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How Old Is The Forum & Who Were The Earliest Members?

Ok these jokes are indeed older than the forum, can we get back on topic about the age and the dark pre history of the forum please?

I couldn’t see an announcement about it on the captured snapshots from the Wayback Machine, so I’m assuming it must have been mentioned in the mag and then it was just made live online? I’ll dig out my back issues from that period and check through the editorials for THE announcement.
 
gordonrutter said:
Ok these jokes are indeed older than the forum, can we get back on topic about the age and the dark pre history of the forum please?

I couldn’t see an announcement about it on the captured snapshots from the Wayback Machine, so I’m assuming it must have been mentioned in the mag and then it was just made live online? I’ll dig out my back issues from that period and check through the editorials for THE announcement.
Click to expand...

Here's the oldest mention of an onion on the forum:

https://forums.forteana.org/index.php?threads/fortean-cultural-noises.177/page-2#post-3124

DerekH16

Aug 20, 2001
#59
And who said we're finished here?

I am the walrus, Across the universe, Devil in her heart, Dig a pony, Eight Days a week, Glass Onion, Octopus's Garden (all The Beatles)

More when I'm sober...........:D :D :p
 
gordonrutter said:
so I’m assuming it must have been mentioned in the mag and then it was just made live online?
Click to expand...
My recollection was that the original (original) Message Board access details were indeed fully-documented in FT magazine, this was back when the physical hosting was at A Certain Scottish University (you may remember that @gordonrutter ?)

FTMB was a *very* early adopter of the internet....
 
The Wayback Machine (archive.org) crawlers could not archive the FT homepage on visits occurring on July 1, 3, and 7, 2001. The website was offline (404 Error).

As of July 12 the 'new look' FT homepage was in place, and it contained a note saying:

WOW! We hope you like the new look site.Please let us know what you think, and if there's anything else you'd like to see here.
Click to expand...

This 'new look' homepage included a 'Message Board' link in its heading. The earliest capture of the Message Board page to which this link led was done on July 14. Here's what it displayed ...

FTMB-010714.jpg

As of July 14 there was a forum structure with 6 main categories, 41 registered members, and exactly one thread (in General Forteana) containing exactly one post dated June 29.

My guess is that this represents the first multi-section version of the Web-based forum, and the June 29 post represents an initial test performed during installation and / or setup.
 
[
gordonrutter said:
Aberdeen courtesy of Andy Cobley:)
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Not quite my recollection: close (or....there could've been some level of parallel provision). I'm certain Dundee was shown in FT as the main hosting address, probably on a hookey old-school JANET .ac.uk URL
 
I was just thinking... who are the people still posting on this board who have been here the longest?
 
Another from August 2001 here, specifically the 3rd according to the details under my picture.
 
August 2002. Same week as you, MrRING. Quite a while now! Crazy. Most of my cells have been replaced more than once.
 
My oldest post is from May 29th 2009 but I was lurking for a while before that.
AFAIK I don't think I was aware of a FT website until then.
I was getting the print version since the early 90s and have them all neatly stored.
I wonder if any are worth more than their cover price now?
Probably not.
 
I'm a youngster in board terms – Dec 22, 2005. But I was Cycleboy before I was Cycleboy2, and I had to re-register as the forum at that time wouldn't recognise a Yahoo email address or similar; it had to be a work or 'proper' email address. Different times, eh?!

I used to read the Fortean Times in the early 1990s and subscribed for a few years.
 
Trevp666 said:
My oldest post is from May 29th 2009 but I was lurking for a while before that.
AFAIK I don't think I was aware of a FT website until then.
I was getting the print version since the early 90s and have them all neatly stored.
I wonder if any are worth more than their cover price now?
Probably not.
Click to expand...
Some of the early issues are, for example I think issue 1 goes for about £100 or so.
 
March 2002, but I had been on here since Autumn 2001 (old username died with old PC, got a new one of each, been here ever since.)
 
MrRING said:
I was just thinking... who are the people still posting on this board who have been here the longest?
Click to expand...

The ones who could still be posting are those who still have active member accounts.

Among our surviving active member accounts:

- Gordon (gordonrutter) is #4 among the "longest surviving active accounts" with a registration date of 3 August 2001.

- JamesWhitehead is #3 with a registration date of 2 August 2001.

Moving on to the top two active members of longest tenure (whom I'd bet no one can identify, hence the spoiler tags) ...

- Our first runner-up (i.e., #2 in tenure; 1 August 2001) hasn't visited or posted since last September (2019).
Ravenstone

- The active registrant of longest tenure (30 July 2001) visited circa 2 months ago but hasn't posted since September 2019.
sudi5
 
*Three Threads On This Topic Now Merged*
 
I've just noticed that the Joined date on my profile is May 24, 2006 - but my first post was actually made August 8, 2001 (see here).

What's going on there, then?
 
Spookdaddy said:
I've just noticed that the Joined date on my profile is May 24, 2006 - but my first post was actually made August 8, 2001 (see here).

What's going on there, then?
Click to expand...

I have no idea and it's difficult to navigate the controls on my phone, so bear with us a while.
 
Yithian said:
I have no idea and it's difficult to navigate the controls on my phone, so bear with us a while.
Click to expand...

Don't worry about it - I'm not beside myself with concern.

Thinking about it - I have a vague memory of some sort of major upheaval during which I had to change my name, from the original Spook.

I think it was something to do with several unrelated forums coming under some sort of administrative umbrella, and duplicated names being wiped, even if on entirely unconnected sites...if that rings a bell. I wonder if it was to do with this event.
 
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