Remember the good old days, before internet? No? I do, but it seems like ancient history now. Here are some of the oldies but goodies from my personal internet past. How many of these experiences do we share?
1. Dial up. Ugh. It was so slow, and it tied up the telephone line. Some people even went so far as to put in a second telephone line. Imagine.
2. Prodigy Online Service. I was never an AOL girl. I got my start on Prodigy and liked it just fine. I participated in a bunch of online quilting swaps through Prodigy, and really enjoyed connecting with quilters across the country.
3. Parent Soup. I loved this online community when my son was a baby. I participated in the mom’s group for the month and year of his birth and really got to know many of the other moms and their babies. We created a cookbook together, we celebrated milestones together, and one of the girls even sent me flowers in the hospital when I had surgery.
4. Geocities. They hosted all sorts of cheesy webpages. Our baby webpages from the Parent Soup mom’s group were hosted by Geocities, and by golly they were adorable.
5. Yahoo Message Boards. My scrapbook buddies and I were part of a group that used a Yahoo Message Board, and it worked really well for us. In addition to all the conversation threads, there was a chat feature, which we used for a formal chat session once a week, and informally all the time. It was so cool to chat with friends in New Zealand!
Today’s technology makes these formally cutting edge services seem antiquated, or at the very least, quaint. I wonder what’s around the corner to make today’s internet seem like it’s from the dark ages. Whatever it is, I’m sure there will be a place for me.
BulgingButtons 
August 7, 2014 at 12:19 am
I remember the time, it was practically too. You could visit the bathroom or you could clean out your dishwasher while waiting for a connection :o) I always was happy like a pig in the mud when I got 10 hours for free from aol for taking a survey :o)
August 7, 2014 at 12:22 am
I used to pick up those free hour disks at the bookstore. What a pain in the neck the whole process was, but it was fascinating and new too. Thanks for the comment.
August 7, 2014 at 6:17 am
There are still many people who still have to deal with dial up connection. It can be frustrating waiting to be connected.
August 7, 2014 at 4:05 pm
And many more people who have no internet at all. I am so lucky. 🙂 Sorry you have to be so patient in your part of the world.
August 8, 2014 at 3:29 pm
Seems like forever ago now, we take an annual family camping trip where there is no, electricity, no cell service and no flush toilets – I absolutely love it! And am very amused when we make our one trek into civilization when everyone realized they have cell service and all you see are the tops of the young ones heads.
August 8, 2014 at 6:24 pm
I think I could get on board with that trip if it included some decent restroom provisions. I’m really attached to the idea of modern (or even semi-modern) plumbing. Thanks for the comment, Sarah.