.

Have a Happy New Year's Eve and best wishes for a healthy and happy 2007!


The D.C. Meet





WestFest IV

Attached Images

 

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