Who was your DU creator god?

[jobycom]

(This is a spinoff of DeposeTheBoyKing's thread).

Who introduced you to DU? What's your story?

For me, it was El_Gato, whom I haven't seen around in a while. He and I were helping spread fliers in Austin to promote Rolling Thunder, back in late 2001- early 2002. I had been on DU earlier than that, but hadn't been impressed. It was still very new.

He talked about DU while we imbibed at Cafe Mundi, and I checked it out again shortly after that. By then there were enough members that it was interesting, but not so many that you didn't recognize most of the posters. My first battles were with the Greens and Michael Moore supporters, but after a short while I realized I didn't want to fight with other liberals. So in the middle of a thread, I posted an angry rant that I was sick of fighting with people I agreed with on 95% of the issues, and from then on I would only attack conservatives. Will Pitt read the post and pulled it out into a thread of its own. (He wasn't quite the celebrity yet as he is now, but he was starting to get there, so it was flattering). Anyway, I've loved the place since then. I still remember fondly the first people who welcomed me, and even have fond memories of a couple I fought furiously with. I see a few of them around still.

Here's the place to post your story and spell out a bit of DU history.

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. Google. I was searching for Dem message boards so that I could find

progressives from other parties who wanted to band together to fight the BFEE.

[ghostsofgiants]

2. BuzzFlash

I stumbled up the link to the Top Ten Conservative Idiots on BuzzFlash, then eventually joined the message board. Now, here I am.

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

8. That's my story, too!

And I'm sticking to it!

[trof]

25. same here

[quiet.american]

29. Me, three. n/t

[SlavesandBulldozers]

37. me 4

i stumbled across the top 10 the week the Rush drug case broke. It was love at first sight.

[Goldmund]

3. Actually, it was the freepers

[WeRQ4U]

4. Like I said, the people on Jeepsunlimited.com said DUers were crazy

So I thought I would check them out. I haven't gone back to JU since.

[Hav]

5. Found the link on Bartcop.com ;)

First things that attracted me to this site were the Top 10 Conservative Idiots and Bob Boudelang, of course .

[Shoeempress]

6. Found it through the Top 10, which I have been printing out and sending

to a friend who voted for Nader in 2000 since sometime in 2002, when he finally fessed up. (Still do, although he is firmly in the Dem camp by now) Never entered the discussion forums till the day I signed up to volunteer for Kerry's campaign.

[progmom]

7. 1gobluedem

She kept sending me links to stories here before the election.

On the day after the election, in my despair, I finally wandered over here.

I haven't been the same since.

Thanks 1gobluedem!!

[brainshrub]

9. Will Pitt.

I heard him speak in Boone, NC almost two years ago.

[Dora]

10. I think it was the Top 10.

I used to link to DU from Buzzflash. Finally one day I realized I spent more time reading DU than Buzzflash, so I joined.

A kind DUer bought my star during a drive.

I don't read buzzflash anymore. I always found their layout difficult to navigate.

[meegbear]

11. Top Ten for me too ...

was googling something political and it came up. Stayed ever since.

[jobycom]

21. Had the same issue with Buzzflash

I like their collection of stories, but the layout makes it hard to find which are most current.

[Cyndee_Lou_Who]

12. My mom

She's been a DUer since '01. Both of my wonderful 'rents are fine liberals. Mom often quotes DU, prints articles, passes along jokes, etc... I lurked for a lot of months before I started posting. Just before elections last year, I registered.

Mom!!

My dad, although registered, does not post. He prefers the head-to-head challanges of Yahoo chat. ( Dad, too)

[Crazy Guggenheim]

13. I am my own creator. I found it on my own.

[jobycom]

18. LOL! You're such an original, that doesn't surprise me! nt.

[Crazy Guggenheim]

19. You must know of my greatness.

[jobycom]

39. Must I?

I'll thank you to keep that greatness covered.

[Crazy Guggenheim]

44. Well!

[Trigger Hippie]

14. My good pals, darkstar and jfxgills.

They have been on DU off and on for years. I'd lurk here and there and finally signed up recently.

[caty]

15. I was stumbling around

in the dark one night and just fell on top of it.

[Left_Winger]

16. I found about the DU on Bartcop's website

[intheflow]

17. Common Dreams' "Which Are The Most Popular Progressive Websites?"

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0630-20.htm

I clicked on DU at random, and was hooked immediately. I've never even tried the other ones, unless I had already known about them or have been referred to them from DU.

I'm addicted to DU!!!!!

[TheMightyFavog]

20. Fark

Fark occasionaly greenlights links to the Idiots list, and that's how I found DU.

[Blue-Jay]

22. Also Fark.

I was in the middle of a patented Fark flamewar and somebody recommended DU to me in an email. I never did get around to finding out who it was (on DU), however.

[brainshrub]

32. Last week someone linked to my site from fark.

I got over 5000 unique visitors within 48 hours.

I knew that it was only a temporary boost, but it fun to pretend that I had a site almost as popular as DU.

Even though the fark traffic is gone, I've noticed an increase in overall traffic and my forums have sprung to life.

God bless fark.

[sniffa]

23. hated.com

i saw the banner for DU there - "top 10 conservative idiots"
and i started coming here to read that.
eventuaLLy i found the hate maiL bag.
then i eventuaLLy saw there was a message board.
then i Lurked.
then i joined.

[hfojvt]

33. same here

I think someone mentioned hated.com on a NYTimes forum where we were discussing Krugman's columns. Either that or a Yahoo discussion board.

[lazarus]

43. Heh

I thought I prompted you to finally do it? Through my blog, etc.

[JimmyJazz]

24. It was Hate Mail Bag - so I suppose that means it was Elad.

[Blue-Jay]

26. EarlG answers the hate mail.

All hail EarlG!

[JimmyJazz]

27. Ah - then ALL HAIL EarlG.

Love,

Blue-Jay

[peacebuzzard]

28. Right after I bought my 1st laptop for job training post 9/11

I was trying to self-educate on several topics and needed certain software and the internet. The economy was going down fast and I wanted to learn some digital communication skills, in case of a forced career change. I was still very despondent over the 2000 election and googled for Democratic Boards to see if I could find other souls as disappointed as I was.

[Hugin]

30. I was born alone and by golly I'll die alone!

Nobody listens to me anyway.

[jobycom]

38. True.

Wait, if I responded, I must have listened to you... Ow, my head hurts.

[Bucky]

31. Smirking Chimp.com

For some reason my profile says I became a member in 2002. I joined in early 2001, maybe late 2000, but before the inauguration either way.

[dbt]

34. Bartcop. Goddess Bless his pointed little Okie

head!

[VelmaD]

35. Saw the banner at the 2001 inauguration

Checked out the site. Lurked for a while. Finally got mad enough to post in the spring of 2001. I even remember the thread. Will started it...just a link about the McVeigh execution. I got into a spat with Crewleader but we made up a couple of posts later and I was on my way.

[Joey Liberal]

36. Stand and Fight got me hooked on DU

[Whoa_Nelly]

40. It was my little sister

Unfortunately, she's chosen to write me out of her life over the last three years...something she's done to other family members as well. But, I look for her posts here on DU and read them.

If you're reading this, Sis, tell KT still love her.

[KitchenWitch]

41. Right before the election I was on IRC in a Kerry room

I forget the dude's name, but he was really annoying. He was complaining about being banned from DU, even though he is a liberal...must have broken some rules. Anyway, I thought I had better check DU out!

[Merrick]

42. Google