An SDMB Timeline

[NoClueBoy]

Is there any way at all to read from The Winter Of Our Missed Content?

[Zeldar]

Here's the combined data on Mods as I have it. There need to be further corrections for the ???? items and possible additions to the list. But for now:


<===== Designates current Moderator or Administrator

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Lynn Bodoni
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=2 <=====
Lynn Bodoni
Total Posts: 17,215
Join Date: 03-09-1999
Mod Date(s): (original)

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=6 <=====
Ed Zotti
Total Posts: 1,643
Join Date: 02-18-1999
Mod Date(s): (original)

C K Dexter Haven .Cafe Society, Comments on Staff Reports
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=19 <=====
C K Dexter Haven
Total Posts: 14,002
Join Date: 02-19-1999
Mod Date(s): (original)

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=22
Eutychus
Total Posts: 5,410
Join Date: 02-20-1999
Mod Date(s): (original) - 17 Jul 2003

TubaDiva .About This Message Board
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=32 <=====
TubaDiva
Total Posts: 8,578
Join Date: 03-10-1999
Mod Date(s): (original)

tomndebb N E Ohio.Great Debates
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=82 <=====
tomndebb
Total Posts: 32,676
Join Date: 03-12-1999
Mod Date(s): 24 Dec 2004

Nickrz
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=131
Nickrz
Total Posts: 2,031
Join Date: 03-13-1999
Mod Date(s): ???? - 28 Apr 2000

Rico Utah's Dixie. General Questions
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=207 <=====
Rico
Total Posts: 4,597
Join Date: 03-16-1999
Mod Date(s): 19 Oct 2005

JillGat
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=231
JillGat
Total Posts: 3,824
Join Date: 03-16-1999
Mod Date(s): 1999 - 15 May 2000 and
Mar 2001 (?) - 29 Apr 2002 (?)

David B
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=293
David B
Total Posts: 7,263
Join Date: 03-19-1999
Mod Date(s): Jun 1999 - 28 Jan 2005

SkipMagic In Yon Twee. Cafe Society, Mundane Pointless Stuff I Must Share (MPSIMS)
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=547
SkipMagic
Total Posts: 6,768
Join Date: 04-08-1999
Mod Date(s): 7 Apr 2005 - (2009?)

Czarcasm Earth Prime, Pre-Crisis In My Humble Opinion
(originally Slythe)
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=774
Czarcasm
Total Posts: 24,597
Join Date: 04-24-1999
Mod Date(s): 25 May 2000 (off 7 Jun - 13 Dec 2010)

UncleBeer
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=913
UncleBeer
Total Posts: 11,969
Join Date: 05-03-1999
Mod Date(s): (pre-Oct 2000) - ????

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=1185 <=====
Ellen Cherry
Total Posts: 8,882
Join Date: 05-21-1999
Mod Date(s): 27 Sep 2009

Alphagene
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=1369
Alphagene
Total Posts: 2,744
Join Date: 06-07-1999
Mod Date(s): (pre-Oct 2000) - ????


Ukulele Ike Brooklyn.Cafe Society
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=1717
Ukulele Ike
Total Posts: 10,629
Join Date: 07-07-1999
Mod Date(s): 29 Aug 2001 - 28 May 2009

Coldfire
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=1957
Coldfire
Total Posts: 15,943
Join Date: 07-27-1999
Mod Date(s): 16 Nov 2000 - 7 Apr 2005

Gaudere . Great Debates
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=1961 <=====
Gaudere
Total Posts: 6,107
Join Date: 07-28-1999
Mod Date(s): (original)

Manhattan
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=2025
manhattan
Total Posts: 9,127
Join Date: 08-03-1999
Mod Date(s): (pre-Sep 2000) - 27 Mar 2001

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=2109
Spectre of Pithecanthropus
Total Posts: 16,010
Join Date: 08-11-1999
Mod Date(s): 17 May 2010 - 17 Nov 2011

samclem Akron, Ohio. General Questions
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=2145 <=====
samclem
Total Posts: 18,485
Join Date: 08-15-1999
Mod Date(s): 18 Jun 2004

TVeblen Cecil's dungeon.The BBQ Pit
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=2510
TVeblen
Total Posts: 6,610
Join Date: 09-11-1999
Mod Date(s): 20 Nov 2000 - ????

Arnold Winkelried
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=2891
Arnold Winkelried
Total Posts: 14,742
Join Date: 10-18-1999
Mod Date(s): 22 May 2000 - ????

DrMatrix New York State of Mind. General Questions
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=3128
DrMatrix
Total Posts: 3,299
Join Date: 11-05-1999
Mod Date(s): 20 Aug 2001 - 10 May 2007

John Corrado
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=3512
John Corrado
Total Posts: 3,685
Join Date: 12-07-1999
Mod Date(s): 11 Oct 2000 - ????

