Customize your Firefox browser with a beards.org persona as seen above.  It’s quick, free, and easy.  Using  your Firefox browser, just go to:

http://www.getpersonas.com/en-US/persona/247700

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  So this post is illustrated with a previously-unpublished photo of  Christopher.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!

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  So this post is illustrated with a previously-unpublished photo of Tomas.

The gallery image counter hit eleven million views on January 6, 2010!  We hit ten million on October 25, 2009.  It would have been nice to hit eleven million before the end of 2009, but this is still close enough!  The eleven million number, however, only represents the number of beard views since the counter started from zero on January 26, 2006.

This time, I wasn’t at the keyboard to see which photo was number eleven million.  In consolation, I’m illustrating this post with a previously-unpublished photo of Christopher.

I wish you much happiness and happy beard growing in 2010!  All about beards celebrates fourteen years on the web this month!  This continues the site’s reign as the longest-running beard site on the web.

On the first day of this new year, it’s a good time to stop and give thanks.  I am so thankful to all of the contributors from around the world who help make beards.org a shining showcase for beards, inspiring men around the globe to experience the joy of growing a beard.  Thank you, all.

Looking back, all about beards had some pretty lean years.  The message history for the all about beards Yahoo! group that’s been used to announce site updates since 2001 is telling.  Here is how it appeared at the end of 2009:

The numbers represent the number of site updates announced each month.  By 2001, the supply of content dwindled down to a trickle.  In addition to the lack of new content, other problems impeded the site’s growth during those very lean years.  2001 through 2004 were especially barren because the beards of the world gallery did not debut until November of 2004 (originally called the bearded visitors gallery).

Eventually, digital cameras came to the rescue.  The proliferation of digital cameras worldwide made it easy for beard growers everywhere to send in photos for the gallery.  The beards of the world gallery has become the beating heart and pride of all about beards.

Thanks, everyone, for growing your beards!  And by all means, keep showing off those beards here on beards.org!  Send ‘em in!

Have a wonderful 2010!  Happy new beard year!

The documentary beard project formally has a home on beards.org now.  The first photo album is that of Brian, starting out with twelve photos.  There will be much more to come — in Brian’s album and others.  Click on the image above to go there.

Stand up and cheer for a Happy New Beard Year 2009!  Best wishes to all.

Photos were taken on December 10, 2007.