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    Nick

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    Blog Entries posted by Nick

    1. Nick
      Following the success of last years competition Mervyn has been working hard to bring together the 2012 Photographic Competition, so I would ask members to take consider participating in this years competition. There are some great prizes on offer and also entries have the opportunity to win a place in the 2013 GMIC Calendar.



      PHOTO COMPETITION 2012 COMMENCES MONDAY 15th OCTOBER 2012 CLOSES MIDNIGHT THURSDAY 15th NOVEMBER 2012 (GMT)

      There are three categories for 2012 and each person will be limited to 5 (five) entered per category so make them count.

      The judges are looking for not only for photographic technique but more importantly creativity and imagination. A picture which shows a lot of imagination, but lacks in technical skill, still stands a better chance in winning over a technically perfect photo which is unimaginative and dull. I will also be looking for 12 images to represent the 12 months of 2013, so if members can enter photos within Categories 1 & 2 which have a seasonal (and military) theme I will be considering those entries separately to the main competition, so it will not necessarily be category winners who earn a place in the calendar.

      RULES AND REGULATIONS

      1. Members - and Family Members are permitted to enter this 2012 Photo Competition. Name of member must be shown. These rules apply equally to any non-members and by entering the competition they show their assent.

      2. The panel of judges has been appointed - their decision is final.

      3. Ownership of the image remains with the person posting. However, by entering this Competition he/she grants permission to GMIC to use any of the image entered - in any way or, for whatever purpose - and at any time. The member posting the entry must OWN the copyright to the image being entered.

      4. There will be no change in the announced dates.

      5. There will be one overall prize - The Chairman's Award. Each category will have a 1st , 2nd. and 3rd. place and will receive a GMIC plaque. 4th and 5th in each category will receive a small nominal gift. ALL 5 in each Category will receive a GMIC Certificate.

      6. To keep numbers managable the maximum number of entries - per category - will be LIMITED TO 5 (FIVE)

      7. The categories will be : Please include a few words of description

      1. Personal Militaria collections - pick your own items for entry.

      2. Militaria from any source. Graves.Bands.Processions etc.. Your choice.

      3. Non- Militaria. Any source or, subject. Be original and creative.

      8. Entries for the 2013 GMIC Calendar will be considered separately to the main competition by the Chairman. Note category winners will not necessarily be entered into the GMIC Calendar. Entries will only be considered from Categories 1 & 2 (or of a military theme) and images which have a seasonal aspect i.e. Spring, Summer, Autumn (Fall), Winter will be of benefit.
    2. Nick
      I am glad to announce that the GMIC 2012 Photographic Competition Results are now out. Congratulations to all the winners and my thanks to all members who entered the competition. My thanks also to the panel of independent judges who had a difficult task as well as to Mervyn who makes all this possible.

      I will be making a further announcement later with regards the special Chairmans Award and the GMIC 2013 Calendar.

      To view the winning photos go http://gmic.co.uk/index.php/gallery/category/45-2012-photographic-competition-winners/
    3. Nick
      Here are the long awaited results for the photo competition. My congratulations to all the winners, as well as a thank you to all members who took the time to enter the competition. I would also like to give a big thanks to Peter and his judges who spend time and effort deliberating over all the entries, which I know is a time consuming task.

      Above all a special thank you goes to Mervyn, who without his drive and contribution none of this would happen.

      PHOTO CONTEST RESULTS:

      Chairmans Award to: mmerc20 Sinking in the Desert







      CATEGORY 1 - PERSONAL COLLECTION

      Chris B Sepia 3 Stooges (1st PLACE)
      Dante Black Brunswickers (2nd PLACE)
      paja Order of the Yugoslav Crown (Merit)
      Cimbineus Eagles (Merit)
      pinpon590 Kriegsverdeinst (Merit)

      CATEGORY TWO - HONOUR THE PAST
      mmerc20 Sinking in the Desert (1st PLACE)
      paja Bubanj Memorial park (2ND place)
      Komtur Berlin, Summer 2013 (Merit)
      J Temple West Occupation, Channel Islands (Merit)
      Chuck in Oregon Old vet with Stalin image (Merit)

