WWA - Waffles Wants Answers

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

Huh. The most I've heard of is mods changing a user's name or handle to something positive or negative, but those were always temporary

I actually went to the WebArchive to confirm I wasn't crazy and it was still among the top-selling features for premium memberships.

 

[Deleted member 25310]

One was VampireFreaks.com (and it's rumored to have been the one that started it). Another was a somewhat famous forum I used to visit, also defunct now.

What kind of website is "VampireFreaks"? What do you do there?

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

What kind of website is "VampireFreaks"? What do you do there?

It was a social media site/forum hybrid for the alternative crowd (Goths, Punks, Metalheads...). Nowadays it is just a clothing store, after more than 20 years worth of content and posts were purged in 2020.

 

[Deleted member 25310]

It was a social media site/forum hybrid for the alternative crowd (Goths, Punks, Metalheads...). Nowadays it is just a clothing store, after more than 20 years worth of content and posts were purged in 2020.

Oh wow, what a complete 180 for content. I had a hunch it was about the alternative crowd considering the name, what was the content there? People posting their dark makeup? lol.

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

Oh wow, what a complete 180 for content. I had a hunch it was about the alternative crowd considering the name, what was the content there? People posting their dark makeup? lol.

It was actually really amazing. People had their own galleries, blogs, 100% customizable profiles, user-created groups and forums. It also had its very own radio station and music store. Later it even included user ratings and real-life gatherings and events, some of which are still going.

 

[Deleted member 25310]

It was actually really amazing. People had their own galleries, blogs, 100% customizable profiles, user-created groups and forums. It also had its very own radio station and music store. Later it even included user ratings and real-life gatherings and events, some of which are still going.

Wow, that's pretty cool, the community transcended the website.

 

[χKai]

It was actually really amazing. People had their own galleries, blogs, 100% customizable profiles, user-created groups and forums. It also had its very own radio station and music store. Later it even included user ratings and real-life gatherings and events, some of which are still going.

I didn't know it had all that; I thought it was just a goth clothes shop. ?

 

[middler]

Wow, that's pretty cool, the community transcended the website.

This was actually pretty common as you go backwards through internet history. In the before (social media) times, many online forums and communities were extensions of real physical communities.

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

This was actually pretty common as you go backwards through internet history. In the before (social media) times, many online forums and communities were extensions of real physical communities.

Yep. I went to see my crush as part of a forum gathering in 2006.

 

[middler]

I can see a baby @Waffles in fishnets and black lip liner holding hands with a flannel clad Megadeth fan in a grainy disposable camera picture. ;)

 

[Zerpina]

@middler Like this?

*Not that i can talk, i went through the Goth thing myself*

 

[middler]

@middler Like this?

View attachment 16351
*Not that i can talk, i went through the Goth thing myself*

i was the flannel clad Megadeth fan!

 

[χKai]

@middler Like this?

View attachment 16351
*Not that i can talk, i went through the Goth thing myself*

Huh. Kinda figured you still were.
Sorry if that offends. ?

 

[Prism_Red]

I remember this was a thing back in the day, I tend to just lurk around in forums like these and only create an account to leech off locked post and stuff.
They will eventually isolate themselves as potential new member will lose interest, at this point, just wait for an infighting and watch the bubble pop inside out.

 

[RageBurner]

It sounds rather toxic and a fertile ground for people to be targeted by general malcontents or personal nemeses.

More curious than the feature, perhaps, is the mindset of the admins that would encourage this kind of long leashed behavior. I suppose watching chaos unfold from a comfortable seat has a semblance of twisted appeal, for some.

 

[middler]

It sounds rather toxic and a fertile ground for people to be targeted by general malcontents or personal nemeses.

