Internet Veterans: Discussion about closed websites and dead domains...

[Mister Obvious]

I was thinking about sites I used to visit that no longer exist.

We were talking about 'dead' sites the other day...

https://www.sectual.com/thread-17737-pos...#pid133956

And sites that are still online but don't have traffic are one thing...

I'm talking about sites that you really liked but they closed/went offline.

How interesting is it to think about websites kind of like buildings that no longer exist, but were places you frequented.

I think it's a fascinating concept.

Even though there is some controversy around the idea (believe it or not), I think 'internet archive' sites are a great idea...

You should absolutely be exempt from them if you want, but...

I think in general, historical snapshots of the internet are a great idea.

History really is going down here...

The only thing that stops it from possibly being LEGEND is that it's not been saved/archived by individuals as much as it should.

I think everyone should take it upon themselves to be an historian of their own era...

Think about it, history is being made now. That's why I believe in saving all your internet memories.

We've talked a lot about the problems with digital and preserving it for history...

https://www.sectual.com/thread-4890-post...l#pid55069

That was a particularly great discussion, totally relevant to the topic at hand.

I will share one of my defunct websites stories as well...

I've talked about it before, but I used to be a member of the BonanzaWorld forum back in the early 2000s as a huge fan and admirer of Michael Landon.

https://web.archive.org/web/200406142104...world.net/

It was a gorgeous website, very nice little forum...

https://web.archive.org/web/200411050846...et/forums/

These were the forum statistics around the time I was using it...

Founded: Oct 8, 2002
Members: 748
Posts: 85,675
Threads: 5,112

That's a fairly successful forum right there...

700+ members in under 2 years, not bad.

Post numbers are sorta low, but in niche boards like that, the Chatty Kathys are sorta few, and they only have so much time to devote...

All in all, great numbers for a great little site...

By 3 years online, their numbers were great:

https://web.archive.org/web/20050406035506/http://www.bonanzaworld.net/forums/index.php?s=&styleid=1

Founded: Oct 8, 2002
Members: 1,122
Posts Ever: 214,800
Posts Today: 472

That's a huge jump in posts, and I know a few people who were responsible for that, lmao! Myself included.

https://web.archive.org/web/20101123202854/http://bonanzaworld.net/forums/index.php?s=&styleid=1

They were pretty huge by 2010, but they drop off the archive a few years before that and I dunno what happened while I wasn't there.

All I know is the site has been closed for a few years.

You just wouldn't think a board that successful would close.

But alas, this is what happens throughout time...

So, enjoy your internet history today, and save save save.

[Mister Obvious]

I'M A FAHKEEN INTERNET HISTORYIAN.

[somethingelseishere]

I find myself uttering the phrase "LER DER GER GER" to myself at least once daily.
Thanks a lot, MO!   lahlzs

[Dark Dick]

http://ffffound.com/

When I got my first netbook I used to spend hours looking through all the pictures.

It also had a really great interface.

[Devastatia]

My favorites from the 2000 - 2007 (ish) era:

fuckedcompany.com
flamebunker.com
ursux.com
anyoneseenthebridge.com (domain name listed at $4,888 now)

[Devastatia]

Around 1995, one of the big Silicon Valley companies, maybe DEC, hosted a popular CGI chat called the Hot Tub on their domain. The server would reset at the top of the hour, kicking everyone out of chat. We would then scramble to log back in because there was a limited number of slots.

[Mister Obvious]

anyoneseenthebridge.com (domain name listed at $4,888 now)

Hahahahaha love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Devastatia]

In 2007, this thread went viral as the entire Internet piled on to participate in the severe ownage of a fraud named NSX_Nick. The server was overloaded a good portion of the time.

http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showthread...-own-a-NSX

[Devastatia]

The owner of this website is a cop. He reads users' PMs and abuses police computers to dig up information on users. Avoid.

https://www.usmessageboard.com/

[Mister Obvious]

With a domain name like that, you'd think he's been in the game a long time, so I looked it up...

Created: 2003-08-27 01:39:13 UTC

2003 is about the end of the timeframe wherein a super general domain name like that would be available.

[Devastatia]

With a domain name like that, you'd think he's been in the game a long time, so I looked it up...


2003 is about the end of the timeframe wherein a super general domain name like that would be available.

It was around 2005 or 2006 when wonderwench and I posted there.

[panthers]

my first chat site was called cybertcity, or cybercity,
i went by the name of skydol,
it was back in the mid 90's and i was about 10,
told everyone in chat i was 25.
eventually everyone believed i was 25
it was never dirty or weird stuff
i just found it so fucking cool that i could talk to anyone in the world on my computer.
my friends were idiots,
these people were smart and cool.
i haven't been there in likely 2 decades
would likely went another 10 years without thinking of it,
had not been for this thread. :)
thanks M.O.

http://cybercity-online.net/chatirc.html

[Marmel]

I was travelling behind a shiny black vehicle with the number plate MOOO25. Reminded me of this thread. I was listening to this song at the time. Whatever it means, wherever it’s worth, here it is.



We took the same exit but then veered off in opposite directions.

[Morpheusa]

I love it when MO gets funky. She has some killer mooves.

[Marmel]

Back on topic.... Skydrawl

[Morpheusa]

UP & AWWAY.

[Marmel]

OT I noticed you like underlining. : )

[Devastatia]

http://cybercity-online.net/chatirc.html

The copyright notice still says 1998-99.

And it has that amateurish 90s homepage look we all know and love!

Does the chat still work? It said my browser doesn't support Java.

[Dark Dick]

I'll bet this was a favourite of yours, Fannie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwTZ2xpQwpA

[Devastatia]

A fake girl troll from Camp Idiot or the FC spinoffs played a short clip of a girl in TinyChat that was laughably bad.

With so many spinoffs, it can be argued that FC inspired more people to build their own websites than any other site.