Sticking with a site, e.g., this one

[Naira]

I have been a member here since 2002. That is a long time. During those 12 years I have been generally visiting the board every day. There have been times I was very active and times I was hardly posting anything but - in any case - I clicked my bookmark every day. Thinking back, I don't remember any site keeping my interest for such a long time.

During the first years, I was visiting mainly for many people I considered "internet-friends". Now, I know considerably less people and I think I visit mainly because it is a habbit (not that I do not enjoy the site). Also, at first, I used to stick to the Trek fora, Misc and the Lounge. Then, Misc only. Now, I'd say mainly the two TV fora and a bit of Misc.

So, do you have sites you have been visiting for years? Do you visit because of the content or the people? Have you also changed the way you participate (similarly to me preferring different forums of this board)?

 

[MacLeod]

Well this is certainly one of the sites I've visited for the longest. But i o sometimes find myself revisiting sites that i used to visit.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

I first came here to discuss Enterprise, but apart from ST09 and STID for a while, I rarely visit the Trek-themed forums any more, preferring to stick to TNZ, Misc. GTV&M and SF&F.

I admin'd a forum (well, technically, I'm still an admin there, though I rarely visit) called the Subspace Comms Network that was my main hangout before this one, but when Enterprise ended the discussion dwindled with the exception of a bump for ST09 when my fellow admin kind of lost it over the movie.

 

[Ashu]

This is the only one I've consistently come back to. I take the occasional hiatus but always manage to come back to. Or at least do a routine log in

 

[Smellincoffee]

The forum or website I've been visiting most is the Civilization Fanatics Forums. I've been a member there since 2003, and like here read there daily even if I don't post a lot. It helps that it has a global audience with a lot of different viewpoints, and the people there discuss issues of interest to me -- history, economics, politics, and philosophy. I started there when I bought Civilization III back in the day.

TrekBBS I think I found after watching Trekkies and wanting to connect to other Trek fans. I was envious. What's kept me around the longest is actually the caption contests. There was a point when we had them going for every show, both movie forums, AND the TrekLit forum (somehow). I didn't realize I've been here since 2005; I'm coming up on ten years!

 

[Mary Ann]

I was part of the admin team (a List Elf to use the proper term) on the Harry Potter for Grownups Yahoo group for several years. It used to be one of the largest non-porn groups on Yahoo when I first joined in 2001, but after the last book was discussed and analysed the group, while still in existence, is pretty much not active any more. It's a shame, because the discussions could be lively and educational, not to mention fun. However when everything that could be discussed has been discussed multiple times things fizzle out. There was a separate group for off-topic chatter, which I also enjoyed, but that has also been pretty much inactive for several years now. However I made several good friends in that group and we still keep in touch and visit each other whenever possible.

I joined this board just over four years ago and it's the only board I currently frequent. I spend too much time on the computer as it is, and don't need more temptation.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

This is the site I've been on the longest--lurker since 1999, member since 2002.

There's another site I started on even before that (late 1997), but it's been defunct for some years now.

There is yet another site I started on roughly the same time as TrekBBS, but it's also gone away.

There was another forum, too--joined up in 1999 and it died a couple years later.

I'd probably be active on all of them today if they were still around, but what can you do?

 

[Naira]

It used to be one of the largest non-porn groups on Yahoo when I first joined in 2001[...]

I just loved this description!

 

[Random_Spock]

Been a member since 09' here, but for the longest I've been a member... it would have to be a tie between Nintendo's old forums... it'll 10 years this year, and a Harry Potter fan site... it'll be 9 years this year there.

It'll be 5 years on here... boy does time fly .

 

[Mary Ann]

It used to be one of the largest non-porn groups on Yahoo when I first joined in 2001[...]

I just loved this description!

And it's an honest description. We always made sure to make that distinction. I miss that group. It was great fun while it lasted.

 

[WillsBabe]

This is the longest I've been on any forum or site. I've been a member since 2002 and I pop in most days. My interest waxes and wanes depending a lot on other posters. I go through phases where I find the board more interesting than others. I'm having a bit of a resurgence in Trek at the moment because I've just discovered Voyager. Other than that, I haven't really been around the board in an active capacity for years, probably since the end of Tennant's days as Dr Who, mainly because I didn't really get on with the new stories after he left and I missed a couple of posters from that forum, too, mainly The.

 

[tomalak301]

In terms of forums, I have stuck with this one and a hockey forum for a long time. In terms of overall, I'm a sports fan so the Yahoo sports pages are ones I go to every day, much more than ESPN's.

 

[auntiehill]

I think I've been with this site the longest. I was on a couple of writing sites for a few years, back when (WAY back when) Yahoo Groups was actually active and exciting. But I've been here for 8 years and still enjoy it--probably because there's so much in one place---television, movies, misc, lounges, etc. I can get my complete Geek Fix in one place.

 

[daedalus5]

I joined Jan 2001. Long time ago! It was a great place to be when Trek was thriving. It's still fun to read the posts about the new blu rays and some of the discoveries of lost footage and learning new stuff about the show. What keeps me here is modding the gaming site. I gave up on all the board politics years ago when Christian handed modding over to Lisa. I mostly read the threads these days than post. I plan to be the last one standing!

I got into trek bulletin boards first on the Activision website when Armada came out. I was hyperventilating and wanted to talk to others that shared the same passion. At the time none of my mates loves Trek at all. Now my best friend is an avid fan, who I met at a convention. That was thanks to this BBS and doing the Vegas meet ups (although she isn't on this board).

 

[Tora Ziyal]

I belonged to a health-related site for about 13 years. Yes, my involvement changed a few times over the years -- from general participation, to mostly hiding out in one folder, to being a mod for three years, to burning out and quitting.

I also belonged to a Harry Potter board for a while, but never participated much because it was too oriented to kids. Macloudt, too bad I didn't know about your group at the time. Love the term List Elf, btw.

 

[Relayer1]

I was first on the Download Festival Forum, but I don't post on it so often now. I haven't actually been to the festival for a few years and doubt I will go again. Its still a good place to talk about 'heavy' music though.

I love the band Yes and I've actually made friends and met some of them in thermal world from the Yesfans site.

And I'm still regular here, even if I don't have many 'friends'.

That's the only three sites I've ever been a member of, and I don't do any other form of social media...

 

[Mary Ann]

I also belonged to a Harry Potter board for a while, but never participated much because it was too oriented to kids. Macloudt, too bad I didn't know about your group at the time. Love the term List Elf, btw.

Ours was certainly not a group for kids as the literary and character discussions were very deep. Quite a few teachers and professors were regular contributors. I came across it by happy accident. It really is a shame you didn't come across it too, because I think you would have enjoyed it as much as I did.

 

[BillJ]

There are only two message boards I visit with any regularity, this one and Front Office Football Central. I've been a member of both for over a decade.

 

[TheSeeker]

Aside from news sites this is the one site that I consistently visit. I signed up in 2001 after trying to dig up some information on the new Star Trek series in development and I've been here ever since. For most of that time I was TheSeeker. I've only just recently changed my username.

 

[Pondwater]

I belonged to another Trek board since 2003 and now that site has closed. From that site, I joined a passel of other boards including this one. Now I just come here and one other board.

It was the MLB discussion that made me want to stick around. And of course the trek threads.