- 318
- Beautiful Houston
- highmileage
Forgive my random resurgence. 
These days, it isn't uncommon to meet people off the Internet. However, if you remember 1998, you might remember how uncommon it was to forge a lifelong friendship based on pixels and text -- a short video took an evening to download, and you rarely had the chance to see the face or hear the voice of the person you were reading. That didn't stop us from traveling great distances to meet each other -- the trust among GT fans was uncommon, and never wavered.
As a 26-year-old, I work on the cutting edge of social commerce, but I know the lessons I learned when I was 13 were the basis for my adult success. I'm writing a little book about my car life, and there's a section about Gran Turismo. Recently, I revisited a forum we called "The Numbers". The rudimentary format of the forum makes each note feel like a missive from the distant past. Nostalgia gets me every time, so I thought I'd cast a note to try to see if any oldbies are still among us.
When did you join the GT community? How old were you?
Were you ever nervous about sharing your real age?
Were you nervous about what your parents thought of your forum membership?
Did you ever meet someone in real life off a GT board? Do you stay in touch?
What is your favorite memory from the first days? Did you learn anything 'real' that you kept with you all your life?
Do you remember what it was like the first time you felt you'd made a genuine friend on the computer? Is there anyone you miss?
I am so proud of Jordan for maintaining a welcoming, safe space for so many years.
These days, it isn't uncommon to meet people off the Internet. However, if you remember 1998, you might remember how uncommon it was to forge a lifelong friendship based on pixels and text -- a short video took an evening to download, and you rarely had the chance to see the face or hear the voice of the person you were reading. That didn't stop us from traveling great distances to meet each other -- the trust among GT fans was uncommon, and never wavered.
As a 26-year-old, I work on the cutting edge of social commerce, but I know the lessons I learned when I was 13 were the basis for my adult success. I'm writing a little book about my car life, and there's a section about Gran Turismo. Recently, I revisited a forum we called "The Numbers". The rudimentary format of the forum makes each note feel like a missive from the distant past. Nostalgia gets me every time, so I thought I'd cast a note to try to see if any oldbies are still among us.
When did you join the GT community? How old were you?
Were you ever nervous about sharing your real age?
Were you nervous about what your parents thought of your forum membership?
Did you ever meet someone in real life off a GT board? Do you stay in touch?
What is your favorite memory from the first days? Did you learn anything 'real' that you kept with you all your life?
Do you remember what it was like the first time you felt you'd made a genuine friend on the computer? Is there anyone you miss?
I am so proud of Jordan for maintaining a welcoming, safe space for so many years.