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Modern Web-Sites
I started using the Internet roughly 3 years ago. There was a lot I had to learn...lots.
I didn't know any of the 'net terms, nor did I care at that point. I mainly went to a search engine (if I could
manage to type that dang http:// thing..) and search for all sorts of things. I used to search for hockey pictures,
baseball things..whatever I felt like. At this time..I was still playing Diablo heavily, so occasionally I'd search
for something Diablo-related..and act cool since I could go to a website. I'd click some links..fool around a bit,
and then I'd get off-line then play some more Warcraft, Diablo, or Simcity. That was..my on-line/off-line life
3 years ago.
When I used to search for things, mind you, the internet wasn't corrupted with bad
links, not as much XXX, and not nearly the amount of traffic found today. So..I got around pretty easily,
and I was cool about it. Does anyone remember when you were actually respected if you had a web site on Geocities,
or Angelfire? Anyone remember Raymond's Diablo Page (Geocities)? That Geocities page got over 3,000,000 hits in
it's existence. Anyone remember Tender Fury's Suicidal Tendencies? That was quite a popular Starcraft site which
resided on Angelfire's server. This is just one instance of how the Internet has changed..everything is domain,
sub-domain, or sub-directory. Frankly, if you can connect to their site, and you like it..who cares if it's 30
letters long..bookmark it!
When I first started creating web-sites..around 1 1/2 years ago, they were on AOL's servers..and hey, I didn't
know you were ridiculed nor that anyone cared if you had a website on AOL's servers, let alone used AOL as your
ISP. I tell you..that was when it was fun. I run a Brood War site, and I can't tell you how much more time I've
spent working on my Web Site rather than play the game itself..and isn't that what it's all about? My very first
website which can still be found at http://members.aol.com/basic07/index.html is an all-around gaming page with no news..hardly any graphics, some codes, a guestbook,
and "way-hip" web-ring, which BTW took me far to long to set-up. At the bottom of the page, you
can see I actually put a Geocities banner because most of the site's I visited had them..so I thought it was the
cool thing to do. Those were the good old days.
My next website wasn't anywhere near a normal website. It was a Starcraft website, though it wasn't very
good. I put a lot of time and effort into it..and Window's HTML help will remember what I'm talking about. While
this site could have been made in 20 minutes now..I thought it was the greatest thing ever. It can still be viewed
http://members.aol.com/basic07/starcraft.html here.
For the next few months I would continue playing Diablo to an un-healthy level, and I'd continue working on my
website. And everyday I'd wonder my only hits were from myself..and no one ever visited it. What was I doing wrong,
I thought to myself. As you can tell if you viewed the page..you could count the number of things I was doing wrong...but
that didn't stop me. I knew damned well I was going to make a good website..somehow or another, I'd learn this
amazingly hard and aggrevating language we computer nerds call HTML.
From there on..I started to stop playing games so much, and spending a little bit more time on the computer. I
remember typing in Diablo pictures in some search engine, and I got an XXX site. Back then, I wasn't sure what
was going on..so I clicked the link. To my surprise, I saw lots of naked women on my screen. I immediately thought
how can they (whoever they is..) get away with that? Now..the hippest thing around is viewing porn, and any males
reading this know what and hell I am talking about. Sure, there was always porn on the internet..but nothing
like it is today.
Let's talk websites. I decided that Diablo II and I were going to connect..the minute I looked at a Diablo II website.
What a concept, eh? Create a page to the sequel to my favorite game..I'm going to look into that. And so..I did.
It took me a while, but I began viewing some Diablo II websites every now and then. I can remember viewing Yeggs.com
source to help me with my HTML, and using Blizzard Live Wire's source to help me as well. By viewing this sites
(and many others) I saw what you needed to make a real website, graphics, a nice layout, news..information. I had
none of the above..so I started from scratch. I made a little Diablo II site called Cain's Diablo II page, and
it got a whopping 40 hits a day..if I was lucky. And I wasn't known as CannonBalls or anything..just Chris. One
day I put up a "Help Needed" post..and so I get a reply from only 2 people. Those 2 people would be the
one's who changed the website, and went on to much bigger and better things. Those two people were VeeGee and NovaGod..and
were destined to work together.
It was the beginning of summer, and we were all ready to work..day in and day out. Me and NovaGod working the layout,
while VeeGee worked diligently on graphics. We brought to the community, Ogden's Diablo II Inn.
At the very beginning, we had no idea what a news script was..let alone what CGI was. We were focusing on bringing
the best information, and providing the best content. We did what we could, and for a time...we were quite popular.
But, we went down in quality..and we just couldn't do it anymore. VeeGee left, and I and NovaGod continued..and
just up until recently..we were up. But, everyone knows the story of Ogdens..and it was mostly a learning experience.
I learned HTML, met 100's of people, and got into what we call a "community" of website on a certain
game or genre of gaming.
Along with my Diablo II site, I made a Brood War site which is still up today. I'm not going to give myself a shameless
plug..if you know it, good..if not, look around a bit.
I find it funny that the internet is nothing but schemes, hackers, xxx, and mean, cruel people. Sure, there are
still some good sites out there with good news, good information, and great content..but they're rare these days.
The best gaming site ever (in my opinion) was Shlonglor's Warcraft II page. Hmm..let's think about this, shall
we? He was a one-man show with probably the most content a website has ever seen, some of the best humurous and
informational news around, and was just all-around one of the best websites around..and that's all there was to
it. Now a Days, sites have anywhere from 3 - any number imaginable..and I'm guilty as well. At my Brood War site,
me and 10 other guys work on it. That's about 10 more than Shlonglor had..and yet we don't have half of the quality
the one-man show did. What does this mean? Hmm..who really knows, maybe he had more of a passion for the game,
for making the best website..you can't really explain it. He never used any type of news script..he did things
all-natural, unlike 95% of all sites we see today, gaming anyway. Starcraft.org, Starcrfaft Legacy, Brood War Dynasty,
Diablo II Graveyard, Catacombs of Tristram, Starcraft Millenium, Starcraft Infinity, Diablo II Realm, Diablo II
Inferno, Simple Craft are just a very few of the Blizzard-gaming websites out now who use newscripts. This is a
little bit mind-boggling, isn't it? It almost is saying how lazy we've all gotten..because when I used to update
Ogdens, it was great. I had NO problem at all with updating manually..probably because I didn't know there was
anything else better, which there really wasn't at the time...but I guess when news scripts become more popular..you
want to hop on the bandwagon.
I'm really not sure how to end this opinion / article when all I'm trying to point out is the fact that over the
last 3-4 years, the internet has changed..so immensely, and it's almost hard to say whether it's been for the better
or for the worse. Sure, we now have porn left and right one click away, tons more websites on anything imaginable,
more abilites...it's all how you look at it, I guess. You be the judge.
- CannonBalls
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