      CATEGORY THREE - MEDALS AND AWARDS

      mmerc20 Honoured Pair (1st PLACE)
      Komtur Pride of a Jewish German (1) (2nd PLACE)
      Cimbineus In the name of the… (Merit)
      gregm Memory trunk (Merit)
      gregm Domed ek (Merit)

      CATEGORY FOUR - CATEGORY OF CHOICE
      Jock Auld IMG 0347 (1st PLACE)
      Chris B Night food market Morocco (2nd PLACE – tie)
      Chuck in Oregon Art is Hope (2nd PLACE - tie)
      Komtur Northern light of Denmark (Merit)
      Bob Lyons Luftwaffe cup and saucer (Merit)
    4. Nick
      May 2014 will celebrate the 10 year anniversary for GMIC. There are a lot of exciting things planned for next year at GMIC which also ties in with the 100 year remembrance anniversary for the Great War. Some of the things I will highlight are:
      A refreshed look and layout A dedicated World War I area to highlight the anniversary New GMIC anniversary membership badges for all members who take out a subscription or renew in 2014. GMIC Auction

      My thanks to all staff and members for keeping up the GMIC spirit and I am looking forward to the next 10 years !

      Nick




    5. Nick
      I have been updating a few of the back end functions of the software/server to bring it up to date and close a few security issues. It may have meant that some members received the occasional database error over the last few days, but I hope the bulk of the work has now been done. There should not be any real major front end changes.

      GMIC is still growing in size and despite some slow down in posting which is reflected across all military collecting forums (sign of the economic times maybe ?) the traffic actually has increased. This combination of traffic and database size can challenge the server. Of course if money was not an issue then a fast modern dedicated server would make a vast differences. As GMIC is essentially a free service then unfortunately this is not an option and I rely on voluntary subscriptions to pay for what I can afford to run. So speed is dependent on subscriptions, the more of you that pay a small annual subscription, the faster server I can afford and the better the service we all get !

      If anyone has noticed any significant differences i.e. slow downs or speed ups in the forum please let me know as it is good to get feedback either way.

      GMIC is eight years old next month and there is a lot of images and information stored on the forum. Over the coming months I will be getting some of the moderators to do a bit of housekeeping as I intend to start archiving some of the old posts to reduce server space. The information will still be there and retrievable under searching, but because it is old and not regularly accessed it will be stored in a slightly different way to save space and make the forum run more efficiently.

      I have also changed my username to Nick rather than Chairman (although I still am the Chairman) as have the Vice Chairs as I felt titles were a little too impersonal and I want to promote the use of peoples real names. If you would like to adopt your real name (even if it is only your first name with a last initial or tag to retain a agree of anonymity) let me know as it makes it a bit friendlier than some forums where members adopt juvenile usernames as par for the course.
    6. Nick

      Blog Skin

      By Nick,

      I am still working on the final skin (the appearance and colour scheme) for the blog area. It may take a few days to tweak it so don't worry if things don't look quite right just yet !
    7. Nick

      Centenary Great War 1914

      By Nick,

      This year marks the centenary of the Great War 1914-1918. In recognition of this GMIC will be establishing a Centenary area for you to post all you relevant topics relating to World War 1. At the end of the centenary period all posts will be moved to their respective areas.

      So get posting there is lots to discuss and see !



    8. Nick
      A couple of updates for the forum over the last few weeks:

      The first is a New Classified for Sale Section. The old Sale Section is now closed and the new classified section is being tested. The main advertisements have to be listed in GBP Stirling Pounds but there is a section within the advert which allows sellers to advertise the sale in other currencies and specify what currency they prefer for payment. The reason for this is mainly due to software limitations and as this essentially is a British run forum then advertisements are going to be in British Pounds. However this main change in the future as the software is developed.

      Secondly, again as a trial run, I will be hosting a German Language section within the German section. This will be for topics relating to Germany (any period) and is to encourage German speaking collectors to the forum. I hope that as a consequence of this there will be some cross over in that forum between English and German collectors and that with encouragement, German speakers who have a lot to offer, but may have some language problems posting in English, may feel more comfortable initially testing the water there.

