Skinner: Why not repost your "Seven Days Underground"

[hlthe2b]

In honor of the 10th anniversary, would you repost your summary of the first week of DU. I thought I had the old archive link bookmarked but can't find it. So many DUers have probably never read your summary of how DU came to be.

If you have a screen capture of your Banner that MSNBC captured on tv on Inauguration Day, 20001, I'm sure everyone here would love to see it too! Please? ;)


On edit, with a big hat tip to NYC Liberal, here are links to each part (each day of the first week of DU's existence)
Day 1: http://www.democraticunderground.com/articles/01/01/010127_7days.html
Days 2-3: http://www.democraticunderground.com/articles/01/01/010127_7days_2.html
Days 4-5: http://www.democraticunderground.com/articles/01/01/010127_7days_3.html
Days 6-7: http://www.democraticunderground.com/articles/01/01/010127_7days_4.html

[Canuckistanian]

1. Seconded

That was a great post.

[DearAbby]

2. here here

[NYC Liberal]

3. Here you go:

Day 1: http://www.democraticunderground.com/articles/01/01/010127_7days.html
Days 2-3: http://www.democraticunderground.com/articles/01/01/010127_7days_2.html
Days 4-5: http://www.democraticunderground.com/articles/01/01/010127_7days_3.html
Days 6-7: http://www.democraticunderground.com/articles/01/01/010127_7days_4.html

[hlthe2b]

4. Terrific, NYC Liberal... Now we just need Skinner's banner pics

;)

[prairierose]

5. Thanks, it has been a few years since I read that...n/t

[liberal N proud]

6. I don't think I had ever seen this.

[greatauntoftriplets]

7. Bookmarked this!

Thanks to you and NYC Liberal.

:hi:

[Catherina]

8. I'm dying of laughter over here.

Seven Days Underground

Democratic Underground had its official launch on Inauguration Day, January 20, 2001. Much has happened since then. To mark the passing of our first week, we felt that our faithful visitors might like to read a SLIGHTLY EMBELLISHED first-person account of the highs and lows of launching an underground political website. by Skinner

DAY 1 (SAT) - A GIFT FROM MSNBC

On Friday night, we were up until about 3:00am getting ready for the website's big Inaugural Day Launch. We were hoping to be in bed by midnight, but our intern — a young radical from one of the local community colleges — spilled paint all over our banner at around 11:30, and we had to start from scratch. EarlG thought the intern was trying to sniff the stuff, and I wouldn't be surprised if it were true (he kept mumbling something about how "acrylic lasts longer than this latex crap", but we weren't clear on the context). The rest of us are too old for that sort of thing, but we'll keep him around because he is the only one here that knows anything about programming perl. (Fortunately, he got the "Nuclear Button" script working by 10:00pm, before the can of paint arrived.)

On Saturday, we met at our makeshift "office" in Northwest DC sometime around 11:00am. We were supposed to meet at 9:30, but the intern overslept. He showed up with his own homemade "George W. Ass" sign, but we wouldn't let him bring it to the protests — Newshound thought it was "off message."

...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/articles/01/01/010127_7days.html

And I've only read those first few sentence. Thank you for this thread hlthe2b! This is great stuff! rec'd

[hlthe2b]

10. certainly... It is truly as entertaining as I remembered, if not more

poignant. ;)

[Catherina]

11. I'm reading the hate mailbag now. Still dying of laughter over here!

Still Fat

From: <no name specified>
Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2001 00:33:14 -0500
To: [email protected]
Subject: yourabunchofcrap

Hey lets make references to Rush's weight problem even after he lost over 100 lb????? Can we say INFORMED????

DU RESPONDS: 700 lbs. - 100 lbs. = still fat.

San Diego Death Threat

From: DemKilla
Date: Sun, 21 Jan 2001 17:21:22 -0500
To: [email protected]
Subject: <No subject>

Come down to San Diego and protest. Hold your sign high so i can see you.

DU RESPONDS: We'll let you know when we're in San Diego. We just need an email address so we can get in touch with you. Please send it to: [email protected].

He Knows Where We Live

From: <no name specified>
Date: Thu, 1 Feb 2001 13:51:02 -0500
To: [email protected]
Subject: Fuck Off

Democratic Underground is a apt name for you morons, as you obviously live under a rock.

DU RESPONDS: It's true, we do live under a rock. Unfortunately for you, we've got a bitchin' T-1 connection down here, and we're in a very, very bad mood.

I'm so grateful you dug this up. What a time you must have had!

[hlthe2b]

12. Hate Mail bag... I've been following through those links too...

I must have gotten busier about mid-year, 2001 or so, as I don't recall reading some of them. They really are something and the responses are an incredible "hoot!"

[Lugnut]

17. Omigod!

The Hate Mailbag was always a hoot. That's one feature I've really missed.

[SharonRB]

9. Too funny!

I had never seen this. What a beginning!

[Kurovski]

13. K&R&bookmarked. (nt)

[Odin2005]

14. That was a fun read.

[frogmarch]

15. Wow! What a trip!

And what dedication on the part of DU's founding fathers!

I salute you. :patriot:

Thank you for not caving in!

[PufPuf23]

16. This history is heart-warming

and an indication of maturity and changes in politics in the past difficult decade.

Thanks for the post.

[TBF]

18. Too funny! nt

[Control-Z]

19. Wonderful!!

Thanks you for posting. I had no idea how DU started. Skinner and EarlG (and that intern) obviously had some terrific insights into making a web presence. And, damn, it sounds like they had fun. Now, just one question:

Would that intern be Elad?

"EarlG thought the intern was trying to sniff the stuff, and I wouldn't be surprised if it were true (he kept mumbling something about how "acrylic lasts longer than this latex crap", but we weren't clear on the context)."

Whether he is or not, now I really need to have more back story on him/them.