Happy 20th anniversary everyone! 
This totally fucking rocks!
So, which message boards of former prominence have we outlasted?
Happy Anniversary! 
I am torn between sadness that I missed about a decade of Doperdom, and relief that elements of my early-20s-idiocy have not been preserved with my screen name on it for all eternity… in any case, congrats to the Dope! My favorite place on the internet.
Twentieth anniversary is traditionally China.
Watch out, Xi Jinping!!
All of them? I can’t think of one I participated in from before us, or around the same time, that is still active. Maybe one of the porn ones somewhere but I never visited any of them much.
And to think 20 years ------- next year we can buy it a drink! 
Considering all the people that have said we are doing it wrong, might I suggest a new slogan?
“Failing” Since 1998-It’s Taking Longer Than We Thought
Any bets on whether it makes it to 21?
Any reason it wouldn’t? Is it failing that badly?
Happy Dopeday!
Edit: dang, I’ve been here for over half the board’s life now.
Traffic seems way down…I used to post several times a day…now I go days without even checking the site and find the last thread I posted in still on the front page of the forum.
Wow, I was 24 when I started posting here. All because of a short lived TV show.
Now I feel old.
I received the Compendium of Human Knowledge as a gift in 1984.
I started reading the Straightdope column in the Chicago Reader in 1989, and I’m embarrassed to say it took a while to realize the book and column were by the same author.
I got my first internet connected computer in 1997 - a little late to the party, I know, which was odd because I had been computer literate since the late 70’s, but for some reason never felt compelled to “log on”
Got my AOL acct that same year (still have it!), and alto I did frequent Usenet I was unaware of the SDMB.
In 2004, I found the SD website and became a regular visitor, but only ocassionally visiting the MB. I miss Weird Earl!.
Around 2010 I started lurking on the MB with more regularity, but never found impetus to actually join.
Finally, in 2016 I officially joined the conversation, and have enjoyed my time immensely!
So, to those of you who have been here since the beginning, thank you for keeping the lights on til I could get here!
Mike Curtis
I thought GameFAQs message boards came first, but apparently they started in November 1999
I was 21 and am now 40. :eek:
True. I hope it stays around. That alternative ending to Big thread is the only thing anyone will remember of me in 100 years.
Wow, I would have agreed entirely. I do see that I only registered there in 2001 while I have been here since 2000. I was also on the SDMB on AOL, though.
That does count, doesn’t it?
I was such a babe in the woods. (Well maybe not exactly a babe;)). But I was a youngun. Thanks for letting me play in the sandbox with you guys. It’s been hilarious fun. Love me some Dope.
GameFAQs was around with the FAQs a few years before they had the message boards too
That’s nice, but if you want to talk about origins, check out that masthead at the top of this page.
1973.
Wasn’t there an AOL group or something before there was a SDMB?