How did you first hear about CodeProject and why did you decide to become a member?
Pete O'Hanlon: Wow, it's hard to believe that I've been a member of Code Project for over ten years now. I'd been working with this whole .NET thing for a while and there weren't that many resources other than MSDN available for help with .NET issues. I was having an issue trying to get the BinaryFormatter working and I stumbled across a reference to a piece of code that seemed to solve the problem I was having, so I entered the site. What a revelation it was. They had articles on every thing I could think of at the time, so I spent a good couple of hours just dipping into various articles. I was hooked, and I signed up. I couldn't believe that I was getting high quality articles for free.
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Ranjan.D: It was in 2005, when I had completed my graduation in computers and started working at the National Informatics Center (a central government organization in India). I still remember the day when I happened to search for a code sample related to Listview binding on Google and ended up reading a CodeProject article (because CP articles were listed first in the search results).
I was very impressed with the article and code samples and that's how I got to know about CodeProject. The reason why I decided to become a member was to learn and contribute to the community. By downloading the code samples I have learned a lot since the beginning of my career. I had in my mind to contribute the best and share my experience and that's the reason I decided to become a member.
Why is CodeProject important to you and why do you continue to use it today?
Pete O'Hanlon: CodeProject has given me so much over the years. I've learned from some of the best minds I've ever come across. I've had a huge amount of interaction with them, and they have become friends. CodeProject has provided me with a community of people who challenge, interest and educate me and they have made me a better person for this interaction. The articles provide a rich source of education and interest for me, and it's great to be able to break out of areas I'm comfortable in and have people I respect teach me about something new.
If it were only the articles it would be great, but CodeProject has also provided me with the immense satisfaction of being able to help people with their technical problems through the forums. It's hard to describe just how much pleasure you can derive from the simple process of helping someone solve a problem. I love that moment when you know that their creative juices are flowing and that they get the answer to something that's being causing them problems for some period of time. The only thing that beats it is when you see someone that you helped nurture start giving useful answers on their own. How could I walk away from that?<o:p>
Ranjan.D: CodeProject is very crucial to me. I keep looking for the latest articles, blogs, etc. to try and keep myself updated on the latest things. Software development, article writing and knowledge sharing are my hobbies and I can proudly say that CodeProject has provided me a platform for sharing my knowledge.
So far I’ve been able to share over 21 articles and I wish to contribute more. I just love the competitions and challenges that always taking place. Not only am I learning a lot, but I also get to to share my knowledge... receiving big prizes is just the icing on cake.
What is your most memorable moment on CodeProject?
Pete O'Hanlon: Ask the awkward questions, why don't you? I have had so many great moments on CodeProject that it's hard to pick just one. Is it the time I was awarded MVP for the first time? Is it the time I published my first article? Is it the first answer I posted in the forums? While these are great moments, the moment I'd have to pick as my most memorable was having a Skype conversation with Chris Maunder when he asked what CodeProject could do for me. That's when you know how much it's become part of your life.<o:p>
Ranjan.D: I have couple of memorable moments. The first is the time when I won the Intel Ultrabook for the Ultrabook Competition on CodeProject and the second is the time when I received 1.9 million views for my article "How To Send and Receive SMS using GSM Modem".
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What are your thoughts on CodeProject reaching 10 million members and what do you hope the future holds for the community?
Pete O'Hanlon: Obviously it's a huge time for CodeProject. 10 million members is a lot of people who have been helped. People don't just sign up for the sake of it, they sign up to be helped, and it's great that so many people have taken advantage of this help. Obviously I hope that people keep signing up, but I hope that more and more people take the opportunity to help others, whether writing articles, recording video tutorials or helping out in the forums. I also expect that we'll see more community involvement with people looking to extend and open CodeProject into other platforms and site additions.
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Ranjan.D: It's great news that CP is reaching 10 million members, it's growing and will continue. I am also happy about the CodeProject meetups, which are a great occasion to celebrate this milestone in CodeProject's growth.
My hope is to learn and contribute more to the community. That is the only way we all can grow together.
Other Articles In This Series
- Looking back at the first 10 million members (Part One)
- Looking back at the first 10 million members (Part Two)
- Looking back at the first 10 million members (Part Three)
- Looking back at the first 10 million members (Part Four)
- Looking back at the first 10 million members (Part Five)
- Looking back at the first 10 million members (Part Six)
