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Your early days of Fearless.

Started by V-Town_Eagle_24, January 14, 2006, 03:09:07 am

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Lanny

Quote from: The Buttgen on June 30, 2008, 10:54:57 pm
I joined back in 03 when fellow Newport fan and FOUNDER of Fearless Mike Bonds got me on. also heard about it from a buddy next door.
Although i'm still bitter about the way the site has degraded, but maybe thats just because of the influx of younger kids who don't know forum etiquette. so i left here for about 2 years and didn't post a thing. i didn't even want to read it.  I still say the site should have never been sold to channel 4, it lost all it's grass roots feel.  but maybe thats just me.
i still wonder why the post have the built in censor, and i have another question why are there so many mods and admins.  I leave and the Thee Xbear is a Moderator, that blew me out of the water.

KARK does not own this site.  Nothing has changed about ownership.

Quite Frankly


RHS

Quote from: Ramblin' Man™ on July 01, 2008, 10:46:03 amThere's even been at least one marriage come out of these football message boards (not mine). Who'da Thunk It?

And a couple of relationships have been formed as well. Crazy how things work.

Probably only a handful off of us than know about ARNBC.

The Buttgen

Quote from: hSv on July 01, 2008, 03:28:32 pm
KARK does not own this site.  Nothing has changed about ownership.
ohh, well my bad, it just looked that way to me after being gone for 2 or 3 years and KARK is plastered everywhere, i just assumed that they had bought the rights to this site and hogville. my bad.
It must be just a personal bias as i really don't like KARK and hate KNWA, i believe they are overtly bias to the central and western parts of the state and do not care for anything eastern Arkansas.
The site has gotten better though, i guess i'm just gonna have to get used to it...

Wampus_Cat

Quote from: RHS on July 01, 2008, 03:52:27 pm
Quote from: Ramblin' Man™ on July 01, 2008, 10:46:03 amThere's even been at least one marriage come out of these football message boards (not mine). Who'da Thunk It?

And a couple of relationships have been formed as well. Crazy how things work.

Probably only a handful off of us than know about ARNBC.
Hmm...I dated someones sister thanks to this site.

Albeit like twice until the distance got to us.

jackfan1™

Quote from: RHS on July 01, 2008, 03:52:27 pm

Probably only a handful off of us than know about ARNBC.

*Raises hand.*

RD™

Quote from: RHS on July 01, 2008, 03:52:27 pm
Quote from: Ramblin' Man™ on July 01, 2008, 10:46:03 amThere's even been at least one marriage come out of these football message boards (not mine). Who'da Thunk It?

And a couple of relationships have been formed as well. Crazy how things work.

Probably only a handful off of us than know about ARNBC.
I saw "upfrontben" not to long ago up in NWA.

jackfan1™

Quote from: RD™ on July 01, 2008, 05:52:08 pm
Quote from: RHS on July 01, 2008, 03:52:27 pm
Quote from: Ramblin' Man™ on July 01, 2008, 10:46:03 amThere's even been at least one marriage come out of these football message boards (not mine). Who'da Thunk It?

And a couple of relationships have been formed as well. Crazy how things work.

Probably only a handful off of us than know about ARNBC.
I saw "upfrontben" not to long ago up in NWA.

Aw.
I swear, that free credit report commercial guy looks just like him.
Or at least it used to. Not sure how his hair is now.

Father Guido

I started up during the playoffs of '04 and was immediately assaulted and infuriated by the Delta-freakin-Razor.  What a punk.

Eddie Goodson

Quote from: Father Guido on July 01, 2008, 07:10:55 pm
I started up during the playoffs of '04 and was immediately assaulted and infuriated by the Delta-freakin-Razor.  What a punk.
I hear he is now incarcerated in the Ark Dept of Corrections Psychiatric Detention Unit and thinks he is Don Campbell's clone Mini Don. He tried to run out of a Wynne grocery store wth a whole beef brisket under his arm screaming "Run Ju Ju run!"

fastdrop

2005 posted to myself on the baseball board..you could make a post on it and it would sit there for a week or two....And argued with Thee Xbear ( my favorite poster of all time) over the old 5A football conferences.....east against west....fun times.

