History of this Forum

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Ring Bearer

You would have to agree that the references to LOTR and quotes from Tolkien wouldn't have been as common as they are in today's world.
LOTR is pretty popular in the Silicon Valley for example.

I could really do without the old memes around "You shall not pass" (misquoted from the book) and "they're taking the hobbits to Isengard".

Originally Posted by Ring Bearer

Btw, the colour scheme has remained unchanged for 21+ years!?

Yep. One of the enduring charms.

[Huinesoron]

Originally Posted by Inziladun

I could really do without the old memes around "You shall not pass" (misquoted from the book) and "they're taking the hobbits to Isengard".

Would you say Gondor needs no memes?

hS

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Huinesoron

Would you say Gondor needs no memes?

Not if you can't simply walk into Mordor.

[Snowdog]

I see Mithadan mentioned the old EZ Board Barrow Downs Forum. I did join in those days with my EZ Board 'global' account and posted a few times in existing threads. I'm thinking July/August 2000 or thereabouts. Can't remember what the threads were about, and I would drop in and be gone for periods of time (which describes my whole history with Barrow Downs over the last twenty years). Having been an old 'book' guy from the 70's, I only rekindled my Middle Earth flame when I heard some rumor in 1999 that there was a movie being made. The first place on the webz I found was The One Ring dot com and I became a regular there from the first of 2000 until I started looking elsewhere. That was when I found Barrow Downs, Entmoot, and Minas Tirith.

My pattern was to 'go rangering' around between the boards and see what interesting discussions were happening. I will admit that I was one who got lost when Barrow Downs moved from EZ Board, as I returned to look for them and they could not be found on the EZ globe. I did rediscover the 'new Barrow Downs' and re-registered in 2002. One of the big draws of this place over most of the others is the name does not even get a mention in the PJ movies, so the general membership tended to be (from my perspective) more book-orientated. Always loved the comfortable 'dark' theme that has remained unchanged through the years too.

I have made one good friend from being here. Natalia, who went by the name of Lush here. I have been in semi-regular contact through the years since meeting in some discussion thread here. I've followed her journalism career and watched her son grow from an infant to a solid young man. I have been enjoyng her 'geolocation' puzzles she posts on her newsletter.

I remember getting some Barrow Downs coffee mugs and a T-shirt way back when. The coffee mugs ar elong gone, one dying on the kitchen floor not long after getting them, and the other I lost track of in a divorce. I still have the T-shirt, and because I always ordered them in XL, it still fits! In the time I've been here, I have gone from a working professional raising kids to a comfortbly retired old grandfather coot whose grandchildren are graduating high school and are in college. I still have less than a thousand posts, but I'll be here until the end.... of either me or the board, whichever comes first.

[Mister Underhill]

Well, well, well! Are we now at the stage where we cart out our old bones, figuratively speaking, to tell these youngsters what it was really like back in the olden days? Somebody give Ken Burns a call!

Mith's expansive post -- and the sight of some old hands like Snowdog (howdy!) -- have left me feeling wistful. I can't help thinking about what a random stroke of fate it was that we all came together on this site at that time. It seems the internet was this utopian playground back then (popups and viruses notwithstanding), a place where all knowledge might eventually repose (along with Mr. T haikus), and where people with similar interests might form communities without borders, so to speak.

I share Mith's fascination with the dynamics of this site over the years. The Downs has always been, for me, the best of what the internet could be. Yet I too feel a pang when I think of the many friendships that have melted away across the years, like tears in the rain (to paraphrase another old favorite). But look at me getting sentimental, if not downright maudlin. That's life, I reckon. It's hard to hold on to the people and the times that we love for very long.

Annnnyway... I'll await Mith's sequel. I can find nothing to contradict in his account so far, though of course I have my own origin story. I joined after the old EZ-Board forums had been going for a few months and found my internet home immediately. No other online community has been as fulfilling or as enjoyable.

Originally Posted by Inziladun

Hm. I remember the debate being mostly respectful. Then again, that was quite a while ago.

I'll let Mithadan tell his version, but from my point of view it was more a question of whether our little community would simply be washed away by the deluge of Orli fans and frivolous discussion topics and posts. Our book-only "Barrow-downs" theme probably saved us from being totally capsized. The addition of... well, back up a second. Here I will reverse myself and find one thing to contradict in Mith's account -- I'm pretty sure the three categories at the time of the Great Making were, in fact, "Books", "Movies", and this very sub-forum, "The Barrow-Downs", a place to discuss burning community questions such as, "How did you find the Barrow-Downs?" The addition of "Novices and Newcomers" was a measure meant to stabilize things post movie release. If I recall correctly. Which I very well might not.

Originally Posted by Ring Bearer

Btw, the colour scheme has remained unchanged for 21+ years!?

Traditionnnnnn... Tradition! The colors!

[Mithadan]

Hello Mr. Underhill, it's been a while. In fact, I think it has been years since two administrators posted within days of each other, let alone in the same sub-forum!

I'm pretty sure the three categories at the time of the Great Making were, in fact, "Books", "Movies", and this very sub-forum, "The Barrow-Downs", a place to discuss burning community questions such as, "How did you find the Barrow-Downs?" The addition of "Novices and Newcomers" was a measure meant to stabilize things post movie release.

You may be correct here. I recall that the Newcomers forum was intended to be a place where folks could introduce themselves, ask questions, and make themselves comfortable. Admins, and later the Moderators, kept an eye on the Newcomers forum for a few reasons. One was to welcome people, which was possible only when we had a meager flow of new members joining. During the Movies period (post upcoming) this quickly became impossible. We recognized that acknowledging the first post or two of a newcomer was important. A second reason was to keep an eye open for people with potential. If a newcomer made a particularly thoughtful or well-reasoned post, they might receive a personal PM welcoming them and encouraging them to post again. This practice also faded away under the crush of incoming members (unlikely as this might seem during these quieter times).

[Estelyn Telcontar]

It's fascinating to read your account of the beginnings, Mithadan! I wasn't here for the start, but joined in January 2002 after reading about the Barrow-Downs in a magazine after the release of the first movie. I was desperately seeking for someone with whom to share my thoughts on the movies and the book, and lurked for a few days before registering and jumping in to post. I remember taking my time to think up a cool user name!

I actually discovered the main site first, with its various features - the Elvish name generator was very popular back then! Then I found the link to the forum, which sealed my fate and made me a Downer for life. Later I also participated in the chat room, which was where a lot of personal friendships formed, some of them leading to real life meetings and friendships.

I don't remember when I joined the team as a moderator - maybe a year later? Of course that involved a good deal of monitoring for behaviour that was not consistent with our policies, such as chatspeak in forum posts, off-topic posting, flame wars, or language that was not family friendly. We always prided ourselves on being a place where young persons were safe and even learned something in the process - like spelling, grammar, etc.! It was a joy to see second-language members improving their English and being accepted into an international fellowship of Tolkien fans.

Oh, and remember the birthday parties we celebrated back then?! There was so much going on that you couldn't keep track of all the posts! We did virtual partying way before Corona made social distancing necessary.

The Barrow-Downs encouraged me to read those Tolkien books I had not previously come across, to attend international Tolkien conferences, and to join a Tolkien Society in the country I live in (Germany). As a result, I lectured on several topics at various moots and even published essays and contributions to secondary literature.

I can definitely say that not only Tolkien has influenced the course of my life, but also that the Downs has been instrumental in making that happen. Though I have rarely posted in recent years, I still look in to see what's happening as often as possible. The personal friendships have largely moved over to Facebook (which reminds us of birthdays almost as faithfully as Galadriel55 does on the forum!).