The State of Godplace!

[Scott]

It is the first of January, 2013 and yes we made it this far!   

We did not do a Poster of the Year this year. I think with the downward trend is posters, it became a moot point. Pretty much any one left seems to be a former Poster of the Year!

Godplace.com has been around since 2001 or 2002 if memory serves me correct, which means 11 years of forum posting madness. The look has changed but here we are.

Many of use migrated from www.upci.com and later www.upci.ws after a major hack attack took us down. The attack was not only against www.upci.ws but the same server used by the UPCI who allowed us some bandwidth to run the (Volcano) chat room and discussion board. I ran the UPCI board from around 1997 onward and later took over Godplace after the migration.

Over the years we've had hundreds of people in and out of the board, some good, some bad and some.. well we just were not sure. 

There have been good times  and bad times  , happy  and sad  , funny  and really strange  .

In 2003 (if memory serves correctly) we managed to stop a suicide and working with two different ISP's and local law enforcement managed to get police to the person in time to save his/her life and get him/her the care he/she needed.

I've received odd emails and PM's over the years, from people confessing criminal acts, needing to talk about the abuse in their life  to (yes) Porn (from a female poster).

I've even had the opportunity to teach bible studies via email and PM to posters who had bible questions and in at least one situation was able to connect that person to a church and kept in contact with their minister.

More than once I had to share with the board news about the death of a poster and more than once that poster was someone I met or knew in real life.

We've had marriages and divorces, dating and break ups. We've had bickering, petty finger point, snipping and sniping. Heart attacks, strokes, surgeries, pain, discomfort and problems upon problems.

Oh it has been an interesting, odd and unusual ride.

We once had a person discuss on one of the board incarnations, their plans to split their church. They forgot that they were posting openly and their pastor along with members of his family found the discussion.

I've had days in which all  I could do was respond to emails and PM's about problems and this person or that person and we've had more than our share of trolls and troublemakers.

Back in the UPCI.WS days, we had to delete posts 3 to 4 days per week to keep it from freezing (because of bandwidth issues) and one of the mods accidentally deleted all the posts. For the next week we had thread after thread discussing the great thread rapture and living in a post thread rapture world.

Weird.. for nearly 15 years - I've been the administrator of this board in one incarnation or the other.

Can you imagine? Almost 15 years of dealing with Seth?  

[cont'd]

[Scott]

I cannot count the number of moderators and a few administrators who have come and gone over these years. Some left happy and more than a few left screaming into the night never to be heard from again.

This has been an emotional place and quite often emotions have run close to the surface many times bubbling over all over the board.

Once we had this really cool young lady from England who posted on the board. She was Jewish and some how found us. She was generous and actually a sweet kid (she'd hate that phrase).  She used to call me before going to school in the morning.. Mind you... her 7 am was my 1 am. 

She and my son played chess at Yahoo.games.com and we used to send little trinkets back and forth. I still have a Cricket ball Coaster that she sent me in 1999.

I have a book somewhere that Nicole sent me from Australia and I wonder if she still has the Teddy Bear I sent her (A Target Store Teddy Bear if I remember).

I've met many posters in person and became friends with them in real life. I've talked to a few on the phone and via email and yes that faceplacebooktwit thing that everyone uses.

I don't hate anyone, I dislike having to step in and enforce rules - I'd rather just have fun, post jokes, discuss a topic and enjoy life.

[cont'd]

[Scott]

I do have a question for everyone out there in Godplace land..

Have we come to a point where we need to just close up and go on with life?

Seriously!

At the most, we have one or two threads running and some days just the sharing thread. If that is all we are going to do, I can set up a Yahoo Groups page and you can have the sharing thread via email.

I look forward to your comments..  Keep it open? Close it up?

Thanks

Scott
Admin.

[Chseeads]

[mini]

How much does it cost to host this thing?

[Roscoe]

How much does it cost to host this thing?

Yeah that. I don't think a yahoo group would be near as comfortable for me. I tend to resist change....alot. And this place has became my outlet. I would to some degree be lost without it...I check it multiple times a day. I've made friends here that are some of the best in my life. Please don't shut it down...

[Scott]

How much does it cost to host this thing?

That is not even an issue.

[angel]

Yeah, and it was pretty cool finding out that you pastored here in this city and we'de talk about Sis Viola. Did you know Bro. Rapaich or Sis McNeely or Sis Wendalyn (sp) at all? Just curious.

It would be pretty sad to see this place go. I vote keep it.

[Heather]

I would be bummed if GP was no more. Yet another of my beloved forums to die. [RIP AYN]. Thankfully I'm at least connected to most from here via Facebook. It's up to the powers that be [not me] to decide.

[The Purple Fuzzy]

I would really miss this place.

[SippinTea]

I met my hubby here. I would be really sad if GP was no more.

[MelodyB]

I met my hubby here as well.

*cough*


I vote to keep it.

[Scott]

Yeah, and it was pretty cool finding out that you pastored here in this city and we'de talk about Sis Viola. Did you know Bro. Rapaich or Sis McNeely or Sis Wendalyn (sp) at all? Just curious.

It would be pretty sad to see this place go. I vote keep it.

Sis.. it has been so many years since  I was down there. I spoke to Sis Viola not too long before she died. I was in the basement having cake and coffee with the new pastor and talked with Sis Viola for a a while.

I was actually 65 miles south of your church when I was in that area.  Your church was kinda sort of a home base.

[Scott]

I would be bummed if GP was no more. Yet another of my beloved forums to die. [RIP AYN]. Thankfully I'm at least connected to most from here via Facebook. It's up to the powers that be [not me] to decide.

Ah yes AYN... the stories I could tell.......  *snicker*

[Scott]

I met my hubby here as well.

um... did we miss something here?

[MelodyB]

Speaking by faith.

[Chseeads]

The heavens are going to ring when Kevin Bishop signs up on the board.....

[MelodyB]

[mesipie]

I don't come often...felt kinda lost trying to get around the board and w ever changing ppl sometimes it feels as tho I don't know anyone...but I love gp
I will try to post more

[Chseeads]

Ma sha!  Jew neet meeta sho joo how to git choseff arount in hyear, Messy Pah?

[mesipie]

Retard

[Lynx]

There are some threads besides sharing thread I would miss.

If this place is shut down, catch me at jroi chatroom.  Google "ac20plus" and you'll find it.  I'm Lynx.

[taco_harvell]

Keep GP alive!

[Heather]

I'll never get to be poster of the year if we close down shop now!!

Plus on further thought I've gone through my wedding, marriage, and divorce on here. And I can honestly say if not for GP [and the people on it] I possibly may have never gotten back into church 

[MelodyB]

I think Heather should get poster of the year. Lol even if we don't have "officially" have it anymore.