The other day a friend and I were talking about how all high school and college kids these days seem to own cell phones, and how we didn't have cell phones in college. I got my first cell phone when I was about 25, I think. Well, that's not entirely true, because my dad had one of those first gigantic cellular phones that came in its own suitcase, and had a big old magnetic antenna that you had to affix to the outside of your car in order to get a signal. You know, like Gordon Gecko's, here, but my dad's even had a CORD.
Nowadays I always have my phone on me, and if I forget it or can't find it I panic a little bit. And I'm not as bad as a lot of my friends! I actually turn mine off around dinner time and don't turn it back on till the next day. GASP! I even occasionally let my battery run out! Wild old Bev, that's me!
Now, back to the interwebs. When did you first get involved? What were your early experiences with the world wide web? Here's mine:
In college I worked at the medical library. I started in Circulation and then got moved into a dark little room in the basement with a foursome of pretty cool women who worked in Periodicals and Inter-library Loan. My job was pretty easy; I opened the medical journals that were mailed to the library, checked them in on a computer database, put the magnetic tattletape strips in, and shelved them. I also had to reshelve all of the big hardcover medical journals a few times a week, which I kind of enjoyed because I'm a nerd and I like alphabetizing things. (blush)
Then, one summer, they gave me my very own cubicle with a computer, and it was like the heavens opened up and a chorus of angels started singing. I was hooked up to UVM's little network, and I quickly discovered the wonders of email (my first email address: blinzer@moose.uvm.edu - I still remember it!). Then, I found newsgroups. Ooooh, baby, did I like newsgroups. Basically, this was before Windows and other operating systems, so it pretty much looked like DOS - just text on a screen. But, newsgroups were the precursor of today's message boards/online forums, and I WAS HOOKED.
My favorite was called alt-angst, and it was full of mopey depressorinos and emo college kids like myself. I didn't post much, but I read and read and read in my little cubicle, letting my hands do their work with the periodicals as if I was on auto-pilot.I made my first e-buddies and got my first e-admirer, a guy named Graham who was in England and thought I was neat. We even exchanged pictures and he called me a few times, but I admit that I blew him off after a while. Poor guy - hopefully he had better luck once eHarmony etc. came to be. ;-)
Anywho, I was hooked on the internet. I think this was 1994 or '95. Eventually I got a home computer that looked a little something like this ------>By the time the millennium rolled around, I was thoroughly ensconced online. In the last 9 years I've made excellent friends from all around the country and world. I've been a member of one particular private message board for the last 7 years, and I consider those people honest to goodness friends of mine. We've even had a couple of gatherings; one in DC in 2004:
and another that I organized in Boston in 2006:
These days, you all know I'm a certifiable crackhead. I spend pretty much all day online thanks to my ridiculously dull job and lenient boss, and discovering blogging has granted me a creative outlet that had previously eluded me. I've avoided getting mobile web on my phone until now, but I'm actually eyeballing the Blackberry as we speak; it's just a matter of time.
So, speak - please tell me how you got where you are. What year did you get involved? What were your first experiences with the internet? Inquiring minds want to know!