Boarding the Social Train : Here I Go.

I have been at the Internet/web thing for quite a while now. I got my first computer in 1984 or so, it was a TI99 (Texas Instruments) It came with TI Basic, Uggg. Next I was online with a SLIP account during college with my Mac Classic II(I think that was it).Wow, online without being in a computer lab... what a concept! And my first browsing experience was using Mosaic in the computer lab where I worked to pay for beer - that was on a Mac, I don't know the model but it was a horizontal case with a monitor sitting on it(5760 or 6730 something, I don't know). Even at the University it was slow at first anyway - But I think its because the serving sites just

Image via Wikipedia

didn't have the bandwidth and or the processing power to handle the hundreds of thousands of students looking at these new graphical "sites" for the first time. I know I was hooked. But by the mid 90's it was flying.

My first site in oh, say... 93/94 or so was called DigitalMe.com. Unfortunately I was shot down by my fellow IT geeks and eventually let it go away. Imagine if I actually made something of that site and what it could be today... I shutter. As the years moved on I saw many trends and interesting ideas, some working and still around and some long gone alog with the rest of the 90's venture dollars...hahaha.

Excerpt from the 90's techboom as I saw it. - Joe Techie - "I was thinking of an idea that I could maybe turn into a concept and possibly create the basis for discussing an application - Can I have 3.7 Million please?" VC Guy - "Why Certainly You Can!! Here you go..."

Well the title here was boarding the social train so, back on topic. I have subconsciously kept away from the trendy social online applications (save for google chat, ha ha), but not by some high and mighty platform... but I guess I just didn't see the purpose and I have been building software for the last 8 years with little vacation - so my head has been in sales and development and its easy to get all caught up in your work and realize you really need to get out of the office (or home office in my case).

So, I boarded the train not only with this blog but I also created a Facebook account for the first time, you can find me at http://www.facebook.com/neilsfamily. Over there (facebook) will be for family items and and the usual keeping in touch with relatives and friends I have not seen for many years. However, over here at the blogger/Blogspot I get to talk about the old days of using gopher, all command line email, to the newest topic Social Marketing which has Tribes, microtagging, Long Tail, nicheologists, RSS, XML, SEO, and experts for each and all, and on and on! But certainly Cars and Motorcycles are what I created this blog for in the first place. I have to say that reminissing for this article has me feeling old now - my 20th HS reunion this summer, 2 kids and I thought back then I would be retired by now and out on my 35' custom boat. Okay, So thats enough from me today, have a good one everybody.

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Where's My Boat?

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-NE