Going through the site brought me back to the old internet days where websites were created through free hosts such as Geocities and homestead. Everyone online was into it. We didn't have Facebook. We didn't have Twitter. Our means of online-socializing was through iRC and iCQ. But those were only the big ones. (More after the break)
As I went through the pages of this ambitious website of mine (back then we called them HP and no it didn't mean handphone, it meant homepage), more and more things started to come back, things that made me feel like an internet antique. There was this thing called Webring, where websites were connected to one another through other users' websites - something like a blogroll today. Then there was the guestbook where everyone used it to leave messages as well as reply a message that was left on their page for the world to see, just like Facebook's wall, only this one was readable by any visitor to your website - unless the person sends it in as a private message. People created their own profile page on their websites, had a FAQ made up of questions people asked about the webmasters (mostly a lame attempt to be funny and in so doing lame promotion of yourself), created an MP3 list page where you would upload your mp3 playlist which was automatically generated by Winamp. Then there was the desktop screenshots and the descriptions of what you can see on screen and what nifty little software you used to create fancy looking Windows. And no, we didn't have a shoutbox. We didn't have a blogger page or wordpress. However, we had livejournals.
Then there were the badges - we acted like as if we were big enough to award someone else's websites and give them a badge that they can put on their websites. We would create badges like "futuristic website" badge and give it to someone's website who deserves it. I remember those. Heck, I remember even dedicating one page just to show off my badges given by other webmasters. Yes, what nerds we were. In fact, collecting gifts, badges and stickers on Facebook, FourSquare and GetGlue is nothing compared to what we did then.
We also posted files on the website that we thought our friends would like. We would download the installer or archived and zipped a collection of software that we liked and uploaded it on our website for others to download. Copyright? Who cares! Yes, we did such things. We didn't have DropBox to securely share files and information. No sir we didn't.
Finally, we had our own photo album, not the ones you get the likes of Picasa or Flickr. You have limited space and in most cases, you probably only were able to show 10 photos on your free website. We didn't have database set up because they were free so we couldn't get people to comment on each photo. There was no "like" button and there was no "face tagging". There was no way of you ever knowing that your photo was published online by one of your friends, though in a way that's good as spreading embarrassing photos might take eons.
Yes, the internet was different then. We had to create our own Facebook. The way we socialized was different then. Things were limited yet, somehow, it felt more personal. It felt like, even though you've never met that stranger you got to know through iRC, iCQ, the many webrings, guestbooks, somehow friendships were created. Yes, it was different and in many ways it was so much safer.
I can share one thing though, and they are these photos I got from my old website.
Chinese New Year 2001: God, why was I wearing that?
Chinese New Year 2001 again
Chinese New Year celebration at school
My GP class visit to the Jerudong Prison
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