Popular Post Saru Posted March 2, 2021 Popular Post #1 Share Posted March 2, 2021 This month marks this site's 20th year online - it has been two decades since the domain name "Unexplained-Mysteries.com" was registered and the first official version of UM was uploaded. The original site was primitive, the forum was a simple bulletin board hosted on Bravenet and there were so few visitors that it was possible to keep track using a simple embedded hit counter. This was a time when guestbooks were still a thing, sites joined webrings to gain visitors and the top search engines were Yahoo, Lycos and Alta Vista. Going online usually meant connecting with your 56k modem and loading up Netscape Navigator. Home Page (2001) Over the 20 years that followed we went through numerous iterations and reinventions, eventually moving to a self-hosted forum, starting out with YaBB, then phpBB and finally Invision Board. Forum (2001) Forum Thread (2001) Home Page (2002) Home Page (2003) Home Page (2005) Forum (2005) As always, my sincerest thanks go out to everyone who has ever visited or participated on the site and forum over the last 20 years, as well as to all the moderators that have helped keep the forums running smoothly during that time. Sites like this one are in many ways a relic even now - the emergence and dominance of social media has taken its toll on Internet forums and small, independent news sites in recent years. Despite this though, we are still here, and with your continued support we won't be going anywhere anytime soon. Here's to the next 20 years. 21 16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post onlookerofmayhem Posted March 2, 2021 Popular Post #2 Share Posted March 2, 2021 Congratulations! Cheers to 20 more years! 9 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post +ouija ouija Posted March 2, 2021 Popular Post #3 Share Posted March 2, 2021 Thank you for creating and maintaining this site, Saru I came here when MySpace closed it's forum. I loved MySpace and was upset at the time, but by golly, am I glad I was forced to move! The special thing about this site, IMHO, is the way it is moderated. It's not perfect of course, but for the majority of the time everything is civil and people are given a fairly free rein to express themslves. Overall, this community is a wonderful place to be Yes, 'Here's to the next 20 years!' and thank you again Saru. 10 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post rashore Posted March 2, 2021 Popular Post #4 Share Posted March 2, 2021 Happy Anniversary UM!! 10 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post JVG Posted March 2, 2021 Popular Post #5 Share Posted March 2, 2021 Thanks Saru, this is a wonderful site thanks to you and the mods... 8 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Desertrat56 Posted March 2, 2021 #6 Share Posted March 2, 2021 Thank you for this site and all the work you and others have done to keep it going. 7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Still Waters Posted March 2, 2021 Popular Post #7 Share Posted March 2, 2021 "Great oaks from little acorns grow" - well done Saru, and thank you. Yay! Happy 20th Anniversary UM 9 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Waspie_Dwarf Posted March 2, 2021 Popular Post #8 Share Posted March 2, 2021 Congratulations on 20 years. Here's to the next 20. I wonder what UM will look like in 2041. 9 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post zep73 Posted March 2, 2021 Popular Post #9 Share Posted March 2, 2021 I remember Yahoo, Alta Vista, Netscape and Internet Explorer as if it was yesterday. Netscape was for the cool kids who hated Microsoft. The nerdiest of them ran Linux instead of Windows. And the noisy modems using phonelines where you paid per minute. I was a website owner back then too, working hard to gain traffic from webrings and search engines (they didn't use bots, so you had to signup yourself, and hope to be accepted). Running for 20 years, growing and improving, is amazing! Congrats! 9 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bookwormwen Posted March 2, 2021 #10 Share Posted March 2, 2021 Happy Anniversary, UM! Thank you to Saru and all the mods who have kept it running smooth for so long. I have vivid memories of stumbling onto this site when I was about nine or ten, then being a regular lurker until the day I was finally old enough to have an account. Here's to many more successful years! 