Eight Months on the Guide
Created | Updated Jun 20, 2003
As I checked my 'Top ten' forums today, one that I had not seen for almost eight months was in my list. This started me thinking about my time on the guide.
Some time in May 1999, an email showed up in my box telling me about this new web site called, of all things, h2g2.com. I loved the HHGTTG books, so I went to the site and looked about. I registered for a user account and then tried to search out some articles. A month or so went by and I noticed the original email in my box again, so I returned to the Guide. I saw this link that said 'My Home'. Wow I have a home page? Cool! I thought. I went to the page and saw that it was bare. I threw something up that I thought was funny and 'Guide-esque', and then looked closer at what I could do. Right off I found the option to write a journal entry and I decided to put something up there. Then I made a user page that included nothing more than some links to my favorite web pages. And then I found the forums!
The first forum I ever posted to was called 'ESP and all that'. I forget which actual article it was about, but it opened up a whole new 'World' for me. Gradually I started to post to all kinds of forums on just about any topic. I wrote a new entry or two. I integrated myself into the community a little. Then I found Beer! The Beer forum has literally changed my life. I started to do more than just post my thoughts; I began communicating bi-directionally with others, leading to my participating in full dialogues. I experienced topic drift (and still do), as only h2g2 knows.
One of the people that I posted frequently with started a new forum just for our sub conversation. This led to even more topic drift and I met more people. I started to visit more users homepages. Then I began to check where my new online friends were posting. This led me to 'Frink's Drinks' and my joining the 'Rambling Misfits'. In the bar there I met even more people and had the good fortune to meet our beloved Editor for the Post.(:-)... ed.)
As I became more entrenched in the guide culture, I decided to start my own organisation. Thus the 'Church of the True Brownie' was born. With a little help from my friends (now where have I heard that before!... ed.) we managed to keep 'The Church' on the five busiest forums list for over a week. Membership now numbers over fifty and I still get new members every once in a while. I am even a member of yet another church that is modelled after my own; the 'Church of the True Weevil', Nick O' Teen presiding.
Some of my very best friends live all over the world; England, Holland, New Zealand, Australia and California to name a few. I post to the guide every day, and I try to maintain all of my forum entries. I recently counted up my posts and saw that I have made over 1000 posts and have posted to over 175 different conversations. In the months to come I see myself making more and more posts as I have net access all day long, whereas before I could only post from home.
If I haven't been to your page yet, I hope to see it soon! If I have
already been there, I hope to visit again!
Marv the Grate... Archbishop CotTB.