Texarkana_Piggie

Quote from: fastdrop on July 01, 2008, 07:34:20 pm
2005 posted to myself on the baseball board..you could make a post on it and it would sit there for a week or two....And argued with Thee Xbear ( my favorite poster of all time) over the old 5A football conferences.....east against west....fun times.

i had some discussions with thee xbear during playoff time.

RHS

Quote from: fastdrop on July 01, 2008, 07:34:20 pmAnd argued with Thee Xbear ( my favorite poster of all time)

You drop a notch in my book now man.

Eddie Goodson

Quote from: Texarkana_Piggie on July 01, 2008, 07:52:15 pm
Quote from: fastdrop on July 01, 2008, 07:34:20 pm
2005 posted to myself on the baseball board..you could make a post on it and it would sit there for a week or two....And argued with Thee Xbear ( my favorite poster of all time) over the old 5A football conferences.....east against west....fun times.

i had some discussions with thee xbear during playoff time.
I do believe the term "Forth Smith Village Idiot" was used by me once to him.

fastdrop

Quote from: RHS on July 01, 2008, 07:54:29 pm
Quote from: fastdrop on July 01, 2008, 07:34:20 pmAnd argued with Thee Xbear ( my favorite poster of all time)

You drop a notch in my book now man.
can't help it....He was a South Side and the West through and through....plus the Devils always made him eat crow.

fastdrop

Quote from: Eddie Goodson on July 01, 2008, 07:54:43 pm
Quote from: Texarkana_Piggie on July 01, 2008, 07:52:15 pm
Quote from: fastdrop on July 01, 2008, 07:34:20 pm
2005 posted to myself on the baseball board..you could make a post on it and it would sit there for a week or two....And argued with Thee Xbear ( my favorite poster of all time) over the old 5A football conferences.....east against west....fun times.

i had some discussions with thee xbear during playoff time.
I do believe the term "Forth Smith Village Idiot" was used by me once to him.
and I am sure he had a few choice words for you too.

Quite Frankly

Quote from: fastdrop on July 01, 2008, 08:09:12 pm
Quote from: RHS on July 01, 2008, 07:54:29 pm
Quote from: fastdrop on July 01, 2008, 07:34:20 pmAnd argued with Thee Xbear ( my favorite poster of all time)

You drop a notch in my book now man.
can't help it....He was a South Side and the West through and through....plus the Devils always made him eat crow.

Xbear SS?  Uh....no.

Eddie Goodson

Quote from: fastdrop on July 01, 2008, 08:10:38 pm
Quote from: Eddie Goodson on July 01, 2008, 07:54:43 pm
Quote from: Texarkana_Piggie on July 01, 2008, 07:52:15 pm
Quote from: fastdrop on July 01, 2008, 07:34:20 pm
2005 posted to myself on the baseball board..you could make a post on it and it would sit there for a week or two....And argued with Thee Xbear ( my favorite poster of all time) over the old 5A football conferences.....east against west....fun times.

i had some discussions with thee xbear during playoff time.
I do believe the term "Forth Smith Village Idiot" was used by me once to him.
and I am sure he had a few choice words for you too.
I was never a XBear koolaid drinker. We got along tolerable. I mostly stuck to the 5A board in those days. I didn't become a mod till about the time he left.

fastdrop

Quote from: Quite "QF" Frankly on July 01, 2008, 08:12:42 pm
Quote from: fastdrop on July 01, 2008, 08:09:12 pm
Quote from: RHS on July 01, 2008, 07:54:29 pm
Quote from: fastdrop on July 01, 2008, 07:34:20 pmAnd argued with Thee Xbear ( my favorite poster of all time)

You drop a notch in my book now man.
can't help it....He was a South Side and the West through and through....plus the Devils always made him eat crow.

Xbear SS?  Uh....no.
dang your right...NS....ofcourse I have always thought you were Thee Xbear in hiding....LOL

Just an older crabbier Thee Xbear...though. ;D



atownpantherfan05™

I'm looking forward to meeting some of you guys on here when football season starts.

bulldogs1159

Quote from: Ramblin' Man™ on July 01, 2008, 11:34:37 am
Quote from: DB on July 01, 2008, 11:23:08 am
Quote from: ppop on July 01, 2008, 10:52:41 amI've really laughed out loud many times reading some of this stuff.  (I still can't think pink without thinking DB!)

