Syracusefan.com history

[rrlbees]

The Prodigy board preceded the AOL board.

Correct. This community started at Prodigy and then grew each step of the way which took it from Prodigy to AOL to an independent site (I think Millhouse found the independent place to post) then syracuse.com then Orangenation (maybe those 2 are reversed) then Fishy asked a few of us like Jake, Mason, myself and others if we wanted to move the community to another independent site which we did, then it was rivals, then scout then here.

 

[orange79]

You are ALL WRONG. Syracusefan.com was started AS syracusefan.com. It had NO lineal ancestors. They were other Syracuse boards, but they were not related. We started this one as a greenfield site. First, it was an independent site. Then it alligned with Rivals. Then it joined Scout. And then it became independent again last August. Fishy and I kept submitting domaine names in late 1999 until we got one we could use ... syracusefan.com. The only three people around at the beginning of this site were Fishy, Temery and me. PERIOD.

But I think www.syracusefan.com directed you to Mason's orangenation.com site, no?

 

[rrlbees]

You are ALL WRONG. Syracusefan.com was started AS syracusefan.com. It had NO lineal ancestors. They were other Syracuse boards, but they were not related. We started this one as a greenfield site. First, it was an independent site. Then it alligned with Rivals. Then it joined Scout. And then it became independent again last August. Fishy and I kept submitting domaine names in late 1999 until we got one we could use ... syracusefan.com. The only three people around at the beginning of this site were Fishy, Temery and me. PERIOD.

That's how the names came along, but the community, forum or whatever we call it has been pretty much the same since the early 90's. We, or at least me, knows that Fishy came up with the domain name, but most people are talking about the history of the "board" not the "name".

 

[rrlbees]

But I think www.syracusefan.com directed you to Mason's orangenation.com site, no?

It did for awhile.

 

[rrlbees]

Wasn't the AOL board an ancestor of this site? I was amazed to have found a community dedicated to SU sports back in 1994. Eventually I dropped my out of town subscription to the Post Standard. Too bad for the paper industry (my major at ESF).

Do you remember Tomcat's "newsletter"?

 

[orange79]

Do you remember Tomcat's "newsletter"?

Yes - I also remember Potent Quotables.

 

[A Clockwork Orange]

Correct. This community started at Prodigy and then grew each step of the way which took it from Prodigy to AOL to an independent site (I think Millhouse found the independent place to post) then syracuse.com then Orangenation (maybe those 2 are reversed) then Fishy asked a few of us like Jake, Mason, myself and others if we wanted to move the community to another independent site which we did, then it was rivals, then scout then here.

I actually remember the original syracusefan domain name in 2000 preceding Mason's Orange Nation. Orange Nation existed separately from that board as I recall. I do remember that board sprouted from syracuse.com posters taking over the Boneyard in the week preceding the UConn game in 2000 when SU thumped them in the dome.

Shortly thereafter with the help of Boneyard posters (temery and Fishy) and with the help of CTO the original syracusefan.com started.

 

[sutomcat]

We started as a basketball only forum (in January 2000). Later that year, we added football at the request of Tomcat who promised to help make a real board out of it. The basketball board has ALWAYS had more posts than the football board (running totals)... as we moved from hosting site to hosting site. However, we moved to THIS site in late August 2011 -- right before the start of football season -- and the number counts restarted from zero. During the fall, there were way more football posts than basketball posts, but it was just a matter of time until the basketball posts took back the lead. (Also, if you count the posts of the "Fine Mess" board as basketball posts, basketball has long since passed football in number of posts on this hosting site).

I agree with all of this. There were different groups doing different things before this board started...we had AOL, we had my site, there were some people wallowing in poo at the syracuse.com forums, etc. This site was the place were we all came together fully united for the first time.

Football is king for many schools but it has never been for our virtual community. It has been getting steadily closer between the boards in terms of traffic. I don't really care which gets the most posts...just hope both continue their strong growth indefinitely.

Something else I find interesting is that we have just about double the posts on our football and basketball boards than the Boneyard does. We were a lot smaller than the Boneyard for years. Not sure when that changed but it is a nice accomplishment. Well done Syracusefan.com folks! You come through here almost like you come through for basketball games home and away.

 

[rrlbees]

I agree with all of this. There were different groups doing different things before this board started...we had AOL, we had my site, there were some people wallowing in poo at the syracuse.com forums, etc. This site was the place were we all came together fully united for the first time.

You're getting old. None of those sites were really simultaneous but were at different times for a good number of posters. There are still at least 4 other forums besides here also but I look at this as the "main" forum like Prodigy was the main forum, AOL, your site, other independent sites, rivals, scout etc. We just all moved from one to another and grew as we moved.

 

[rrlbees]

I actually remember the original syracusefan domain name in 2000 preceding Mason's Orange Nation. Orange Nation existed separately from that board as I recall. I do remember that board sprouted from syracuse.com posters taking over the Boneyard in the week preceding the UConn game in 2000 when SU thumped them in the dome.

Shortly thereafter with the help of Boneyard posters (temery and Fishy) and with the help of CTO the original syracusefan.com started.

SU taking over the boneyard was probably the reason they wanted a separate SU board. At one time orangenation was separate. If I remember right, Mason used it as a recruiting info site with stories.

 

[sutomcat]

You're getting old. None of those sites were really simultaneous but were at different times for a good number of posters. There are still at least 4 other forums besides here also but I look at this as the "main" forum like Prodigy was the main forum, AOL, your site, other independent sites, rivals, scout etc. We just all moved from one to another and grew as we moved.

As has been discussed many times, Syracuse fans not leaving the Boneyard was the reason Tom and Fish decided to create a board for Syracuse fans.

I don't you understood my original post. I didn't say all the different places content existed for Syracuse sports all existed at the same time. I said this board was the first time it all came together for the first time. Though as you say, there were and remain other message boards for SU sports, though none are remotely as popular as this one.

 

[rrlbees]

As has been discussed many times, Syracuse fans not leaving the Boneyard was the reason Tom and Fish decided to create a board for Syracuse fans.

I don't you understood my original post. I didn't say all the different places content existed for Syracuse sports all existed at the same time. I said this board was the first time it all came together for the first time. Though as you say, there were and remain other message boards for SU sports, though none are remotely as popular as this one.

I know we infested the boneyard as I said in another post. Guess I don't understand the all coming together part. As this is the most popular, there were many predecessors which at their time were the most popular. Each move we have grown, but when I look at the large "core" (for lack of a better word) of posters we have always been in the same place at the same time.

BTW, I know you're not a Yankee fan, but are you at least a Giants fan?