Chronos
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=4176
Chronos
Total Posts: 43,691
Join Date: 01-22-2000
Mod Date(s): 21 Sep 2000 - ????

Cajun Man New York State of Mind. Mundane Pointless Stuff I Must Share (MPSIMS)
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=4803
Cajun Man
Total Posts: 2,451
Join Date: 03-05-2000
Mod Date(s): (pre-2003) - 16 Feb 2012

bibliophage Maine. Comments on Cecil's Columns
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=5496
bibliophage
Total Posts: 8,883
Join Date: 04-07-2000
Mod Date(s): 20 Aug 2001 - 8 Sept 2009

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=7108 <=====
RickJay
Total Posts: 27,078
Join Date: 06-12-2000
Mod Date(s): 14 Jun 2011

MEBuckner Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Great Debates
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=8547
MEBuckner
Total Posts: 9,307
Join Date: 08-03-2000
Mod Date(s): 5 Dec 2001 - 8 Sept 2009

Giraffe San Jose, California. The BBQ Pit
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=8812
Giraffe
Total Posts: 9,336
Join Date: 08-13-2000
Mod Date(s): 9 May 2005 - 24 Feb 2009 (?)

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=10115 <=====
Colibri
Total Posts: 18,506
Join Date: 10-11-2000
Mod Date(s): 20 Jun 2007

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=11601 <=====
Miller
Total Posts: 30,838
Join Date: 12-19-2000
Mod Date(s): 25 Sep 2009

xash Santa Clara, CA.General Questions
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=12220
xash
Total Posts: 4,091
Join Date: 01-15-2001
Mod Date(s): 17 Jul 2003 - 3 Aug 2007

fluiddruid Des Moines, IA.Cafe Society, The BBQ Pit
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=19467
fluiddruid
Total Posts: 5,715
Join Date: 11-26-2001
Mod Date(s): 10 Oct 2005

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=21437 <=====
Marley23
Total Posts: 58,685
Join Date: 04-19-2002
Mod Date(s): 18 Mar 2008

Frank Denver, Colorado. In My Humble Opinion
(originally This Year's Model)
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=23639
Frank
Total Posts: 16,835
Join Date: 07-11-2002
Mod Date(s):19 Oct 2005 - ????

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=24510 <=====
twickster
Total Posts: 34,410
Join Date: 08-11-2002
Mod Date(s): 4 Jun 2009

(originally InvisibleWombat)
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=32947 <=====
Gary "Wombat" Robson
Total Posts: 8,726
Join Date: 03-20-2003
Mod Date(s): 2 Jul 2008

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=38203 <=====
Idle Thoughts
Total Posts: 6,854
Join Date: 08-07-2003
Mod Date(s): 15 Jun 2011

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=42630 <=====
Gfactor
Total Posts: 9,469
Join Date: 12-22-2003
Mod Date(s): 20 Jun 2007

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=53286 <=====
Gukumatz
Total Posts: 2,288
Join Date: 06-11-2005
Mod Date(s): 7 Jun 2009

================================

[Zeldar]

Originally Posted by NoClueBoy

Is there any way at all to read from The Winter Of Our Missed Content?

I have no idea how to retrieve that data, but I would point out that that specific period is not alone in the gaps category. The discrepancy between the Post Count on the Main Page and the "latest post" is off by over 100,000. Lost posts for whatever reason must be partly to account for that.

If you look over that latest list of Post Numbers you'll see

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/....php?p=8500002
04-24-2007, 03:02 AM

and that's because 8500000 is an invalid Post ID. There are many like that.

[NoClueBoy]

Hmmm... Singles would be spam posts removed, but those large blocs... interesting.

[Zeldar]

Originally Posted by NoClueBoy

Hmmm... Singles would be spam posts removed, but those large blocs... interesting.

Once we deduce the actual size of the The Winter in post count, we could see what the odds are that the remaining single missing posts can be accounted for as spam. It's not an unreasonable assumption.

I've been toying with some other gee-whiz things we might try to find:

-- The first BANNED user
-- The first Closed thread (who started it, how big was it, who closed it, when)
-- Which Mod has closed the most threads
-- The longest time span between closed threads

Just for starting a list of such trivia. Others?

[Earl Snake-Hips Tucker]

There might have been unpublicized bannings in the early days, but the first public banning was Contestant #3. He used numerous names later on, and I think his last incarnation was as Krispy Original. So, apparently they let him back in keeping the new name, but left the banned name (ha!) stay banned, and did not merge it with his original or any other names (Martyr #7, I think was another).

The first permanent ban was the former mod.

