Quote:
Originally Posted by pyoro-pyoro  Back then people were straight up rude, so I left because of that and just simply forgotten about the site. All of sudden I've decided to come back for some reason. and so on and so forth. |
Well, that was one of the reasons why it made it special. Every forum and message board has elitists and people who treat others, literally as "n00bs." However, this one (this being archaic AO) just seemed to do it right. Although people were very elitist, it seemed as if everyone got along with each other, disregarding the newer members. On top of that, the mood that the website emanated was one of a passive, enjoyable kind, yet strict about its guidlines. There was a lot of fooling around in the midst of not being able to fool around due to the highly-kept rules and some belligerent, yet friendly mods.
I remember when I first joined in like 2002 or 2003, I broke one of the rules right away. Tsurara was the mod who corrected me, and I remember getting mad at her for being rude. Now I know Tsurara was just being Tsurara, and it wasn't a big deal.
Then I remember going in and asking for a "Chat" on the website only to be shot down viciously because every two months a n00b comes along and asked for one. I remember Len was the one who initially replied my request of a chatroom and I got mad at him too. Lol, I thought Len was being an "asshole" and even talked to a staff member about. The funny thing about that was it was my first time seeing Len on the forums, and I hadn't known that he says "Grumble Grumble Grumble" before his regular posting every single time. At the time, I figured he said it because I asked for a chatroom, and figured he was being a jerk. Funny stuff. I was so young, stupid, and hot-headed. It's interesting to look back on it all and to know that Len is one of my favorite guys here. Len, do you remember that all? I bet you probably don't.
Well, due to my failures as a poster (though I spammed my way up to 600 posts), I decided to spend time in the Journal section. Now, while the forums were doing great on their own, the Journal section was a whole new ballgame. I met some of the "greats" there. Guys like Trowble, Raven Omega, Ramen, Wobbuffetking, Skillzpay, White_Shadow, Mei and Moon, and etc... It turned out to be that for awhile, the journals was the only thing I came to when I logged on AO. They were interesting, amazingly active, and it provided a way to escape the rigidness you'd find on the forums. People there did all sorts of crazy shit. Feuds, pictures, random stuff all the time.
One thing was true back in that AO... It was a hell of alot harder to befriend anyone, especially if you were a younger person. Guys like Tychoides, Zui, and others just didn't put up with any type of n00biness or annoyance. I had to get known through the journals, and that took time. By the time I was gradually accepted into the mainstream, guess what? The damn site went down for good. I was thankfully invited to a quick-fix where I spent time with the vets and soon the AO that you see now was put up.
While it's true that the old AO was rude, elitist, rigid, and while that all may seem like a turn-off... And maybe I'm biased for originating there at that time, but that old AO had such a distinct aura that made it what it was, and nothing could ever replace the good times that it brought to all sorts of members. Cause hell, despite being hard on new guys, it did show respect to those who came in and actually contributed, and for the most part, everyone there were extremely close to each other. It was a real "community" in the sense of the word.
Basically, you were not only accepted, but praised if you could simply come in, follow the rules, type with some basic grammar and intelligence, and had the right attitude of approaching things. Though many failed, like myself, it was just simply a good way to raise your members, and second-chances were given too.