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by JustSomeNobody 2679 days ago
It seems everyone back then on BBS's were enthusiasts. We all had at least that in common. I remember groups of us would all gather on some random night of the week for drinks just to kind of put a face to the handle. It was great. And after we'd hurry and dial back in to see who else just dialed in.

Social networks today just leave you feeling gross.
2 comments
black-tea 2679 days ago
Why don't we just use them then? Only enthusiasts would use them now, as they did back then.
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bluedino 2679 days ago
I can remember that. A group of us who go to whoever's house had just gotten a new game, piece of hardware, etc

When we left we'd always say "see you on the roadhouse!", which was a multi-line board that we'd all dial into when we got home

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geoelectric 2679 days ago
Those multi-line chat boards were a total vice of mine late 80s, early 90s. That grew into a GEnie flat-fee chat account, which grew into AOL/IM (while maintaining a proper shell account on the side, mind you). Then there was IRC, forumnet/icb, etc., anything I could hit with a modem. I wasn't digital-native, but I was digital-to-analog-to-digital-native.

Nowadays, 47 and crustier, I can hardly be arsed to answer a Facebook message, and all the avenues for social connection have become kind of overwhelming. I can't imagine how it is for people my age or older who picked this all up late.

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