First reported death: WallyM7 in early 2000 (then we found out there was nothing to corroborate it)
Second reported death: Dr. Watson also in early 2000 (same problem with WallyM7)
First confirmed death: poopah chalupah

[Zeldar]

Great finds there, Earl Snake-Hips Tucker! I'll not be asking for more clarification of "which Melin" after reading that one.

There must be dozens more firsts and such noteworthy moments worth the searching.

In addition to deaths, do we have documentation of convicted felons?

[NoClueBoy]

First Doper marriage (both being Dopers before meeting, maybe even limited to meeting on SDMB)

First Doper in space.

First known Doper Jeopardy winner.

Wackiest Doper meltdown (resulting in banning and also not)/

Longest time between posts by currently active Doper.

[Zeldar]

Yeah, NoClueBoy! More!

Here are some details from that big gap in Post ID#'s:

Is this The Winter Of Our Missed Content?

==================

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/....php?p=1895820
Thread: The Dark Knight Returns
View Single Post

12-07-2001, 03:29 AM
Green Fool
BANNED Join Date: Sep 2001
Posts: 138

I am going to flip through it and see if it grabs me.

As for Frank Miller as an over all talent... he is responisble for Robocop 2 and 3 if I am not mistaken.

I made the mistake of reading a whole bunch of sin city in a weekend. Don't do it, you'll realize that it's the same story over and over again.And then you'll feel cheated and gay, and you'll think dogs are cats..well.. atleast that's what happened to me.

=============================

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/....php?p=1895823
Thread: First Thread!
View Single Post

03-10-2002, 08:02 PM
Weirddave
BANNED Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: Republic of Marylandistan
Posts: 9,900


First Thread!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WHOOOO! I make the first post! I RULE!
__________________
"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take away everything you have."

~Barry Goldwater

==================

[Earl Snake-Hips Tucker]

Here's an old thread that mentions some of the notable events when this board was only three years old. It mentions the first reported meeting of Dopers from this board incarnation, although some had actually met previously from the AOL board.
First possible all-Doper marriage looks to be in 2001. I think they've since split, so that would also probably be the first all-Doper divorce!

[Earl Snake-Hips Tucker]

Originally Posted by Zeldar

In addition to deaths, do we have documentation of convicted felons?

I don't know about felons, but this was the first public posting about a member spending time in the pokey.

[Zeldar]

Originally Posted by Earl Snake-Hips Tucker

I don't know about felons, but this was the first public posting about a member spending time in the pokey.

Well, I guess that serves this Tennessean right! Extra cool, Earl Snake-Hips Tucker. Your finds have kicked this thread into high gear. We're on the way to some worthwhile nostalgia with the stuff that's already here and I'm sure there must be many more fun reads we have yet to add to the thread.

[Gary "Wombat" Robson]

Originally Posted by Zeldar

Here's the combined data on Mods as I have it. There need to be further corrections for the ???? items and possible additions to the list. But for now:

(snip)

xash Santa Clara, CA.General Questions
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=12220
xash
Total Posts: 4,091
Join Date: 01-15-2001
Mod Date(s): 17 Jul 2003 - 3 Aug 2007

Xash did not stop being a staff member in 2007; he just didn't have a forum assigned to him any longer. He has been a very valuable contributor since then as an administrator, and still does things for us behind the scenes from time to time.

Perhaps it would be more appropriate to list "staff date" instead of "mod date" since we have some admins who have never been mods, some mods who have never been admins, and several who have been both.

[Digital is the new Analog]

First Poll?
First charity effort to a Doper?
Halloween themes?

-D/a

[Gary "Wombat" Robson]

Originally Posted by Digital is the new Analog

First Poll?

Polling was enabled on 22 September 2009 in IMHO. Staff members did several test polls before that, but the first public poll was actually attached to the poll tutorial as a sticky in IMHO, posted by yours truly.

[Zeldar]

Originally Posted by Gary "Wombat" Robson

Polling was enabled on 22 September 2009 in IMHO. Staff members did several test polls before that, but the first public poll was actually attached to the poll tutorial as a sticky in IMHO, posted by yours truly.

#1 09-22-2009, 01:00 PM
Gary "Wombat" Robson
Vombatus Moderatus
Moderator Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Montana, U.S.A.
Posts: 8,732

The Polling feature is enabled. Here's how to use it.

====================

That gave me the clue to try to find my first poll(s) right at six months later:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/...d.php?t=557039
Greatest Male Actors -- SDMB Poll
03-24-2010, 06:57 AM
Zeldar

Poll: Greatest Male Actors -- SDMB Poll
Zeldar 03-28-2010 07:13 AM
by Zeldar 22 2,801 Cafe Society


http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/...d.php?t=557041
Greatest Female Actors -- SDMB Poll
03-24-2010, 07:12 AM
Zeldar

Poll: Greatest Female Actors -- SDMB Poll
Zeldar 03-24-2010 02:20 PM
by Zeldar 4 2,114 Cafe Society

=========================

Anybody have a clue as to how many polls there have been so far?