      Wishing you all a Happy and Prosperous 2012
    9. Nick

      Document Archive

      By Nick,

      Document Archive

      I have recently refreshed this area and want to explain its purpose and use.

      The document archive allows members to upload and download files in a large format. It is like an online library which allows the archiving of material in a variety of formats including PDF files which our members can access to support their research of military history or military collectables. I see it as an area to upload scans of books, or lengthy documents.

      This is primarily a free resource in that it is free to upload and download files. However there is is the facility for members to upload files which attract a fee for other members to download. This essentially allows members posting the document the facility to charge a cost per download. GMIC handles this fee (a small administrative charge is made to the member selling files to support the forum) and passes it on to the member via electronic payment.

      As with all uploads on GMIC the member uploading must be clear on who owns the copyright to any work, especially when a charge is being made to download it. For further information on costs and methods of payment please contact me direct.

      When an article is uploaded a support post is automatically created in the Document Archive Forum which allows members to comment or ask further questions to the members posting the documentation.
    10. Nick

      Event & Show Calendar

      By Nick,

      I have upgraded and developed the Members Calendar to allow members to post any forthcoming events which may be of interest to collectors and members. This is to be used for promoting Events such as Collectors Fairs, Shows and Exhibitions. Anything is allowed as long as it is related to Militaria. Can members put as much detail in the event and start the entry with the Country holding the event:

      i.e. UK: War & Peace Show
    11. Nick
      Fellows Auction House which is a reputable London based auction house has a Coin and Medal Sale on Thursday 31st July 2014. You can download a copy of the auction catalogue from here. Live bidding can be made via the internet and telephone. In keeping with the Great War Centenary there are some fine examples of WWI British Gallantry and Campaign Groups including a MM Group to the South Stafford's. Other medals include British Victorian medals, including the Most Eminent Order of the Empire of India. There is also a selection of British WWII campaign medals and a small selection of other medals and badges including Soviet, and Masonic.

      There are several notable items in our military section, including Military Medals awarded for acts of bravery; Lot 244 is an admirable example. This Great War Military Medal Group was awarded to Ralph Webster of Walsall, who enlisted in 1914 with the South Staffordshire Regiment. The lot includes his identity tag, South Staffordshire Regiment badge, post card photograph of the recipient and various transcripts; including a letter written to the recipients’ mother when Webster was hit by a German Sniper in the right arm during the course of a tour in the front line trench.

      Fellows is also delighted to offer Lot 308 (back cover). This Companion’s badge in gold and enamel is a beautiful example of one of three classes included in the order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1878 as part of The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire. The British founded the order in order to reward British and native officials who served in India.


    12. Nick

      Forum Home Page Changing

      By Nick,

      I have been working this evening on bringing a new home page to GMIC. Essentially, in the not too distant future the home page of www.gmic.co.uk will change to a portal type page. The portal will have a selection of highlights displaying recent topics, blog pages,articles and links. The forum index page as you know it will still exist, but will be moved to a new URL. That way if you do not like the portal page to launch your daily dose of GMIC, you can still access the old forum index as it looks today.

      The new portal will give a fresh overview for the forum and allow new members and guests to quickly see what we are about. It will also be a good way of playing catch up with whats new at a glance.
    13. Nick
      The sharp eyed amongst you would have noticed that a few forums have disappeared. Just to let you know that over the last few weeks and in the weeks ahead myself and the hard working volunteers that keep this forum running, have been/will be moving posts around and decommissioning several forums.

      No topics other than a few totally empty or worthless topics have been deleted and over the coming weeks they will all be integrated into the restructured forums. I want GMIC to be a lot easier to navigate to stop some of the confusion of the past as to where is the best place to post new topics. To that end other than some of the specialist forums all topics need to be posted under their respective country categories.

      Another update I am working hard on is images. One of the most complaints I get, is about the difficulty to upload images. I have posted a comprehensive guide on how to do it here. But for some of you that do not use regular imaging software this is still causing you issues. I have also quietly updated the size allowance which differs dependent on membership.