How that deal escalated, I don't know.  But it was/is fun, even if it is at my expense.  I figure if you can't laugh at yourself, the message boards are not a good place to be.

Anybody remember Scotty the Body?  A lot of people seemed to hate him.
LOL. Scottie 2 Hottie. He still posts here on rare occasion. He is one of the funniest people I have ever met in my life (I went to school with him, though he's a few years older.) And yeah, I lot of people did hate him on the internet :)
RVGGW

Uncle Ivan

Quote from: Father Guido on July 01, 2008, 07:10:55 pm
I started up during the playoffs of '04 and was immediately assaulted and infuriated by the Delta-freakin-Razor.  What a punk.

I had a good run from 2003-2004.  Lots of lynch mobs and near-riots incited.

Uncle Ivan

Quote from: bulldogs1159™© on July 01, 2008, 10:14:08 pmAnd yeah, I lot of people did hate him on the internet :)

I wish you nothing but the worst of luck, and I hope that Dollarway drills a hole in your ass next week.

True Believer

Ivan, you are the reason I got on here and finally posted.  You called Marion a bunch of thugs and turds.    ;D

Then I was furious now I would just laugh.  Live and learn.

RHS

Quote from: bulldogs1159™© on July 01, 2008, 10:14:08 pm
Quote from: Ramblin' Man™ on July 01, 2008, 11:34:37 am
Quote from: DB on July 01, 2008, 11:23:08 am
Quote from: ppop on July 01, 2008, 10:52:41 amI've really laughed out loud many times reading some of this stuff.  (I still can't think pink without thinking DB!)

How that deal escalated, I don't know.  But it was/is fun, even if it is at my expense.  I figure if you can't laugh at yourself, the message boards are not a good place to be.

Anybody remember Scotty the Body?  A lot of people seemed to hate him.
LOL. Scottie 2 Hottie. He still posts here on rare occasion. He is one of the funniest people I have ever met in my life (I went to school with him, though he's a few years older.) And yeah, I lot of people did hate him on the internet :)
RVGGW

It was such a beautiful idea.

Uncle Ivan

Quote from: Eddie Goodson on June 30, 2008, 08:43:54 pm
They shouldn't have gotten in that fight on the open chat room.

It was Chad and Barry.

What killed that board was the Shiloh vs the world endless argument.

Chad didn't like it because it cast a bad light on his favorite program.

RisonRacingFan

Quote from: Uncle Ivan on July 01, 2008, 10:47:28 pm
Quote from: Eddie Goodson on June 30, 2008, 08:43:54 pm
They shouldn't have gotten in that fight on the open chat room.

It was Chad and Barry.

What killed that board was the Shiloh vs the world endless argument.

Chad didn't like it because it cast a bad light on his favorite program.

Though I was not around at the time, it was great getting a PM from UI on Hogville explaining the "blow up" of the old Hootens board on December 9, 2000.

With that said, I joined up in 2004. I had no clue there was a Arkansas HS Sports board until a uncle was on this site at work one day. I went home and signed on later that night.

Uncle Ivan

It was that, and the whole Cabot vs Hootens firefight that convinced them to shut it down.

After Cabot won state, their fans were dropping daisy cutters on the Hooten boys left and right.

olddog79

I got started in feb. 2005, just in time for the "greatest HS Team" ever....the 2005 SPRINGDALE BULLDOGS.

AllSmiles

Quote from: olddog79 on July 02, 2008, 08:40:36 am
I got started in feb. 2005, just in time for the "greatest HS Team" ever....the 2005 SPRINGDALE BULLDOGS.

Psh.








;)

Quite Frankly

Quote from: olddog79 on July 02, 2008, 08:40:36 am
I got started in feb. 2005, just in time for the "greatest HS Team" ever....the 2005 SPRINGDALE BULLDOGS.

Don't get me started Oldman.......  This thread deserves to stay on course.  So I'l let you off the hook this time.  :)

RHS

Quote from: olddog79 on July 02, 2008, 08:40:36 am
I got started in feb. 2005, just in time for the "greatest HS Team" ever....the 2005 SPRINGDALE BULLDOGS.