[Zeldar]

It must have been how I set up the search before, but I missed my very first poll by a few days. The embarrassing thing is that I was referring to this very thread within the past week or so in the process of posting a follow-up on the same basic idea. But in this one I even said it was my first effort at a poll:

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/...d.php?t=556644
Poll: Poll: What's your favorite Cafe Society topic?
03-21-2010, 07:27 AM
Zeldar
03-25-2010 03:51 PM
by Ephemera
23 2,845 Cafe Society
Voters: 101. This poll is closed

03-21-2010, 07:27 AM
Zeldar

Poll: What's your favorite Cafe Society topic?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In response to a recent thread detailing Pet Peeves with Cafe Society, and to get a little experience with building a poll, I thought this might amuse the regulars here.

You have one shot, make it count.

I'm going to do a count on polls I started, knowing full well that I have participated in at least 100 others. But as I have indicated before, just voting in a poll leaves no trace as far as searches go: you have to remember the poll by title to see if your poll choice(s) had been italicized, thus validating your memory that you were there. Of course, posting in that thread will leave a trace that searches can follow.

A while back I started a thread with the objective of locating the SDMB poll with the most voters. That thread fizzled out with nothing much in the way of proof or even evidence. Maybe a new search for that bit of trivia could be another objective of this thread?

And there just have to be older polls than these of mine. Who started the first one, and in which forum, after the date Gary "Wombat" Robson mentions above (22 September 2009 in IMHO )?

[Zeldar]

Originally Posted by Zeldar

I'm going to do a count on polls I started, knowing full well that I have participated in at least 100 others.

That count is 79. Searching for those I have participated in may take a while longer.

ETA:

Originally Posted by NoClueBoy

First known Doper Jeopardy winner.

I hope the answer to that is in
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/...d.php?t=287408
Dopers on Jeopardy! THE List
11-18-2004, 02:39 PM
commasense

[samclem]

Originally Posted by Zeldar;
And there just have to be older polls than these of mine. Who started the first one, and in which forum, after the date [b

Gary "Wombat" Robson[/b] mentions above (22 September 2009 in IMHO )?

Wombat announced that at 2:00 PM on that day.

A failed attempt at a poll was initiated at 3;11 by Brainiac ::cough. Don't say BAT. ::cough

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/...highlight=poll

At 3:51, blondbear successfully got it off the ground.

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/...l#post11584252

[Earl Snake-Hips Tucker]

I think Guy Stuff was the first 1000-post thread.
The creation of Need answer fast! Inside is a link to skydiving thread that was the inspiration. There had been a smattering of 'need answer fast' threads previously, but this was what cemented it as an SDMB meme.

[Zeldar]

Originally Posted by samclem

Wombat announced that at 2:00 PM on that day.

A failed attempt at a poll was initiated at 3;11 by Brainiac ::cough. Don't say BAT. ::cough

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/...highlight=poll

At 3:51, blondbear successfully got it off the ground.

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/...l#post11584252

You da man, samclem! And you can still vote in that second one, because I just did!

It's perhaps of minimal value since you still have to investigate whether they're "for real" (as in automated for counting votes) or just "polls" in the sense of asking opinions. etc., but if you use the Keyword search on "poll:" in Titles Only and limit the search for "4 years ago and newer" and "by thread start date" in ascending order, you can get a listing that suggests that less than 700 polls have been started since Wombat's date.

Searching those one at a time for "number of voters" should help zoom in on that trivium.

[Zeldar]

Originally Posted by Earl Snake-Hips Tucker

I think Guy Stuff was the first 1000-post thread.
The creation of Need answer fast! Inside is a link to skydiving thread that was the inspiration. There had been a smattering of 'need answer fast' threads previously, but this was what cemented it as an SDMB meme.

Hilarious jewels, for sure, Earl Snake-Hips Tucker. Your finds are turning this thread into a "truly great thread" in my estimation. That "need answer fast" thing is a hoot!

[Digital is the new Analog]

Originally Posted by Zeldar

You da man, samclem! And you can still vote in that second one, because I just did!

You might be confusing cause and effect there...

Have you covered "User who started the most threads?"

ETA: I guess that's more in the "SDMB trivia" realm, not a timeline.
-D/a

[Zeldar]

Originally Posted by Digital is the new Analog

Have you covered "User who started the most threads?"