7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post jethrofloyd Posted March 2, 2021 Popular Post #11 Share Posted March 2, 2021 Congratulations!! UM should dedicate this anniversary the to kmt_sesh. 9 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post +susieice Posted March 2, 2021 Popular Post #12 Share Posted March 2, 2021 (edited) Wow. Congratulations on 20 years Saru. And thank you to the moderators for all they do to keep things running smoothly. We have a close online community going on here. So many people I've had the pleasure to talk with over the years. So many members and mods I miss. It's always great when an old member comes back in to say hello. Looking forward to many more years to come. In one anniversary thread, I had the chance to say hello to dAz. If he's still around Saru, tell him hello again for me. Thanks. Edited March 2, 2021 by susieice 8 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post glorybebe Posted March 2, 2021 Popular Post #13 Share Posted March 2, 2021 I have to admit that it is rare for me not to visit everyday. I may not post, but I check out the threads and status updates. It gives me a place to discuss subjects that people in my real life don't talk about. And when covid hit, it really allowed many of us to still have interaction when there was do much uncertainty. This is my escape place Thank you, Sara and Mods for so many great years. 11 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Saru Posted March 2, 2021 Author Popular Post #14 Share Posted March 2, 2021 21 minutes ago, jethrofloyd said: UM should dedicate this anniversary the to kmt_sesh. As we've lost quite a few members over the last 20 years, let's dedicate it to all of them. 10 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saru Posted March 2, 2021 Author #15 Share Posted March 2, 2021 18 minutes ago, susieice said: In one anniversary thread, I had the chance to say hello to dAz. If he's still around Saru, tell him hello again for me. Thanks. I shall pass your message along. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dAz Posted March 2, 2021 #16 Share Posted March 2, 2021 Congratulations to the whole UM community for reaching this incredible mile stone. Saru where's the dodgy midi file from the 1998 version ?!?! ps hey susieice 6 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+susieice Posted March 2, 2021 #17 Share Posted March 2, 2021 2 minutes ago, dAz said: Congratulations to the whole UM community for reaching this incredible mile stone. Saru where's the dodgy midi file from the 1998 version ?!?! ps hey susieice Hi dAz It's wonderful to see you again. Hope all is well with you and yours. Can you believe it. 20 years and I've been here everyday for what will soon be 12 years unless I had computer issues. This has just been a wonderful site to be a part of. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saru Posted March 2, 2021 Author #18 Share Posted March 2, 2021 7 minutes ago, dAz said: Saru where's the dodgy midi file from the 1998 version ?!?! They are actually all there, the problem is that the code for playing them isn't supported by modern browsers.... you'll be pleased to hear. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guyver Posted March 2, 2021 #19 Share Posted March 2, 2021 Job well done Saru. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acute Posted March 2, 2021 #20 Share Posted March 2, 2021 Happy 20th Birthday, UM !!! Congratulations to Saru on the success story that is unexplained-mysteries.com, and Thank You to all the Mods who keep order. No doubt, we will be on UM many decades from now (and still arguing about Bigfoot) when we are all heads in jars! 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indiogene Posted March 11, 2021 #21 Share Posted March 11, 2021 Almost every message board I belonged to is offline and literally gone, a few became empty and rarely has new posts. But the UM remains a hot spot on the internet and it looks like UM will be around in another 20 years, so here's to you and may the site surpass my life expectancy (Cheers with tapping beer glasses)...I'm currently 41 (the midpoint). 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theotherguy Posted May 3, 2021 #22 Share Posted May 3, 2021 Well, I missed the actual anniversary, so I'll raise an honorary glass tonight. To twenty more! 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+ouija ouija Posted May 3, 2021 #23 Share Posted May 3, 2021 5 hours ago, theotherguy said: Well, I missed the actual anniversary, so I'll raise an honorary glass tonight. To twenty more! Hi! It's good to see you back! 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenojjin Posted May 18, 2021 #24 Share Posted May 18, 2021 May you live as long as you want, and never want as long as you live. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drayno Posted May 19, 2021 #25 Share Posted May 19, 2021 Happy (late) anniversary ! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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