On January 10, the Joomla! leadership and community celebrated the healthy arrival of version Joomla! 1.6, weighing in at a strapping 8MB. January has been a month of celebration, as a new era is born!

Steve Burge of OSM created a chat room several days before the 1.6 launch, gathering members of OSM, the CLT (Community Leadership Team), the PLT (Production Leadership Team) and the community at large. Old timers and newbies from all around the world pooled their skills to collaborate on a huge PR effort to herald the arrival of the January 10 launch.

In this issue's interview with Kyle Ledbetter, Kyle describes the positive energy and effectiveness of that group. It is the first time that so many people, leadership and community combined, came together to accomplish so much. Without a doubt, together we can do great things!

A launch party initiative was also begun, and Joomla! User Groups (JUGs) have been partying hardy all around the globe in celebration of 1.6. Launch party festivities have included squashing bugs, writing documentation, eating Joomla cake, drinking toasts, inviting special guests in person or via Skype, live streaming video, and learning about what's new in 1.6.

January also brought us our first successful full-day live streaming event with JoomlaDay Chile. Thanks to Matt Lipscomb of the CLT, the Joomla Community channel on Livestream is now ready for prime time. The Joomla leadership looks forward to many more streaming Joomla Days and events.

It's been fun starting off 2011 with such a burst of energy. Thanks to everyone who participated in these efforts!