ETA: I guess that's more in the "SDMB trivia" realm, not a timeline.
-D/a

Not by my definition. Although doubtless a bit of trivia, that sort of high point or superlative is needed to flesh out the timeline.

And I have asked in other threads if anybody knows who owns that distinction, along with other such accomplishments.

[AHunter3]

Geeky stuff:

The Straight Dope Message Board in its original incarnation here (as opposed to on AOL) used a board software called "ubb" which stood for Ultimate Bulletin Board or something similar.

We went through at least two iterations of ubb board software before hopping ship to vBulletin. There was a version in use here before August of 1999 and a later version that we switched to around that time.

The board switched to vBulletin in the vicinity of April 2000. vBulletin imported all the uBB-era posts so we did not lose any posts. Oddly, the uBB posts between August 1999 and April 2000 came through fully intact; but the even older uBB posts made prior to August 1999, although they'd looked fine in the later version of uBB, showed up in vBulletin with "Guest" for the poster even though they'd been posted by genuine registered users.

We've been through many iterations of vBulletin since that point but not of those changes has messed anything up as far as I know, except briefly (custom smilies disappearing, special markup tags ceasing to work, etc) after which they'd get fixed by Jerry the tech God.

[Zeldar]

Originally Posted by NoClueBoy

Is there any way at all to read from The Winter Of Our Missed Content?

Originally Posted by Zeldar

I have no idea how to retrieve that data, but I would point out that that specific period is not alone in the gaps category. The discrepancy between the Post Count on the Main Page and the "latest post" is off by over 100,000. Lost posts for whatever reason must be partly to account for that.

If you look over that latest list of Post Numbers you'll see

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/....php?p=8500002
04-24-2007, 03:02 AM

and that's because 8500000 is an invalid Post ID. There are many like that.

Originally Posted by NoClueBoy

Hmmm... Singles would be spam posts removed, but those large blocs... interesting.

Originally Posted by Zeldar

Once we deduce the actual size of the The Winter in post count, we could see what the odds are that the remaining single missing posts can be accounted for as spam. It's not an unreasonable assumption.

AHunter3, can you shed any light on this issue? Just exactly how much content was lost and exactly when?

[AHunter3]

Well, some light.

The link in the 2nd post (mine) was to the board-in-exile where all the posts made while we were in diaspora were made.

THAT much of the Winter of Our Missed Content was available for quite some time. Here is the WayBack Machine's best offering of the BBBoy board-in-exile. You can actually read some of the posts.



Does that help?

Edited to Add: there were some posts that had been made on the regular Straight Dope before the hack-job, which were never ever recovered; when the real Straight Dope came back online, it had been rolled back by several weeks. Those posts are gone forever.

[Zeldar]

Originally Posted by AHunter3

Well, some light.

The link in the 2nd post (mine) was to the board-in-exile where all the posts made while we were in diaspora were made.

THAT much of the Winter of Our Missed Content was available for quite some time. Here is the WayBack Machine's best offering of the BBBoy board-in-exile. You can actually read some of the posts.



Does that help?

Edited to Add: there were some posts that had been made on the regular Straight Dope before the hack-job, which were never ever recovered; when the real Straight Dope came back online, it had been rolled back by several weeks. Those posts are gone forever.

Quite a bit more help than I expected! Do you know the dates when the posts are just plain lost altogether? Is it the gap described in this post?

[AHunter3]

That WeirdDave post, "I made the first post, WHOO!" plus the time frame in which it was made... yeah, that sounds about right. Board went down early 2002. Got rolled back (some posts lost forever). It's entirely believable that all January and early February 2002 posts were the ones that got lost. Meanwhile we posted at the board-in-exile from about a week after the board went down until it was restored.

[NoClueBoy]

Originally Posted by AHunter3

Well, some light.

The link in the 2nd post (mine) was to the board-in-exile where all the posts made while we were in diaspora were made.

THAT much of the Winter of Our Missed Content was available for quite some time. Here is the WayBack Machine's best offering of the BBBoy board-in-exile. You can actually read some of the posts.

The threads weren't too long, were they? Smashie needs to come back.

[AHunter3]

The board moderator that y'all have not found mucn info on, Melin, was the epicentre of the first large-scale schism on the board. It was the first time that we had a huge family quarrel and such significantly hurt feelings and adversarial polarization that large numbers of people left the board over it.

There have been two subsequent periods when there was a mass exodus from the board: the debut of Pay-to-Post (lots of people posted farewells and left and did not come back when the board reverted to its current form) and the more recent fracas over vocabulary and what could and could not be posted without incurring intervention, especially in the BBQ Pit, which led to two spinoff boards, DoMeBo and the Giraffe Board.