Though you had been here longer than that. Man does time get distorted.

RD™

We need another Simple Life Thread. Those WERE the days.

Also Gus Invented it.

bulldogs1159


RHS

Quote from: RD™ on July 02, 2008, 11:56:58 pmAlso Gus Invented it.

Like ARNBC, only a handful of people can actually remember the original. I remember being in a 6 way chat on MSN with some of the other contributors of that masterpiece.

Uncle Ivan

Quote from: RHS on July 03, 2008, 12:50:42 am
I remember being in a 6 way chat on MSN with some of the other contributors of that masterpiece.



"Pikachu" - Pokezhan  - Drivetime came up with that one.

SandLizard04

What does it say about me that I hated the Simple Life thread because so many stupid newbs were posting on it?

Lions84

Quote from: Lions84 on February 02, 2006, 08:51:57 am
I found FF after doing a MSN search for HS football scores in Arkansas in 2004. I have spent 12 days logged on to FF OUCH!!!!

Well it is now 30 days, 20 hours and 13 minutes

Chief_Osceola™

July 03, 2008, 11:24:39 am #140 Last Edit: August 24, 2011, 04:31:09 pm by Chief_Osceola™
nm

RHS

Quote from: Ramblin' Man™ on July 03, 2008, 10:29:42 am
What does it say about me that I hated the Simple Life thread because so many stupid newbs were posting on it?

It says you weren't alone.

Manningfan

Peck made me follow in his footsteps

Uncle Ivan

Quote from: Mike Bonds on February 04, 2006, 08:08:22 am
Well, as you might expect, I was here fairly early in the process......   ;D

It all started in June 2001, when I was trying to find a Newport schedule on the internet.  Hooten's wasn't out yet, and for whatever reasons I was looking for a schedule.  Come to find out, there wasn't one on the internet, at least that I could find.  Not only that, I couldn't find anyone else's schedule, either. 

Well, I did get a schedule the next time I went home, and I thought, "I could put this on the internet so the next guy looking for a Newport schedule can find it."  I didn't know squat about writing webpages--nada, zip, nothing.  Didn't know HTTP from PCP.  So, I did a little research online, found out that there were places that would host sites for free, and bought a book that really helped. 

By early July, I had some proto-webpages going, but they were ugly as homemade soap.   ;D  I finally figured out how to insert images in the background, and the site finally began to take something of it's old familiar shape.  I opened fearlessfriday.freewebspace.com officially on July 27, 2001.  Included in the early site was a very primitive bulletin board supplied by the provider.

I had never posted on bulletin boards, but the boards seemed fairly popular and I got a lot of emails asking me to upgrade.  I did some searches and ran across the old Pigpen, which I used as a model.  The boards were moved over to EZBoards, which are probably the boards that most of the oldtimers remember.  They had a green background with white text and yellow links. 

Well, the boards exploded with popularity.  The screen could hold 300 posts, and they would turn over completely within an hour sometimes.  It was a total surprise to me.  That's a good problem to have, I guess, but it's still a problem.  The boards had very primitive administrative tools, so it was hard to moderate.  Plus, the old boards had a lot of downtime, probably no thanks to us.  I suspect we were burning their servers down. 

Eventually, we just outgrew the freewebspace setup.  They didn't allow PHP at that time and didn't offer SQL, either, and it was clear that the EZBoards format was too primitive for the traffic.  So, fearlessfriday.com was registered, and the whole site moved to its own address at a new hosting company.

The boards were moved to a new board hosting company, Aimoo.  I tested them secretly for about 2 weeks, just to make sure everything was really going to work.  When they opened, they looked something like the present boards, just not as slick.  However, about a week after opening up, they started slamming the board with popups--popups everytime you clicked on anything.  My inbox went nuclear.  Clearly, that wasn't going to work, so the search was on again for a board that would function.

I decided to leave remote hosting of anything behind permanently, and I did.  Since that time, anything that has been on Fearless has been hosted right here, without 3rd party providers.  It was a great call.  I eventually settled on YaBB1Gold for a bulletin board script.  Finally, I could recruit help to moderate the forum!  (Thanks to all of those unfortunate souls who selflessly volunteered to do so--it can't run without you.)

