Welcome to the OptiBoard Community Newsletter for August 2002!

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Today's Date is: 08-11-2002. This newsletter covers activity activity since 07-01-2002.
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We're still looking for feedback on how you'd like to see OptiBoard improved. Do you have any ideas or suggestions? If so, please post them in this thread:

http://www.optiboard.com/forums/show...&threadid=5026

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OPTIBOARD SPONSORED FORUMS!
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Do you realize that only two companies have the foresight and generosity to support OptiBoard and it's members by becoming sponsors? These fine companies are:

- Transitions, the developer of the most popular and advanced photochromic lenses in the world today, and
- Live Eyewear, the rapidly growing supplier of innovative and quality sunwear products.

Please show your support for OptiBoard and these sponsors by visiting these forums and learning more about the products and services offered by these fine companies.

o Smart Lens Technology by Transitions Optical
http://www.optiboard.com/forums/foru...?s=&forumid=28

o Sunwear Selling Solution by Live Eyewear
http://www.optiboard.com/forums/foru...?s=&forumid=29

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AND THE WINNERS ARE............!
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The votes are in! Here are the winners of the 1st Annual OptiBoard Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest:

-> Grand Prize for Best Worst Overall Sentence: Jo! (entry #7)

"Michael stood there, his cloths soaking wet and his mind frozen in time, on this dreary, mid-November afternoon silently cursing the new anti-reflective coated eyeglass lenses he had purchased the day before because the rain sheeting off would not hide the tears that were forming behind them as he watched Deborah walk away across the park never to be a part of his life again."

-> Overall Runner-Up: sarahr (entry #3)

-> The Most Mind-Numbing Sentence: ioconnel (entry #5)

-> The Worst Pun: Night Train (entry #16)

-> The Sentence from the Most Mentally Disturbed OptiBoarder: Pete 'Body Count' Hanlin (entry #26)

You can read all the winning entries here:

http://www.optiboard.com/forums/show...&threadid=5184

Congratulations to the winners and thanks to everyone who participated!

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OPTIBOARD FEATURED MEMBER OF THE MONTH
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This month's featured member is:

Sean!

Sean has been a member of OptiBoard since June 2000 and is one of the most active members with 970 posts on the Board. As per one of our Moderators, "I can't remember too many days when Sean hasn't been Online and not actively posting his advice to help out others. When he isn't answering Optical questions, Sean's sense of humor in the Just Conversation Forum always brings out a smile, not to mention he is one of the Avatar Gurus."

Congratulations Sean, and thanks for being a valuable member of the OptiBoard Community!

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HOT TOPICS
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Threads with the most replies

Title: "TIPS ON DISPENSING" (posted 05-31-2001 by harry a saake)
o http://www.optiboard.com/forums/show...&threadid=1034

Title: "OD's Practicing Medicine" (posted 06-26-2002 by Homer)
o http://www.optiboard.com/forums/show...&threadid=4935

Title: "Name That Tune" (posted 07-10-2002 by Jo)
o http://www.optiboard.com/forums/show...&threadid=5042

Title: "One nation under ?" (posted 06-27-2002 by Jo)
o http://www.optiboard.com/forums/show...&threadid=4941

Title: "Let's Improve OptiBoard!" (posted 07-09-2002 by Steve Machol)
o http://www.optiboard.com/forums/show...&threadid=5026

Title: "avatar hall of fame" (posted 05-01-2002 by optispares)
o http://www.optiboard.com/forums/show...&threadid=4563

Title: "Luxottica sent me a Letter!" (posted 04-16-2002 by LENNY)
o http://www.optiboard.com/forums/show...&threadid=4463

Title: "Who Is Your Favorite Lens Manufacturer and Why?" (posted 08-31-2001 by Jo)
o http://www.optiboard.com/forums/show...&threadid=2699

Title: "Strange Facts!" (posted 07-31-2002 by Sean)
o http://www.optiboard.com/forums/show...&threadid=5183

Title: "Its time to put up or shut up!" (posted 06-18-2002 by hcjilson)
o http://www.optiboard.com/forums/show...&threadid=4881

Title: "If you could live in any state..." (posted 06-01-2002 by Pete Hanlin)
o http://www.optiboard.com/forums/show...&threadid=4761

Title: "Interesting Rumor" (posted 03-20-2002 by Ray Parent)
o http://www.optiboard.com/forums/show...&threadid=4248

Title: "Luxottica, SunGlass Hut, and LensCrafters..." (posted 04-16-2002 by Pete Hanlin)
o http://www.optiboard.com/forums/show...&threadid=4460

Title: "What Do Optical Professionals Wear?" (posted 04-21-2002 by Jo)
o http://www.optiboard.com/forums/show...&threadid=4484

Title: "May - June Sales Trends" (posted 06-17-2002 by Jo)
o http://www.optiboard.com/forums/show...&threadid=4871

Title: "Anti Reflective Lenses" (posted 07-16-2002 by Dannette)
o http://www.optiboard.com/forums/show...&threadid=5073

Title: "Ran into a term I dunno--can somone help please" (posted 05-24-2002 by LauraH)
o http://www.optiboard.com/forums/show...&threadid=4732

Title: "Should ABO require an AS for certification?" (posted 05-06-2002 by hcjilson)
o http://www.optiboard.com/forums/show...&threadid=4602

Title: "Frame Gripes" (posted 06-15-2002 by chip anderson)
o http://www.optiboard.com/forums/show...&threadid=4860

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OPTIBOARD STATISTICS
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We had the following activity in July:

o New members: 94 (1,720 current total*)
o New threads: 209 (5,017 current total)
o New posts: 1,478 (38,320 current total)
o Total hits: 833,806
o Total unique visits: 10,185
o Total Kb downloaded in July: 2,221,583 Kb (or 2.221 gigabytes of information!)

* Some obsolete memberships were removed last month.

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Once again, thanks to all of you for your support and for helping make OptiBoard truly the 'Premier Online Community of Eyecare Professionals Worldwide!'

Steve Machol
OptiBoard Administrator
smachol@optiboard.com