There was also an even earlier event that lost us a lot of board members all at one time: the move from AOL to here! A double handful of folks who had been very active on the AOL board never really set up camp here. Some of them retained links to the General Questions forum on the AOL Board and continued to post there months (perhaps years) after there were no viable links to the AOL Board's front page. Give a shout-out if you remember HpstrDufuz, RangerJeff, Kiltgrrl...

[Earl Snake-Hips Tucker]

Originally Posted by AHunter3

The board moderator that y'all have not found mucn info on, Melin, was the epicentre of the first large-scale schism on the board.

A funny (to me, anyway) coda to the exodus from the Melin aftermath was they invaded another board that was a kindred spirit to SDMB.

The reception was. . . cool, to say the least. A few of the AOLers grumbled about how when the board went off AOL they had lost their "vibrant community." I suppose that meant, "there goes the neighborhood." All the Internet riff-raff was about to invade their insular world.

Similarly, the "other" board had just upgraded their software coincidental with the SDMB exodus. I don't know the terminology,but they were using very low-tech messageboard software earlier, and had just updated to either UBB or VBulletin, so it had a much closer feel to SDMB.

While no one was a jerk about it on the other board, there was a definite air of "well, there goes the neighborhood." Their small, insular group was being overrun by a bunch of self-imposed outcasts.

But around the same time, though, Opal upgraded her own system, and that's where they ended up, after it was clear they had overstayed their welcome, such as it was.

[Polycarp]

Great job on things so far. I can provide some background on Melingate and the Left Behind invasion if they are wanted.

You're missing one Admin who rarely posts but whose work is vital: jdavis AKA Jerry the Tech God, the guy who kept this board running back when the server was an antiquated clunker running a version of vBulletin something like 4.1.3 when then-current version was 6.1.2 and powered by superannuated sloths because the cost of hamster chow was too high. WE forget about Jerry... until things go wrong.

[Gary "Wombat" Robson]

We do have a tendency to leave Jerry off the staff lists because he's really not in the same league with the rest of us. Some of us (e.g., Xash) are über techs, but Jerry's the only one that gets inside the hardware and the databases to manipulate them. He and Ed are also a paid employees, unlike the rest of the SDMB staff.

[NoClueBoy]

He's also nano sized, allowing him to actually "get inside" the tech.

Many people don't know that.

[Zeldar]

Originally Posted by Polycarp

Great job on things so far. I can provide some background on Melingate and the Left Behind invasion if they are wanted.

You're missing one Admin who rarely posts but whose work is vital: jdavis AKA Jerry the Tech God, the guy who kept this board running back when the server was an antiquated clunker running a version of vBulletin something like 4.1.3 when then-current version was 6.1.2 and powered by superannuated sloths because the cost of hamster chow was too high. WE forget about Jerry... until things go wrong.

Originally Posted by Gary "Wombat" Robson

We do have a tendency to leave Jerry off the staff lists because he's really not in the same league with the rest of us. Some of us (e.g., Xash) are über techs, but Jerry's the only one that gets inside the hardware and the databases to manipulate them. He and Ed are also a paid employees, unlike the rest of the SDMB staff.

Since there's already a problem with the "Mod Dates:" issue and whether other categories or designations ought to be included, is there some other group of "behind the scenes" and ongoing support prople we should at least mention?

[Fenris]

Originally Posted by Earl Snake-Hips Tucker

A funny (to me, anyway) coda to the exodus from the Melin aftermath was they invaded another board that was a kindred spirit to SDMB.

The reception was. . . cool, to say the least.

After the AOL board started to shut down, that's how those of us on alt.fan.cecil-adams (on the Usenet) felt when a poster here (and from the AOL board) tried to invade the Usenet singlehandedly.

She came waltzing into alt.fan.cecil-adams and announced that ALL the AOLies would be joining us and o golly! we'd get along just fine if we did what they wanted! They had things like labeling threads with "MPSIMS" and everything will be just peachy if our existing group changed to fit their needs!

She was flamed into oblivion (it was a pretty fact-based, "Debunk urban legends" type group so the fluffy crap didn't fit) and after stomping away in a huff, proceeded to start her own SDMB group on the usenet that lasted about 15 minutes after going through the arduous process of creating it.


See here and here for two usenet threads I could dig up from the aftermath of the attempted invasion.

PS--keep in mind that all the "Our culture is different, that's why we need our OWN newsgroup" thing was after the attempted invasion where the alt.fan.cecil-adams types were told that we had to conform to AOL culture when they invaded. Total 180 shift.

[Earl Snake-Hips Tucker]

Oh, yeah, the alt.fan.cecil.adams and the misc.facts.straight.dope groups--those were the real Cloud Minders. I was always under the impression that they didn't even recognize outsiders.

