Holy crap. I went to look if I’d posted in that thread, and it appears that my very first ever SDMB post was made there.
My SD history begins with the books, which I discovered as a teenager. Then in college I got a letter in the newspaper column, which I consider a part of my life resume.
It wasn’t until some years later I came up on the boards, and I don’t remember precisely when. Certainly more than 20 years ago. But I changed user names / identities a couple of times before arriving at my current incarnation.
I don’t think I’m a very memorable poster - I rarely go in for Pit threads about people and don’t have many controversial opinions. Just one of the gang from quite a ways back, who Cecil just happens to have addressed by name in the newspaper. 
I became a fan of the Straight Dope column back in the mid 1970’s when it appeared in Baltimore’s City Squeeze alternative paper. I started snarfing up the books pretty much shortly after each was published.
I lurked on this message board starting in the fall of 1999 and didn’t join until April 18th, 2000. I doubt I’ve ever been away from the board for more than 10-14 days, save for the “winter of our missed content” when I hung out at the alternate board.
Frankly, it’s still the brightest spot on the 'net for me. I’ve learned a LOT here, got old here (I was 42 when I first visited here, I’m 66 now). My SD gear includes a SD coffee mug, and a signed copy of Little Ed’s “Know it All!”
And I’ve interacted with such amazing people here!! I remember so fondly many folks we lost; Lynn Bodoni, Jenny (TubaDiva), Equipoise (who for over a decade thought was Equiporpoise), Guin, Colibri, SamClem, Polycarp, Opal, QED and others.
What a place!
Before I joined I was quite infatuated with Legomancer.
I had read a Straight Dope book. Then one day as I was discovering the internet, Cecil was mentioned on a site called Vegan Porn. I thought, hey, I should check that out…and the rest is history. Impressed?
I always like to keep my audience riveted.
I don’t need the link, but does that site still exist?
I’ve often wondered, but I’m more cautious about investigating such things than I used to be. I found this:
http://www.veganporn.com/
Doesn’t seem to be active any longer. They used to have a cute logo of a cow straddling a carrot.
I joined in May of '03. Like commasense, I’ve spent 31% of my life as a member of this board, since we are of an age. I’ve made some good friends here. Thanks to some Dopefests, I’ve met some wonderful people. I’ve even had dinner with @Qadgop_the_Mercotan and the human wench Cynthia! I had beers with David Simmons. @Stranger_On_A_Train took me for a bottle of decent scotch. Here’s to 25 more years - may we all still be here who want to be.
Been lurking here since the days of the pulsing brain on AOL although I didn’t join untl 10 years later. The thread that hooked me was Velma and the Cooler of Evil. Over a third of my life. Time well spent!!
Sniff…I love you guys…
I first read the columns, maybe in a Boston free paper? Then discovered the books, and a long time later (2001?), the site. But I only read the columns online for a while, then accidentally discovered the boards by clicking the wrong link. Joined immediately in 2002.
Books for me. Still have them. Am now rereading them.
There were five. Please correct me if any of my dates or titles are wrong.
- The Straight Dope (1984) [mass-market paperback; reprinted as trade paperback in 1986 when the Dope blew up nationally; all the rest were published as trade paperbacks to make a uniform series]
- More of the Straight Dope (1988)
- Return of the Straight Dope (1994)
- The Straight Dope Tells All (1998)
- Triumph of the Straight Dope (1999)
Someone on ebay has the last four as a lot. Three of them signed by Ed Zotti, whoever he was. Grab it now for next Christmas.
Registered here July 31, 1999. Was on the AOL board before that. Anyone else remember the pulsating brain?
I also remember this posted there by Little Ed: “When you learn to spell, suddenly things start to make a lot more sense.”
Joined May 00. Kinda surprising to me, as I am not generally a “rapid adopter.” If I were to guess, I’d assume that was when we got the net at work and were encouraged to “explore”! 
First became aware of the Dope reading old Readers I found while in high school.
Happy anniversary, all!
I joined on July 5, 2004 – coming up on 37.7% of my lifetime.
I no longer have any idea what brought me here, but I credit my longevity to deliberately avoiding Great Debates (and, later, Politics & Elections) for the past 20 years.
(I’d participated in other message boards, and those kinds of topics were where I’d lose my cool/get warnings. So when I discovered this place, I decided to stick to Cafe Society, IMHO, and MPSIMS…and I’ve lived happily ever after!)
I was active on the AOL board starting in 1995. When the new board started I joined but had issues with the format, so I moved over to afca (alt.fan.cecil.adams) for awhile, then I moved back here in 2005 or thereabouts.
It’s been a long ride, for sure.
Found my old ID! March 16, '99!
The modes should be able to merge the two accounts with the old date and “new” username.
I found the books first. But was thrilled to see the column in the Montreal Mirror. Been around since AOL days, preceding my date in 2000.
Joined in May of 2000. The first thread I ever posted in was called “Very Vaguely Creepy”
My mom bought me the first book at a rest stop on vacation many decades ago. Back in 2000, I wondered if the Straight Dope had an internet presence. I did a search and found the site and the SDMB. I joined right away.
I was a big fan of the columns. I lived in San Diego for most of the 80s and the San Diego Reader had its own version of Cecil (Matthew Alice as I recall) but would also run the Cecil columns. I moved to Santa Barbara in 1990 and didn’t have access any more.
I did the free AOL with the mailed in disks a few times a year and would use that to catch up on the columns that I missed. I was somehow unaware of the message board aspect at the time. I eventually found webpage after the AOL thing ended and read the columns that way and eventually found the message board and signed up within a day. I obviously have gotten a lot out of the place with the slight “never meet your heroes” downside. I hope that I have given back at least some of what I have gained.