      I am also working on a more long term solution which utilises the ability of the software to adjust any size image automatically. But this has a few issues that come with it, mainly software compatibility and loss of quality which I still need to overcome.

      But dont forget GMIC still offers free membership and free uploads which some forums do not give you !
    14. Nick

      Forum Upgrade

      By Nick,

      Members need to be aware that over the next few weeks there will be some major upgrades taking place on the forum. The most important changes are in relation to user log on. Some users may be using a different logon name to their display name. As of the upgrade users MUST log on with their public display name and not their log on name as this will no longer work.

      Other changes relate to the style and as well as some structural changes.

      I will try to keep forum down times to a minimum. But to achieve this there may be some periodic changes in style and display, so please do not be overly worried if things look a bit strange from time to time.

    15. Nick

      From: Blogs

      By Nick,

      There is a way to promote blogs within forum topics so that if there is relevant information in a blog which might benefit that topic it can be linked. I am working on setting it up. I see the blogs as a more detailed and personalised method of publishing information. Forum topics may be a range of members expressing views over a particular item or point of fact. A blog is an individuals personalised account with the only interaction being members who comment on what has been published. The forum is for ongoing debate and conversation, whereas the blog is very much a one sided affair.


      Source: Blogs
    16. Nick

      GMIC 2013 Calendar for Sale

      By Nick,

      To support the server upgrade and to acknowledge some of the great photos that were submitted in both the 2011 and 2012 photography competitions, I have commissioned a limited edition 2013 GMIC Calendar.

      It is a spiral wire bound A4 size wall Calendar. This is a first for GMIC and I hope that many of you support the forum and grab an edition quickly as it is a limited print run.

      My thanks to the members that contributed their photos, making this all possible.

      I have previewed some of the pages to give you an idea of the content. Price will be £8 for a Calendar plus postage costs which will be dependent on location.

      Ordering for the calendar will go live this weekend in the members store and through an updated link which will appear on this page.



    18. Nick

      Happy New Year

      By Nick,

      Wishing all members a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year over the coming holiday period. There are quite a few changes on the horizon for GMIC in 2015, so thank you for continuing to support the forum over the last 12 months and I am looking forward to the coming year.

      All the best to you all and your family"s

      Nick & all the volunteer staff at GMIC
    19. Nick
      A long time bone of contention at GMIC has been image upload restrictions. However I am pleased to announce that from today I have introduced a new standard across all membership levels. Basically (dependent on the speed of your internet connection) all membership levels (apart from Basic members) will be able to upload images up to approx 8 to 10MB in size which is massive ! Basic members will be restricted to 2MB which is still a pretty impressive size. Images will be automatically resized, but it should not impact on the quality of the image too dramatically. This in essence means that for most members that they will no longer have to resize or play with images before uploading as the software does it for you, saving you time and hassle.

      This may still need some minor tweaking so any problems please report it. I will run this for a few months as a trial to ensure it is not impacting negatively on resources and then review it....

      Enjoy....
    20. Nick

      In Memoriam Mervyn Mitton

      By Nick,

      I am sad to announce that Mervyn Mitton who has been Senior Moderator and friend to many of us on GMIC for several years passed away on Wednesday. He had been ill for many years, but he never let this get in the way of his passion for Militaria and Police Collectables. His knowledge of British Police history and collectables was immense and his death is a tragic loss to GMIC and the wider collecting world. Mervyn was always very proactive on GMIC and a real driving force behind the scenes amongst the staff. I will miss his old world charm, warmth, generosity and guidance. Yes he could be slighlty cantankerous at times, but that was part of his makeup, an old school English Gentleman a dying breed that are irreplaceable. I will miss him.
    21. Nick

      In Memoriam: Rick Lundström

      By Nick,

      No doubt many of you are aware of the tragic news that Rick (Research) Lundström who only recently was able to rejoin us at GMIC, was killed yesterday,17th September 2013 in a road traffic collision.

