| I first went "online" back in '90 when I checked out the | | | | kind of annoyed with the Corvette forum links |
| free AOL disc I got in the mail. AOL-land was fun for a | | | | because searches often linked to things such as, "I like |
| few years, but in '95 a friend said to me, "You don't | | | | side-pipes too." But when I took some time to go to |
| need AOL to surf the net." Honestly, I didn't know that | | | | the Corvette form's home page, I was pleasantly |
| back then. A few days later, I said good-bye to AOL | | | | surprised to find a rich, comprehensive information |
| and "HOWDY!" to the information superhighway. | | | | source. |
| People that previously had zero interest in PCs flocked | | | | The Corvette hobby is huge because it covers a 57 |
| to computer stores so they could be on the internet | | | | year lineage of cars in six distinct generations. A quick |
| and get e-mail. | | | | Internet query will reveal there are tons of Vette |
| The Internet really was different back then. Nearly | | | | forums out there, some better than others. Some will |
| everyone was on dial-up, so web pages and sites | | | | have threads convering all six generations. Then, once |
| were simpler. It was easier to find "information" then | | | | you're into your preferred forum, cruise around, and |
| because the net hadn't yet been taken over by | | | | check out the topics. Every forum is is unique, so |
| commerce sites. Forums and chat rooms had been | | | | spend some time poking around the links, controls, and |
| around since the early '80s, but were clunky and | | | | drop-down boxes. It's like wandering around a big box, |
| difficult to use. AOL's interface helped make it much | | | | home improvement store. It's a little overwhelming at |
| easier. | | | | first, but it doesn't take long and you know just where |
| While blogging began around 1994, it didn't start to take | | | | to find that sky hook you're looking for. |
| off until '99 with the introduction of "blogging tools." | | | | Sometimes I'm just in the mood to look at Corvette |
| When political pundits glommed on to blogs in '02, the | | | | pictures. And what would a high-testosterone topic like |
| blogosphere really took off. Now, there's a blog for | | | | Corvettes be without a collection of Corvette Girls? |
| everything. Which is good news and bad news. For | | | | BORING! Corvette forum, such as It's fun, entertaining, |
| researchers like myself, when I do a search, nearly half | | | | educational, and a way to meet like-minded people that |
| of the links are for either product, services, books, | | | | "get" the Corvette obsession. Nuff said! |
| auction listings, forum or blog comments. At first, I was | | | | |