Y1G worked like a sewing machine.  People liked it, I liked it.  I thought, "we've finally got things worked out."  Wrong.  Although it did work well, it didn't really contemplate our traffic  (if you ask hSv, I don't think the SMF creators expected it to handle our traffic volume, either...lol).  It was a major bandwidth eater.  By August, it was clear that I if I didn't do something, we would burn down the server by mid-September.  So, yet another board software was installed--YABBSE.

YABBSE worked even better, and the server demand fell.  We hung with that for a year, but we were pushing it bandwidth-wise at the end of the season.  With the growth over 2003, things got critical in October 2003.  I can't think of the hosting company's name (that's probably good for them), but I came in one morning and the site was down.  They said we had exceeded our bandwidth, and that I had a week to either move to a dedicated server or lose the site.  So much for customer service.  With the help of some donating posters and hSv, we moved to a dedicated server. 

Outwardly, it worked ok, and disruption was mininmal.  Behind the scenes, it was a rolling disaster.  I didn't know crap about server operation, it was very expensive, and the hosting company was ZERO help.  Didn't even try to help.  That's when I ran into Douglas through hSv, who made life much, much easier.  After our contract with the darkside ran out, we moved to Douglas' hosting company, TheRelalms.net, which I can only give my highest recommendation. 

I changed jobs in the summer of 2004, which put me on the road a lot and really raised my workload.  I made a game effort at running things, but I just couldn't devote the time.  It wasn't fair to you, to me, to the site, or to the sport.  So, I handed things off to hSv in return for a promise that I could host future sites on his Fearless/Hogville server (hence CampingArkansas.net, which I've thought about for a couple of years).  All in all, I think he's done a good job here, and he and his folks were willing to devote the kind of time and attention that I couldn't give you and I thought you deserved.

My guiding principle at Fearless was always "Make everyone feel that their opinion has value."  After searching bulletin boards, I found that on many, you had to be around a while or else be treated like dirt.  I wanted a forum where a person could come in and on day one feel that they could be a meaningful part of the conversation and that their opinions about the board and site were vauled.  I think that allowed us to survive the competition and not walk away from the several board wars with a black eye.  It was always my opinion that we didn't have to monopolize our posters--even if they looked at other boards, if we had the best product, they'd always be back.  So far, I have no reason to doubt that judgment. 

I just want to say thanks for all of your kind words and support over the years, and it is touching and humbling that people still remember me and the old days of the site.  I hope you will all come over and take a look at CampingArkansas.net and hang with me there, too.

Another bump for those wondering how this place came to be.

You'll also get to see a current member or two come off as a complete n00b.

Uncle Ivan

Also, with the talk of past escapades, I've always been a little jealous of the Stoneman.

His trolling of a fanbase back during the 2001 playoffs was so masterful that he got the opposing team's student section to make signs aimed at him, and they even got a chant going about him late in the game.  I have never been able to do this.  I still remember word for word some of the things he said that week, even eight years later.

You know that you're at the top of your game when you can draw that kind of reaction.

C_A_Morris

Thanks for the bump Ivan...it brings back some memories....

I came to the site in the summer of 2002 and stuck around for a year or two until I got busy with college, my business, etc. Just forgot about it, for the most part.

I finally made my way back here in 2006 for whatever reason. I try to stay out of trouble and stick to the plan of read more/post less. There are people that I can't stand on here (mainly because they make such poor arguments...or "i cn't b-leave that game u'r talkin' 'bout!!!111loleleveneleven!!!"), and then there are posts by people I look forward to reading, but all in all, it's a wonderful thing....

Mike Bonds

Ditto on the bump thanks.  I had forgotten about writing that. 

Fearless really was catching lightning in a bottle.  I never contemplated it being what it is today.  No one has been more surprised by it than me.

I know that there's been some folks ready to surround the site with pitchforks and torches, but it was always intended to be a clean forum to discuss Arkansas high school sports, and I think it's been that (at least most of the time...lol).  I'm just glad it's still kicking.

RD™

Someone should really find Thee X Bear

Eddie Goodson


bulldogs1159


Fox 16 Arkansas Fox 24 Arkansas