OKC Talk origins and future

[Eddie1]

I have been a long time lurker and only recent poster, I think this site provides a very interesting perspective on the city.

My question may be best answered by Pete, specifically, but I was curious about the origins of this website; When did it start? How has it evolved over time? What was the first topic discussed? Where do you/we see the future of this website going...

[Pete]

I did not start the site, I believe that happened around 2002.

I began as a poster, became a moderator and then bought it in 2007. Frankly, it was a spur-of-the-moment decision and I paid the original owner a bunch of money for something with only expense and virtually no revenue. But, I wanted to keep it going.

As for the future, I want to continue to build the content which is already pretty staggering. I know most people don't look at a lot of what is already on the site but it's a massive amount of information. The biggest challenge by far is managing all the info as it continues to grow.

I have a longer-term plan which includes a much more robust database and mapping system. Been working on that for a while but to do it properly, it's going to take a big chunk of money.

Also, I've identified other mid-sized cities that are sorely lacking something like this site and I'd like to expand to those markets.

[BG918]

Do you cover the hosting costs with ad revenue?

[Dennis Heaton]

This sure is better than those first start-ups on the old Yahoo Chat...Hackers were all over the place causing all kinds of mischief! Gotta laugh now...I started out with Microsofts WebTV Black Box back in 1997 or 1998.

[Easy180]

Slightly off topic, but Pete would it be tacky for you list all the folks that have been banned over the years? Just think seeing some of the names would bring up some interesting memories.

[Plutonic Panda]

Slightly off topic, but Pete would it be tacky for you list all the folks that have been banned over the years? Just think seeing some of the names would bring up some interesting memories.

That would be interesting. Create a list of the most infamous OKCtalker's

[Dennis Heaton]

I have been wondering whatever happened to possumfritter?

[Pete]

I don't want to list people who have been banned...

We really, really don't like to do that at all and I suspect most those people are perfectly nice in real life, just tend to get far too emotional when discussing things on the 'net.

It's really not a long list considering the amount of traffic.

[Urbanized]

The best moderation on a message board is the quiet, respectful kind. I don't even like much to see threads about moderation/admin stuff because they can often turn into referendum on the topic and even into an us vs. them issue. Pete, I've mentioned it before to you here and in person, but I think you do a remarkable job here of handling that stuff in a way that keeps it from taking on a life of its own.

[Pete]

Thanks for the kind words. Martin does a great job handling the more difficult situations and deserves great credit.

And to be fair, the community here is pretty self-moderating. It helps that almost everyone here really loves OKC, even though we might not always agree on what is best for it.

It helps that a lot of people here know each other in R/L, either before coming here or because of the site.

Everyone I've met in person has been fantastic.

[kevinpate]

FWIW, I can't come up with a list of anything off-hand that would less interesting to me than a list of folks who failed sandbox 101 back in kiddiegarden and never quite got over it.

[Midtowner]

I can't see talk about the past of OKCTalk being positive. Ever since Pete acquired it, he's made some very positive decisions regarding the direction of this site. I appreciate having this resource available. I don't post nearly as much in the real estate development threads as I used to, but I read just about everything. I think Pete could really market this sort of site to other towns' Chambers of Commerce.

[RadicalModerate]

FWIW, I can't come up with a list of anything off-hand that would less interesting to me than a list of folks who failed sandbox 101 back in kiddiegarden and never quite got over it.

Remember that book, "Everything I Didn't Learn, I Didn't Learn in Kindergarten"? The subtitle was: ("and that's what got me banned from OKC Talk"). Historical Note: Within a week of when I discovered this wonderful oasis in Cyberspace (thanks, again, Pete), c/o following a link on Doug Loudenbach's (sp?) Doug Dawg Blog (regarding Springlake Amusement Park), I got a PM from a person asking me if I was serious or if I was kidding about one thing or another that I posted. I was shocked, a couple of days later, to see that that person was exiled to oblivion (not because of contacting me . . . at least I don't think so). Not long after that, I got a friendly warning about something I said. I took the warning to heart and I think it was the last time my manners needed alignment. Although my styling and punctuation still have a long way to go in the direction of perfection.

Thanks, again Pete (and Martin).

p.s.: Thunder . . . Torea . . . Double Edge . . . HWTJ . . . etc. Gone, yet not forgotten. Many hours of pleasurable banter were exchanged with those "nemesises" [nemesia?] of mine . . . and nobody ever really got mad or got hurt. =)

[Plutonic Panda]

I'm just curious what happened to Preudra(I think that was his name?). He was a funny poster I know that much..

[traxx]

Whatever happened to Mr. Anderson?

[Easy180]

Whatever happened to Mr. Anderson?

Ahh the good ole days lol

[Pete]

Mr. Anderson left voluntarily not long after I bought the site.

[Martin]

Whatever happened to Mr. Anderson?

oh man... i have not heard that name in a long time. -M

[Plutonic Panda]

Who was Mr. Anderson?

[PhiAlpha]

Who was Mr. Anderson?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Plutonic Panda]

Lol

[HangryHippo]

Was Mr. Anderson the poster long ago that had the Garfield avatar? If so, that guy was a trip.

[Midtowner]

One and the same. Best treat him like Beatlejuice--don't mention his name in hopes that he'll remain away.

[traxx]

Was Mr. Anderson the poster long ago that had the Garfield avatar? If so, that guy was a trip.

Yeah, that's him. He thought all malls were filled with gangbangers ready to kill any average person who dared shop there.

[Of Sound Mind]

He was very entertaining, though.