How long have you been addicted to forums?

[Zelda]

Is it an addiction....or just something you do to pass the time, take it or leave it?
I have been on them for about 7 years, and I probably am a bit addicted.

But I can think of a lot worse things to get addicted to.

[ann jusko]

Just Dallas Digest and now Txdigest.com Someone help me.....is it 15 years? 14? Wait, it might be longer because we were all familiar with each other in 2000.

[bodine]

Was part of the McCarthy Militia that moved from emails to the Dallas Digest 15 years ago (?)...

Have participated in a couple of hobby forums for about twelve years; although the one of them closed down a couple of years ago. Have been a member of a local community-based forum for a couple of years. Have participated in a Purdue football forum for the last 3 years; before that I was in a Texas 5A high school football forum (not any more).

So, you can tell that I like forums...

[knotlazy]

I can't remember when I started reading DDigest. Had to be right before 9/11/01 as I remember watching the news all day then thinking "wonder what they are saying on DD?"

I also read a scrapbooking forum which has several sub forums for photography/papercrafting and also not scrapbooking related....I think I've been reading that one 10 years or more. Lots of different types there and sometimes the drama gets crazy but sometimes they are hilarious.

I have learned a ton of new stuff on the discussion boards....it's my form of water cooler chat.

[LibraryLady]

At least 15 years.
Before Kevin had the board he had an email group that served the same way.
Some time after 1995 is when it began.

[Chlorine Tinsley]

Addicted? I'm not addicted. I can quit anytime I want. I just don't want to.

[Bob Of Burleson]

StarText

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

StarText was an online ASCII-based computer service officially launched May 3, 1982 by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and the Tandy Corporation. Its name was derived from Star (representing the newspaper which would provide the content) and Text (representing the computer company which would provide the technology).

StarText was marketed in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex newspaper circulation area. It quickly evolved into an electronic magazine written by unpaid journalists who had paid to be subscribers of the service. Its eventual demise came with the growth of the Internet. In May 1996 an additional Internet service, StarText Net, was introduced, and the earlier service was rebranded as StarText Classic. The original service finally closed down on March 3, 1997, and in June 1998, StarText Net morphed into Star-Telegram Online Services, which eventually became a conventional online Internet service of the Knight-Ridder group.

StarText was an "information on demand" online computer service created by Joe Donth, offered for the first time in 1982 by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram to subscribers in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. On May 3, 1982, StarText officially started providing its news and all-text content online, updated from 5am to midnight. There were no graphics, pictures or colors. Subscribers were called StarTexans.

Initially, the service charged $5.00 a month to subscribers who received updated news each day from 5am until midnight daily. At first subscribers had to call StarText using a 300 baud modem and entered four requests out of a choice of 50. StarText then delivered the information without further interactivity. To receive more information the subscriber had to repeat the same process. The first StarText system was provided by a Tandy Model II.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/StarText

[Jami]

Since Kevin started his board.

[Trixie]

Since Kevin started his board.

+1

I've gone to other forums, tried to participate, but nothing was like the DD.

[Zelda]

I dont think there is anything like your first forum.
DD wasn't mine...I sort of came over on the back of the Brit invasion a few years ago, but as most of them soon fell by the wayside I let them get on with it and posted when all the fuss had died down.

Most Brit forums, or at least the ones I know of, are NOTHING like this.

[LibraryLady]

Prior to Kevin beginning DD...and in the early days of the 'net, an acquaintance (stay at home mom) said she spent a lot of time on the 'net "talking with people."
I thought that was very odd way to spend time......Of course, I learned to comprehend it completely.

I will say I am spending less internet time since Kevin's board died.
Many didn't migrate over here and FB just is not even a good substitute.

[PlanoSooner]

been on 'bulletin boards' since 1986 or 87

[Zelda]

Prior to Kevin beginning DD...and in the early days of the 'net, an acquaintance (stay at home mom) said she spent a lot of time on the 'net "talking with people."
I thought that was very odd way to spend time......Of course, I learned to comprehend it completely.

