Blipfoto - the past, present and future

Hi folks - Joe here.

When I opened Blipfoto up to the world two years ago, I had no idea I'd find myself in the position I do now.

Back then, I invited just fifteen people to join me on my mission to take and upload one picture a day. Every day since, more and more people have become captivated by that simple idea and hopped on board. Most of you have stayed, and played a part in creating the most wonderfully supportive, enthralling and creative online community.

What we do here every day is truly incredible, and what we've created is quite unique. Testament to that are the tens of thousands of viewers who come along for a look and become just as addicted as the rest of us.

Developing, supporting and nurturing a site like Blipfoto is no mean feat, and it's been a real labour of love for us (something our beer, chocolate and custom-made brick reserves tell us doesn't go unnoticed).

We love doing this just as much as we always have, but realise that we have to get serious about the future of Blipfoto if it's to have any future at all.

In short, Blipfoto needs to start paying for itself.

After some serious discussion, we've decided the only way to protect the site's integrity and simplicity - and make sure everything we do in the future stays true to those principles - is through a paid membership.

So, next year that's exactly what we'll be introducing. We anticipate a cost of £25 per year which, aside from creating a lovely warm feeling in your tummy for supporting your favourite website, will give access to a range of soon-to-be-announced new features (yes, we have been listening), with plenty more to follow in the future. (And yes, there will still be a free version.)

That's probably six months away, so why are we telling you now?

Well, for just two months, starting at midday on 1st January, you're going to have a never-to-be-repeated opportunity to show your appreciation for everything Blipfoto has done so far, give us a kick-start for 2009 and stake your place in history with an exclusive Blipfoto Founding Membership.

For £40, you'll receive:

- 18 months full membership, starting when we introduce our membership option
- an exclusive founding member's icon, which will stay with you forever
- a specially produced founding member's enamel badge
- 10% discount on all future Blipfoto purchases, including membership fees

As if that wasn't enough, when you take out your Founding Membership, you'll have an opportunity to pay a little extra and lay your hands on a set of 200 personalised Founding Member Blipcards. Again, this is an exclusive, one-off print run which will never be available again.

We've been working on this very hard and secretively for the last few months, so it feels great to finally tell you about it. 2009 is going to be a pivotal year for Blipfoto and promises to define a lot of what it may become in the future. I'm looking forward to getting stuck in and really excited what that future will bring - I hope you are too.

Thanks for reading. You're bound to have questions, so leave a comment below and I'll do my very best to answer.