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All posts by Steven Wilson
thirteen million!
We’ve done it again! We’ve got another million views on the gallery counter! The thirteen-million milestone was reached sometime on the morning of July 4th, 2010.
We hit our previous milestone of twelve million gallery views back on March 31st, 2010. Remember, however, that the gallery counter started at zero on January 26, 2006. So we have had thirteen million views of photos in the gallery since January 26, 2006.
The number is a fun milestone to track, although the actual number of views is even larger. Sadly, when some images leave the gallery, their view counts get subtracted. That can whack off thousands from the counter at a time. Also, when Salvatore’s beard videos were hosted in the main gallery, the overall view count was boosted substantially. When I pulled the videos from the gallery (because they were using up all of the site’s monthly data transfer allowance), the overall count shrank some more, as well. If all of the subtractions were added back, the true number would be quite a bit higher.
Regardless, each additional million makes for a good occasion to stop and reflect for a moment and express thanks to all of beards.org’s loyal fans, friends, and visitors. It’s also a great time to thank and salute each and every bearded man who has joined the gallery.
I wasn’t at the computer when the counter hit thirteen million. So this post is illustrated with a previously-unpublished photo of Christopher.
Happy Birthday, USA! And best wishes to all friends of beards.org around the world!
you have to WANT the beard
All too often I hear of guys who start growing a beard, get well on their way, and then suddenly get cold feet and shave it off in a moment of insecurity. Many report that they’ve gone through this routine multiple times. Why?
To avoid this unfortunate fate for the budding new beard, simply commit to sticking with the beard-growing process. Set a target date that gives your new beard growth a decent chance to grow in and for you to become accustomed to it. And make a commitment not to shave it under any circumstance (barring some extreme unexpected situation) before that date.
You have to WANT the beard. You have to want it enough to commit to growing it properly. Otherwise, you may be vulnerable to a temporary loss of confidence, then chicken out and shave it off. Don’t let it happen again!
site additions slowed in May
Circumstances slowed down the pace of adding new content to the site in May. I hope to make up for it in June!
hockey fans: grow one for the team!
There’s still time to grow a beard to support charities during the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. Click on the image above to see the official television spot on YouTube. Here’s the press release:
HOCKEY FANS INVITED TO “GROW ONE FOR THE TEAM”
Goal to Raise One Million Dollars for Charity
This season, hockey fans across the United States will be sporting their very own playoffs beards. In addition to participating in a great hockey tradition, they will also be raising money for charities across the county.
The Beard-a-thon® program was launched last year when nine NHL clubs raised a combined $350,000 for charity. This season, the goal is to raise $1 million dollars with twelve NHL clubs participating.
Participants in the Beard-a-thon invite family, friends, and business associates to pledge their playoff beards. By receiving pledges, participants promise not to shave until their team wins the Stanley Cup or is eliminated from the playoffs. Fans who are unwilling, or unable, to grow playoffs beards, can also pledge their favorite player, other local celebrities, or build their own beard with the “Build-a-Beard” web application.
Last season, over 8,000 fans nationwide participated in the Beard-a-thon with former NHL player, and current Director of Development for the Boston Bruins Foundation, Bob Sweeney leading all beard growers by raising over $21,000 for charity. Other celebrity beard growers last season included NHL Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux and the lead singer of the Dropkick Murphys, Ken Casey.
“The intensity, both on and off the ice, goes to a whole new level in the playoffs. The Beard-a-thon gives fans a chance show their passion and raise money for charity,” stated John Cimperman, the Principal of Cenergy, a New York based sports marketing agency that manages the program. Cimperman added, “Last season, the Penguins led all teams in fundraising and also hoisted the Stanley Cup. Coincidence, we think not. It is the power of the beard.”
This season’s participating clubs are the Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Detroit Redwings, Los Angeles Kings, New Jersey Devils, Phoenix Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, San Jose Sharks, Washington Capitals, and defending Stanley Cup and Beard-a-thon Champion, Pittsburgh Penguins. A ‘just fans’ site was also created for fans without a team in the playoffs. Proceeds from this site will benefit Hockey Fights Cancer™, a joint initiative by the National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players’ Association.
For more information on the Beard-a-thon, log onto www.beardathon.com [Link currently out of service]. All donations to Beard-a-thon are tax deductible.
About the Playoff Beard
A playoff beard is the superstitious practice of a National Hockey League player not shaving his beard during the Stanley Cup playoffs. The player stops shaving when his team enters the playoffs and does not shave until his team is eliminated or wins the Stanley Cup. It is believed that the four-time Stanley Cup Champion New York Islanders started the tradition in the 1980s. In recent years, other sports and other players have claimed the playoff beard tradition, but it is, and always will be, a hockey tradition.
twelve million!
The number of views of photos in the beard gallery hit twelve million sometime just before noon Pacific Daylight Time on March 31st, 2010! We hit eleven million views less than three months earlier on January 6, 2010. The counter started at zero on January 26, 2006. So the twelve million number represents only the number of views since January 26, 2006. Thanks to all of our loyal fans, friends, and visitors, the site continues to grow. We are experiencing some growing pains, but they are welcome. They are a sign of great things yet to come.
I wasn’t at the computer when the counter rolled over to twelve million. So this post is illustrated with a previously-unpublished photo of Tomas.
beard tribute: when men were men
Check out this great essay on beards written by a new friend of the site:
It’s well worth reading!
Become a fan of beards.org on Facebook!
all about beards is on Facebook now. Click on the image above to visit the beards.org page on Facebook. Visit and like our page on Facebook! Support the bearded cause and help add more beards to the world. Click on the image above and like beards.org on Facebook!
Dodge’s super beard contest!
Take a stand! Be a man! Grow a beard! Win big prizes!
Following up on their Super Bowl “Man’s Last Stand” commercial, Dodge is sponsoring a “Super Beard Bowl” competition: the Super Beard Contest! Beards of all ages, shapes, and sizes will face off to find a true champion. The prize for winner is a trip for two to the Dodge Motorsports Race of the winner’s choice. Other prizes include Dodge SRT track experiences and Dodge prize packs.
To compete, click on the image above to go to the Super Beard Contest page and enter. Participants must upload a clean shaven photo at the start. Contestants must also upload a final beard-growth photo by the end date of the contest, which is March 21st, 2010.
Registered competitors are welcome to submit photos here to help rally supporters in their bid for the win.
Enter the contest today and start growing! Go to https://www.facebook.com/dodge to get started!
Fourteen years of growing better beards — worldwide!
On January 17, 1996, all about beards first appeared on the worldwide web. The site started out on web space provided for AOL members. The host name was members.aol.com. On January 20, 2005, all about beards officially moved to its permanent home at beards.org. The legacy all about beards site on members.aol.com was left up for sentimental reasons until AOL pulled the plug on it on October 31, 2008. All that remains of the AOL site’s legacy is that the official site contact email address is still the original AOL email address that has been used since the January 1996 launch of all about beards.
Today on the site’s fourteenth anniversary, the site is bigger and stronger than ever, with the momentum ever increasing. More importantly, the site has encouraged and inspired countless men around the world to experience the unique adventure of growing a beard with great success. The site remains dedicated to “growing better beards worldwide”, “adding more beards to the world”, and increasing the acceptance of beards everywhere. I’d like to thank all of the beard growers and supporters everywhere whose beard-growing contributions have strengthened all about beards and advanced the bearded cause around the world.