[Fenris]

Heh--they didn't. And they were looked down upon with scorn by the REAL elitists: the urban legends group (I don't remember the usenet group name). Those guys were hardcore and thought alt.fan.cecil-adams was fluffy.

[AHunter3]

alt.folklore.urban-legends?

[Zeldar]

Here's a chronological listing of the SDMB threads mentioned thus far in this thread. Links to non-SDMB URL's are not included.

If these make you think of other superlatives or fun threads that will help add color and detail to the timeline concept, please post them.

The discussion is going well, if I may say so. The thread is working, thanks to all of you.

==============================

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/...ead.php?t=1143
Where'd Melin go?
08-03-1999, 05:05 PM
Guest

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/...read.php?t=732
Contestant #3 has been banned from the SDMB
10-26-1999, 10:24 AM
Ed Zotti

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/...ad.php?t=18972
Guy Stuff
11-05-1999, 01:00 PM
Ukulele Ike

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/...ead.php?t=8465
Melin has been banned
03-19-2000, 11:56 PM
Ed Zotti

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/...ad.php?t=38058
TN*hippie is in jail! Send him a letter...
09-11-2000, 11:58 AM
Satan

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/...d.php?t=118749
Watershed moments in SDMB history; or, the SDMB Anthology Project
06-04-2002, 10:49 PM
SpartanDC

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/...d.php?t=143790
http://bb.bbboy.net/straightdope
11-11-2002, 10:10 PM
sailor

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/...d.php?t=253989
When were the various forums started?
05-01-2004, 11:22 AM
Green Bean

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/...d.php?t=287408
Dopers on Jeopardy! THE List
11-18-2004, 02:39 PM
commasense

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/...d.php?t=442645
Need answer fast!!!
11-02-2007, 04:05 PM
Flander

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/...d.php?t=533069
The Polling feature is enabled. Here's how to use it.
09-22-2009, 01:00 PM
Gary "Wombat" Robson

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/...d.php?t=533080
Poll - Favorite smiley
09-22-2009, 02:11 PM
Brainiac

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/...d.php?t=537416
Ten years of the Dope: a history
10-26-2009, 10:51 AM
Rhythmdvl

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/...9&postcount=65
05-18-2012, 11:31 AM
Zeldar

[Zeldar]

Here's a summary listing of suggested topics to be included in the ultimate Timeline, in the order they appear in this thread.

Add some more!

=====================

An SDMB Timeline

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Does such a thing already exist? If so, where? If not, I think it might be fun to build one with such details as:

- Sequence of starting dates for the various fora

- Vital statistics of Mods and Admins (etc.)
--- Join Date
--- Date of becoming whatever
--- Number of posts

- Major dates of significant events
--- Pay to Play
--- Changes in Board Software
--- Major crashes
--- Busiest day
--- Least busy day

===============

Don't forget the Winter of Our Missed Content. (Don't know the exact dates)

===============

Notable bannings might be one.

Say, handy, Satan, or more recently, Diogenes the Cynic.

===============

The mass exodus brought on by Pay2Post was a huge game changer for me. Trek threads were never the same after that.

===============

WILL ANDREWT85 NEVER GET HIS ATMB BANNING THREAD?

What is WRONG with you MODS AND ADMINS?!

O THE INJUSTICE!!!!1!!!!!!!!

===============

If you're going for a complete timeline of forums, don't forget that Comments on Cecil's Columns and Comments on Staff Reports were separate at one point.

===============

JeffB
Charter Member

I did a search on "forum" in thread titles. A quick look through the title for anything like "new forum" found:

"2010 U.S. Election" 6/1/2010 changed to "Elections" 6/2/2010
The Barn House 9/4/2008
Happy Thoughts 4/1/2011
Marketplace 12/7/2010
The Game Room 2/21/2008

There's not an option on our end to search for all Announcements, which might find others.

===============

Rick
Charter Member

If we are compiling a history don't forget the lost weekend.
SDMB was (as I recall) going to move over to a new server. Jerry backed up on Friday and started to work. Everything posted after the backup and until the new equipment went online was going to be lost, so TPTB declared a free weekend and we all got our ya-ya out as it were.
Fun times.
Also try to include some of the April 1st mod hi jinks.

===============

I've been toying with some other gee-whiz things we might try to find:

-- The first BANNED user
-- The first Closed thread (who started it, how big was it, who closed it, when)
-- Which Mod has closed the most threads
-- The longest time span between closed threads

===============

First reported death: WallyM7 in early 2000 (then we found out there was nothing to corroborate it)
Second reported death: Dr. Watson also in early 2000 (same problem with WallyM7)
First confirmed death: poopah chalupah

===============

In addition to deaths, do we have documentation of convicted felons?

