"hey you old schoolers - remember BAM! ha."

Oh, yes....

Well. I joined and created my first blog on November 16, 2003, not long after the site opened to the public. I've written hundreds and hundred of articles--I've written "my 100th article blog" three times--though I've deleted most of them for one reason or another. I've had months that I spent eight hours a day on JU, writing articles and commenting. I've had months when I never visited the site. I've decided to leave countless times and been banned once. I've made friends and enemies--and Brad has been in both those categories at one time or another.

I was seventeen when I joined, and I turn 21 in under a week. I learned a lot here. In many ways, JU embodies my peculiar brand of cynicism; it taught me not to be so surprised when the worst in people rises to the surface, and to have faith that the best will not be long in returning.

Dan

I came I blogged.  I kept coming back. 

Create Date: 4/3/2003 9:54:26 AM

I was an early Drengin.net subscriber...That's how I found JoeUser. In 2003 I had just retired from the Navy and was in college. Now I'm a defense contractor teaching network security. Funny I've never posted any articles, never seem to have the time to just write my thoughts down. I do enjoy reading everyone else's though, a post a reply now and then to boot. One day perhaps.

I really doubt it, unless they take away the ability to give points to yourself by commenting on your own articles. The rest is just an innocent flaw and internet latency.



Nope. I do realize that the intent was a jab at me in protection of someone who doesn't need anyone to stand up for them. If you can't run with the big dogs...

I signed up on Dec 24, 2003, and just recently passed the 500 mark for posting random and totally useless articles. My girl was 6 when I started here, and she'll be 10 before my 'joeuser anniversary'.

I've yet to physically meet anyone here, but exchange the occasional letter with some awesome people, and keep in touch via email with other people who have come and gone. I've sent some cards and a few gifts here and there, and are friends on both Myface and Spacebook with others here.

I respect this crazy town, this little home of sorts. It's always good to come back to, regardless of how nutso it gets sometimes. There are certainly some great writers here, and definitely some great people.

I found JU on google in 2005.

I was angry and unhappy and wanted someone to fight with, (little did I know at the time my thyroid stopped working and was really affecting my brain/mood chemistry).

So I wrote under diff usernames back when we could do the username ANON thing.....At first I just wanted to vent and fight, take my anger out on people who weren't "real," real in my life anyway. I wasn't interested in getting to know anyone. In fact, like most blogs I believed it didn't matter because no one ever saw it.

BUT, I got sucked in as soon as I started following regular bloggers. I was interested in their lives, their opinions and ideas. I saw something in JU that the rest of the net didn't offer...conversation with adults...not a bunch of 16 year olds pretending to be adults.

I didn't get any satisfaction being ANON then, and a few days later I was diagnosed and started medication for my thyroid. Once I got my life in order I created an real account on JU and started taking an active interest in the blogs here.

JU is a blessing in my life. It's here at 3am when I can't sleep. It's here when my husband is gone. It's here when I am happy and things are great, and when I feel crappy and things are not so wonderful. It's an outlet for my fiction and people are so gracious even when it sucks hard core...heh.

In my head JU is a cyber town and we are all a community. That is why I wrote the JUDE story. I am part of this place and very thankful to be here.