      Rick had been a member of GMIC since 2005 and proudly passed his 20,000 post mark only last week. It is too early to pay him full honours at a time when many of us are in shock at this tragic news and are mourning the loss of a friend, who is simply irreplaceable in the world of military research and collecting. But I assure you that Rick who has played such a significant part at GMIC will be properly remembered so that his name lives on for future collectors.


      I only had the pleasure of meeting Rick once on one fine day in the fall of 2007, when I visited his home and spent an afternoon whiling away the hours talking about military history and viewing the artefacts in his modest and well cherished collection. I made a friend for life that day and although our friendship was internet and letter based in the years that followed, like many of you I mourn the loss of our friend and online companion.

      My thoughts at this time are with his elderly mother, family and close friends.


    22. Nick
      I am glad to say that the server errors of Monday are resolved and that the Gallery is now functioning correctly. I apologise for the inconvenience to those members trying to post images for the competition and I would ask that you repost any that are missing. The competition will close Midnight on Sunday (18th November) US Pacific Time to allow as many members to catch up as possible. Don't forget there are great prizes and a chance for your photo to feature on the 2013 GMIC calendar.
    23. Nick

      Membership Lapel Pins

      By Nick,

      This is the preview of the long time coming New GMIC Membership Lapel Pin.

      This will be available to all membership levels later this week for purchase. This will be included as part of the subscribing members package for all renewals, further details this week.

      The pin itself is a high quality metal and enamel pin, with a butterfly clip to the rear. It measures approx 1" or 25mm in height. Unfortunately the pictures really do not do it justice.

      It will be available in limited numbers so get your order in early.
    24. Nick

      Membership Levels & Images

      By Nick,

      Membership Levels

      I am currently in the process of reviewing all of the membership levels at GMIC and what each level will offer. This includes subscribing membership as well as the incremental membership based on participation in the community. This will include:
      Changes in image uploads (detailed below) Offering more incentives to subscribing members including an enamel membership badge, and the ability to use images in signatures. Icons to support membership level


      Image Uploads

      This has been a difficult area to resolve and has caused much angst over the years. Following a recent discussion amongst the moderators over lost images in older topics, where the image has been hosted elsewhere, I have reviewed how we manage uploads.

      The simple fact is that images, if not handled correctly can unecessarily take up a lot of server space. Modern digital camera and phones can create image files that are HUGE and if not edited or compressed prior to uploading, a single image can unecessarily take up lots of expensive server space.

      I have tried over time to increase the allowance for all membership levels, to make posting images a lot easier to manage. A good image quality on screen can easily be managed well under 200kb. However this method of restriction has always put the onus on the member to edit the image prior to posting. This has ensured that the image fits the criteria for membership and can be uploaded to the GMIC server. I am more than aware of the problems this can cause some members, both in terms of time and lack of IT skills and as an alternative some members find it easier to host their images on their own websites or servers. This is fine in the short term, but over time I have found that links to images are lost and that topics can become almost irrelevant without the image to support it.

      I have therefore been looking at other ways to upload images to give incentive to posting on the GMIC server. What I would like to achieve is similar to ebay where a member can upload (within reason) any size file and the software automatically reduces and compresses the image to a more manageable size. This in turn will hopefully induce more members to post images here at GMIC than host them elsewhere.

      But this is not as straightforward as it sounds as there are limitations to the software, which I am still working on getting around. After several weeks of trial and error I am nearly there and you may have seen over the last week that images that are uploaded now display at a max of 300 X 300 px thumbnail, click on the image in a post and it will open to its full size. Hopefully this will be resolved by the time I announce the new membership levels next week.
    25. Nick

      Merry Christmas & New Year

      By Nick,

      To all our members on behalf of all the GMIC Moderators and Staff I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Peaceful New Year. Our thoughts as always are with those that are serving overseas, away from their loved one and families. 2014 is due to be an exciting year for GMIC as it is our Ten Year Anniversary. It is also the 100 year commemoration of the outbreak of WWI. So we will be closely following this theme at GMIC with the addition of a special section to mark this important aniversary.
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