I started using forums as a means to trade Yu-Gi-Oh cards. I'm still using them two decades later, but more for the webmaster, coding, and discussion aspect.

After a while, I started trying to fill others' requests and eventually (sort of) made a name for myself.

Indeed you did, I think you contributed enough to become a known network coder.

 

I'll always be grateful to WWX for iFusion and the community that came together around it. Those were good times.

I remember visiting the forums several times but I don't recall engaging much. I suppose I was too attached to the official boards and my board where most of my contributions were made. I remember WWX created an automated code index and I created a manual code index of all the codes and skins found on the InvisionFree Support board. Many people contributing to the network is one of the reasons it turned out so good. There were resource forums and promotion forums left and right.

Frankly speaking I joined forums while searching for online earning opportunities. I have got very good information from many forums.

I had an interest in visual basic programming as a hobby. I created a site to share the programs I made. I hacked up a Frontpage extension guestbook script to use as a forum. I was getting tons of email asking how to use what I was giving away. That morphed into my interest in forums.

 

I have always been amazed at how people engage on forums and the amount of information you can obtain. There was a time when forums were the place to go if you had a problem to solve. They still are. Just not to the level they used to be.

if you had a problem to solve. They still are. Just not to the level they used to be.

Interesting to note that Stack Overflow has had a substantial drop the last couple of years. It was already in decline before that but the last couple of years (since ChatGPT) have been more substantial.

 

I wonder if the pendulum is about to swing back the other way (or, more accurately, how long it's going to take for the pendulum to swing back the other way, when people want to start reclaiming things)

I was first introduced to forums when I started gaming a long time ago, a lot of groups and clans had websites/forums to join/engage with other players, so I started joining those, which led me to start my own forums