More curious than the feature, perhaps, os the mindset of the admins that would encourage this kind of long leashed behavior. I suppose watching chaos unfold from a comfortable seat has a semblance of twisted appeal, for some.

it usually comes down to who is in the inner circle and who isnt. (refer to my title)

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

I can see a baby @Waffles in fishnets and black lip liner holding hands with a flannel clad Megadeth fan in a grainy disposable camera picture. ;)

I was more of a Punk myself, but I was really into some Goths.

 

[Gorse]

I’m still into some goths. NAMELY THE HOT CHICKS, AM I RIGHT FELLAS???????????????????????

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

More curious than the feature, perhaps, is the mindset of the admins that would encourage this kind of long leashed behavior. I suppose watching chaos unfold from a comfortable seat has a semblance of twisted appeal, for some.

Part of it was the fact that you wanted your members to keep paying for using the platform (it had more than a million members before it even really got going), and you wanted to give them that kind of power in exchange for their money. I don't condone it, but I understand it... site wasn't going to keep going on ad revenue alone!

 

[χKai]

People readily do stupid shit like challenges and such just to get some attention.

Oh man. Before those challenges were even a thing I remember doing a 7-inch line of pepper; because my internet friend told me he did a 6-inch line of pepper. ?

No he didn't ask me to, dare, or even want me to do it really; I just had to one-up that bit.

Though, he told me he did PCP just to punch through a car window so he could feel like The Terminator; and I never did that. ?

 

[Somnia]

I've never been on a forum with such a feature aside from vampirefreaks iirc. Sounds hilarious yet horrible at the same time, I kinda love it. I suppose if enough veterans on the forum find you annoying they just conspire to ban you themselves? Truly horrible, I can't stop giggling at the thought. Definitely wouldn't want that, especially somewhere like here that tries to be more upbeat.

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

Thank you all for the replies! That was awesome!

I had an entirely different thing planned for the next one... but I can see it quickly becoming a riot, so I'm skipping it for now, and I'm instead going to ask:

What do you guys think about early advise sites for teens?

I was a member of a couple growing up, and I used to think they were pretty great... But WebArchive has certainly shown me another reality entirely. I'm almost shocked to see that the questions weren't moderated at all and that 12-years-olds could come in and ask things that would make me ground them forever if I was their patent.

Lots of replies turning into battle zones, too.

But with all that said... I do recall these being quite useful when the advise asked for (and given) followed the site's topic and addressed stuff like drinking, homework and crushes.

What's your take? Ever used them? Knew about them? Do you think there's a reason why this is all pretty much extinct these days?

 

[χKai]

They don't have the maturity to answer questions any more than people have the maturity to have an intelligent discussion on the internet when their opinion differs.

 

[Somnia]

Thank you all for the replies! That was awesome!

I had an entirely different thing planned for the next one... but I can see it quickly becoming a riot, so I'm skipping it for now, and I'm instead going to ask:

What do you guys think about early advise sites for teens?

I was a member of a couple growing up, and I used to think they were pretty great... But WebArchive has certainly shown me another reality entirely. I'm almost shocked to see that the questions weren't moderated at all and that 12-years-olds could come in and ask things that would make me ground them forever if I was their patent.

Lots of replies turning into battle zones, too.

But with all that said... I do recall these being quite useful when the advise asked for (and given) followed the site's topic and addressed stuff like drinking, homework and crushes.

What's your take? Ever used them? Knew about them? Do you think there's a reason why this is all pretty much extinct these days?

Aha I remember just asking my Kingdom of Loathing guild or Yahoo Answers for advice when growing up. Was fortunate to have a handful of older players in that game to actually give me straight advice instead of troll me like most people would.

 

[tranzittruther]

First time hearing about power-bombing, I kind of get it because I used to report random people that pissed me off back when I played LOL, but since the report system worked awful no one ever got banned. I think it would be funny if it was like a "fake" ban (maybe just a timeout or a flag on the profile that says they're banned, I think that would be funnier)

About the advise sites, I never went on them or anything, generally seems like a bad idea to me, teens should be asking people they actually know about stuff.