I will say I am spending less internet time since Kevin's board died.
Many didn't migrate over here and FB just is not even a good substitute.

I dont know why Kevins DD folded, it seems the posters split into two?

My first forum was the 'Mirror' forum run by a national Brit newspaper....it was big and bustling, with plenty of debate and argument.
When it folded nothing has really taken it's place for size and poster involvement.

I dont go on FB or twitter , it's so trivial imo.

[knotlazy]

Glad you found us here, Zelda!

Kevin let his board close because the traffic had slowed significantly and he was paying for a lot of bandwidth we were no longer using. It was expensive and he was hoping we would all gravitate to FB. (correct me if I'm wrong!)

I go there sometimes but I rarely see a conversation I want to join...and it's a little intimidating with a lot of new names...although I created a totally new identity to be there.

This style of discussion is more "intimate" I guess. Plus, I would miss some of the folks here who won't go to FB.

The other board I read has women from all over the world posting there. When I first joined, it was so active and busy that when I had read most of the threads on the first page....then clicked refresh....it was all NEW threads! Hard to keep up it moved so fast. I have to say, I've learned things there I'd never even heard of..However, there is a healthy difference of opinions there...and sometimes some really harsh name calling threads. DD was tame compared to that board during the election year. But I kept going back because I learned so much about what people who DIDN"T think like me thought. Helps to understand.

[bodine]

I have access to facebook on wife's and kids' accounts; and I just don't like it. Too much "me too" and "look what I did" stuff (which 99% of the time) is not very important. And so many stupid/vapid game updates/requests.

I have made real friends on these two web sites; I just don't get to sit down with them and drink a cup of coffee or share something stronger...

Don't see how facebook can do that. Maybe it can; and I won't let it. But internet forums, for me, aren't broken, and don't require fixing....

[Zelda]

Glad you found us here, Zelda!

Kevin let his board close because the traffic had slowed significantly and he was paying for a lot of bandwidth we were no longer using. It was expensive and he was hoping we would all gravitate to FB. (correct me if I'm wrong!)

I go there sometimes but I rarely see a conversation I want to join...and it's a little intimidating with a lot of new names...although I created a totally new identity to be there.

This style of discussion is more "intimate" I guess. Plus, I would miss some of the folks here who won't go to FB.

The other board I read has women from all over the world posting there. When I first joined, it was so active and busy that when I had read most of the threads on the first page....then clicked refresh....it was all NEW threads! Hard to keep up it moved so fast. I have to say, I've learned things there I'd never even heard of..However, there is a healthy difference of opinions there...and sometimes some really harsh name calling threads. DD was tame compared to that board during the election year. But I kept going back because I learned so much about what people who DIDN"T think like me thought. Helps to understand.

Thanks Knotlazy, it's nice to post with you all again.

I liked DD and I like it here too, (thanks to the people who sent me a link) I sometimes feel a bit out of the loop cos I dont always know what you are talking about, but I think I understand enough to get by.

[Gopher]

Since 1998 or so when we first got on the internet. First were the old Rhysher TV production boards (Soldier of Fortune Inc, Nash Bridges) and numerous gun groups and preper boards that I'm sure have my name flagged somewhere in Washington.

I was a voracious reader before the internet. Novels and magazines have been replaced by discussion boards these days.

[BillB]

I was on David Gold's, Sean Hannity's and DD forum.
There were about three year pauses between each. I don't think I'm addicted.

[Bob Of Burleson]

I was a voracious reader before the internet. Novels and magazines have been replaced by discussion boards these days.

Might not hurt to drop "txdigest.com" into some of your posts on other boards.

[Gopher]

I was a voracious reader before the internet. Novels and magazines have been replaced by discussion boards these days.

Might not hurt to drop "txdigest.com" into some of your posts on other boards.

We really don't want most of the folks who frequent those boards anywhere near here, trust me.