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

Welcome back Hermes - really happy you are still around; I’ve been a regular visitor to your Road Ghosts site over the years, and your book is definitely on this month’s shopping list.

Now, let’s make up for lost time. How about you run your expert eye over the Stocksbridge Bypass ghost thread.

Also – a little side interest of mine – the Sprinting spooks? thread. I hesitate to even call this a sub-genre any more, as the examples are so scarce. But still, I find them intriguing - and they do seem to be associated with roads. Maybe you can add some meat?

Thanks Spookdaddy. Likewise good to see so many familiar old names still here. As you probably have seen, my website became largely neglected for a good while. It needs some work re-modelling and updating, but priorities first. I'll try to catch up on threads of interest, including the Stocksbridge thread. I visited the location last year - Pearoyd bridge was initially hard to find - but the case has its inevitable cross-overs with other RG cases, as it does with faerie lore, hooded apparitions, and so on - and is therefore receives some attention in my book. I'll pick up in the respective threads.
 
I recall logging in under my previous username in 2000 or early 2001. But I seem to recall that I had been a user for a while then. So how old exactly is the forum?
 
In true Fortean style, I'd be interested in the cross referencing the veracity of mythical stories passed down orally from prehistory.
 
Established late summer 2001, if I recall correctly, but I heard that there was some kind of prototype before that.

If there was, any content was not carried over here.
 
Established late summer 2001, if I recall correctly, but I heard that there was some kind of prototype before that.

If there was, any content was not carried over here.

Interesting, thanks. The first interaction I (sort of) clearly recall having with the forum was in July 2001 (I think my first post might be this one) but I somehow now feel that the forum was not new at that time. Maybe I logged onto the prototype. I don't remember now.
 
"changing yet changeless as canal-water, nestling in green nowhere, armoured and effete, bold flag-bearer, lotus fed Miss Havishambling, opsimath and eremite, feudal-still reactionary"
 
FT had a website for a few years before the Message Board began. It featured a Fortean Gallery and a selection of stories from past issues.

I think there was also a Strange Days feature, linking to weird news reports on sites such as Rense and Ananova. National and local newspaper sites were limited in those days. For a long time, they did not archive their own stories.

In those days of expensive dial-up connections, it made some sense to buy magazines as guides to the Web. One of them, from the same publishers as FT, used to carry a regular column of Weird News, under the Fortean Times rubric, to encourage surfers - as we were then, quaintly, called! Visitors to the site were alerted that a Message Board was on its way.

I was an early recruit in August 2001, the week the Message Board began, but there were a few earlier sign-ups; some were posters who continued for years: rynner*, Pete Younger, Evil Sprout, iirc. The issue of who was first was complicated by a group of names who never posted at all. These were presumably used for testing. We did have a thread which went into greater detail about oldest surviving members but it may have entered the Chat whirlpool of oblivion, as we all surely will! :omr:

Edit: Actually this thread on this forum has some discussion of the question, when we were only ten years old!


From that thread, I see that Pete Younger joined 31.07.2001. He was still around to contribute to that 2011 thread. Evil Sprout, however, seems to have registered on the very first day, 27.07.2001. Ravenstone joined on 01.08.2001. *Rynner signed up on the 7th.

Present-day survivors from the first month include Escargot, Gordon Rutter, GNC & MarkR(Kingston). :)

There may be several more but changed avatars & names confuse me more than they should! :willy:
 
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The oldest surviving post to be found isn't in a publicly viewable area. It's dated July 27, 2001.

Based on timestamps (which could conceivably have shifted during forum migrations) the oldest surviving post on the publicly viewable forum is dated August 6, 2001. It's the opening post in the Aviation & Airport Ghosts thread:

https://forums.forteana.org/index.php?threads/aviation-airport-ghosts.1939/
 
I remember a Fortean mailing list from the mid-90s, can't remember the name, but I think it was advertised in the magazine back then.
 
And everyone typed in English, of course they "tiped lyk dis111" but at least it was in English.
 
I remember a Fortean mailing list from the mid-90s, can't remember the name, but I think it was advertised in the magazine back then.
I think that is what is now the yahoogroups list, prior to that it was mentioned in the mag when it was a different service provider, I was there from the start of that pretty much and its still a good list. I've been here pretty much from the start as well and somehow managed to keep my name when everyone else had to change theirs during one of the migrations!
There we are says it just to the left joined August 3rd 2001.
 
From that thread, I see that Pete Younger joined 31.07.2001. He was still around to contribute to that 2011 thread. Evil Sprout, however, seems to have registered on the very first day, 27.07.2001. Ravenstone joined on 01.08.2001. *Rynner signed up on the 7th.

Sadly, Pete has since died. He was a witty, intelligent and compassionate poster, much-missed.
 
Wow rabbit hole time! I'm looking at past versions of the FT website - oldest archived seems to be from 1997 and they could fax you articles!
There is no mention of a board until 14th of July 2001 which has a single post dated 29th of June 2001 by Fiend in General Forteana
https://web.archive.org/web/20010714170005/http://www.forteantimes.com:80/forum/index.php

Next saved one is from August 13th 2001 with 1574 posts

https://web.archive.org/web/20010813113706/http://forteantimes.com:80/forum/index.php

Gordon
 
Wow rabbit hole time! I'm looking at past versions of the FT website - oldest archived seems to be from 1997 and they could fax you articles!
There is no mention of a board until 14th of July 2001 which has a single post dated 29th of June 2001 by Fiend in General Forteana
https://web.archive.org/web/20010714170005/http://www.forteantimes.com:80/forum/index.php

Next saved one is from August 13th 2001 with 1574 posts

https://web.archive.org/web/20010813113706/http://forteantimes.com:80/forum/index.php

Gordon
hee hee .. I've just spotted Rynner in that first link.
 
The oldest surviving post to be found isn't in a publicly viewable area. It's dated July 27, 2001.

Based on timestamps (which could conceivably have shifted during forum migrations) the oldest surviving post on the publicly viewable forum is dated August 6, 2001. It's the opening post in the Aviation & Airport Ghosts thread:

https://forums.forteana.org/index.php?threads/aviation-airport-ghosts.1939/

The oldest forum post I could find in the areas I have access to is actually from July 27, 2001. What was probably my first post to the forum appeared in the subsequent thread (on August 2, 2001). Thread here: Spiders Of Windsor

So it seems I have been a member (albeit with a hiatus when my original account was vaped in one of the earlier difficulties) since on or before August 2, 2001!
 
You're right - the Spiders of Windsor thread is labeled as originating on July 27, 2001. That in itself provides unfortunate evidence the database has gaps.
 
According to MY research this is the first picture posted on this forum, (predates computers and paper obviously).

latest


It shows Cthulhu leading an army of Ostriches attacking a place called Krummer or Cromar and was posted by a caveman called Sqqqiftly. It was painted on something that Archaeologists called "chet" or "chot", which they theorize was a social meeting place.

I've got no idea who that well-endowed gentleman is on the right, but you can just make out the symbols "N" and "F" next to the figure.

Dates to 30,000 BC and shows forum content, over the years, hasn't changed much.
 
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