===============

First Doper marriage (both being Dopers before meeting, maybe even limited to meeting on SDMB)

First Doper in space.

First known Doper Jeopardy winner.

Wackiest Doper meltdown (resulting in banning and also not)

Longest time between posts by currently active Doper.

===============

Earl Snake-Hips Tucker

Here's an old thread that mentions some of the notable events when this board was only three years old.

It mentions the first reported meeting of Dopers from this board incarnation, although some had actually met previously from the AOL board.

First possible all-Doper marriage looks to be in 2001. I think they've since split, so that would also probably be the first all-Doper divorce!

===============

First Poll?
First charity effort to a Doper?
Halloween themes?

===============

locating the SDMB poll with the most voters

===============

Have you covered "User who started the most threads?"

===============

The entire thread:

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/...d.php?t=118749
Watershed moments in SDMB history; or, the SDMB Anthology Project
06-04-2002, 10:49 PM
SpartanDC

===============

Also this thread:

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/...d.php?t=537416
Ten years of the Dope: a history
10-26-2009, 10:51 AM
Rhythmdvl

Which includes:

Here is what I have so far, in no real order. I did make some loose categorizations for the time being, but these can be combined when things start to come together - adding specific dates when remembered or adjustments made in relative order. I have a few other ideas as to how to organize/nominate/structure things, but I'd rather see if anyone's interested in the idea first.

Board Events

Handy breaking 10,000 posts
Cecil’s last sighting
Board goes pay-to-post
Winter of Our Lost Content
StormFront invasion
Lost weekend
Passing of members (from the memorial thread)
Left Behind outbreak
Pit rules change
Board returns from pay-to-post
Weird URLs/threadspotting begins
First Doper-to-Doper marriage
First Doper-to-Doper kid
First column inspired by the boards
SDSAB created
Board is sold
Café Society opens
Game Room opens
Great Threads (this is a category that can get out of hand ... perhaps the most likely category that needs nomination and at least a couple seconds?)

What if the Lord of the Rings had been written by someone else?
Will a plane on a treadmill take off?
14 k of g in a f p d
Found wallet from the 70's
What happens on May 33rd but only on leap year?
First MMP
First Sequential Threads
First mini-rant
Catch Phrases

Gotcha Ya
Rio
Hi Opal!
Once, in 1960, for twenty minutes...
1920s style "death ray"
News Events that shook the Board(for context)

9/11
Madrid - 3/11
London - 7/7
Bush v. Gore
Bush v. Kerry
Obama v. McCain
Indian Ocean Tsunami
Afghanistan invasion
Iraq invasion
Palin nomination

===============

[Rick]

No listing of important milestones in SDMB history would be complete without some of the more memorable threads
Off the top of my head
9/11/2001
Coldfire's thread about liberation in WWII
The Horror of blimps
Hal Briston's sheep thread

What else?

[Digital is the new Analog]

Are there actual cites available for some of our catch phrases? For instance, I've heard the story of "Hi, Opal" a bunch of times..but how about a cite of the first time someone used it? Or of Opal's actual comments?


-D/a

[Rick]

Originally Posted by Digital is the new Analog

Are there actual cites available for some of our catch phrases? For instance, I've heard the story of "Hi, Opal" a bunch of times..but how about a cite of the first time someone used it? Or of Opal's actual comments?


-D/a

The Hi Opal came from a post of Opal's where she complained that people were using the list function [list] when they only had two bullet points. She maintained that a list had to have at least three bullet points or it wasn't a list.
So place #3 has been reserved for Hi Opal since that time.
Where that original post came from I don't know, but I will bet someone here can dredge it up.

[Earl Snake-Hips Tucker]

I think "Hi Opal" started on the AOL board, so a first citing will probably be elusive.

[Zeldar]

We seem to have a large variety of things we could include in a timeline. Now the issue is how do we go about putting significant posts and threads into a chronology that makes for easier reading and easy lookup of those important moments.

Ideas?

[Una Persson]

Originally Posted by AHunter3

Give a shout-out if you remember HpstrDufuz, RangerJeff, Kiltgrrl...

Ranger Jeff is alive and well and posting every single day on my message board.

[Una Persson]

Originally Posted by Zeldar

... is there some other group of "behind the scenes" and ongoing support prople we should at least mention?

Nah, probably not...

[Fenris]

Originally Posted by Digital is the new Analog

Are there actual cites available for some of our catch phrases? For instance, I've heard the story of "Hi, Opal" a bunch of times..but how about a cite of the first time someone used it? Or of Opal's actual comments?


-D/a

It started on the AOL boards which the OP said is out of bounds (plus, none of the AOL threads seem to remain)