- Jun 9, 2014
- 78,485
- 110,944
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Nope..... all Ox w a smidge of help from 78.
The Birth of Gatorchatter
- Thread starter Jbossgator8
- Start date
- Jun 9, 2014
- 78,485
- 110,944
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that was actually a total reboot with better software.
- Jun 11, 2014
- 14,932
- 20,249
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- Jun 19, 2014
- 12,782
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- Jan 14, 2016
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My thanks to Ox as well. I lurked at GSMB for years, mainly just to try to stay close to the program and hear what fans were saying/thinking since I live out here on the west coast. Found this place through google looking for gator message boards after GSMB shut down without warning. Lurked here for years as well and really liked the tone. Finally got drawn in by the disaster that was Mac Just needed to vent and this place was great for that. I'm not a social media guy, in fact this is the only place I participate in any of that so it took me a while to settle in. I now get a kick out of posting my inane, irrational comments about gator football.
- Jun 11, 2014
- 6,901
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- Jun 11, 2014
- 14,932
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- Nov 16, 2017
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Origin story...a metaphor:
Obi-Wan is the Gainesville Sun. This crew of maladjusted reprobates is Skywalker, and Ox is emperor. Gatorchatter is the suit that keeps us alive, but imprisoned in our seething rage.
Last edited:
- Jun 12, 2014
- 9,626
- 25,613
Founding Member
After a few days of GSMB going down 
, someone posted a link in the comment section under a Sun article.
It was the first time I clicked on one of their articles in a long time, but I knew those comments were there.
, someone posted a link in the comment section under a Sun article. It was the first time I clicked on one of their articles in a long time, but I knew those comments were there.
.
- Mar 14, 2015
- 3,375
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- Jun 9, 2014
- 19,752
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- Aug 12, 2014
- 5,846
- 15,818
Oh man I remember the time stamp issue. The third post in a thread would show up on page 2 and the 45th post in a thread quoting the 40th post in the thread would show up as the 3rd post. Nobody would know wtf was being discussed
The demise began with Jeff Barlis and that dipshyt heisman though. Their love affair together and their refusal to do anything relevant, and then when Jeff left he didn’t leave a glowing review of any of us to the brass. From that point it just got worse and worse
(Not saying this was the end, but it was the beginning of the end, and the fun started to slowly leak out of that place)
- Aug 12, 2014
- 5,846
- 15,818
I loved gsmb too. I signed up at the beginning of the 2006 season and stayed for what, 7, 8 years before it completely shyt the bed? So many refreshes where we all lost post counts, so many changes of management and rules and moderators who didn’t even moderate. Sucks that they wouldn’t just give some of us the keys and let us deal with it. Didnt the New York Time own the board at one time? Contacting anyone was useless. They didn’t care about a message board in Florida with an extensive emoji catalog.
- Jun 5, 2014
- 37,047
- 98,129
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Okay I copied my post from a thread a couple of years ago:
This was in June of 2014. The board software wasn't working properly, but it wasn't going all the way down, posts in threads were showing up out of order - making them unreadable. This wasn't the first time it had happened, and the members were grumbling. I was a mod and had emailed the admins for help, but they weren't that interested in fixing the problem. They paid absolutely no attention to the forum, which was pretty big at that time.
I think it was '78 who started a thread complaining and ripping Halifax, the company that owned the Sun. Brad then jumped in by going to the Halifax website and taking the public information for the executives and creating a fake email exchange which he then posted. The fabricated email chain showed Halifax executives going back and forth with forum members about the "hamster" being down on the website. Brad kept escalating it until he implied one of the executives had sex with the hamster or something.....don't totally remember all the details (perhaps Brad can fill us in).
I was told later by an admin on the phone that the CEO of Halifax had it set up that he got a Google alert whenever Halifax was mentioned on the internet. As a result, he ended up seeing that thread and demanded the entire forum be shut down. Within a day of Brad's posts, the website was shut down with a notice on the page that said it was being shuttered for "disruptive posters" and would not re-open, and they would focus their efforts on social media. Yes, an income-starved newspaper company shut down a bustling forum that had been there for 15+ years because of a fake email exchange involving a hamster.
Needless to say, thousands of members were in shock and had no idea where to go. Unbeknownst to anyone, I had already been creating a new forum in the week leading up the shutdown - not because I was planning a competing forum, but because I thought the board was going to be down for a while for software updates and I wanted to give people a place to go. After all, the season was about to start. Myself, law, and '78 had some conversations about this in a group we had created on Facebook right after the shutdown.
I had the new forum up within two days of the shutdown, and immediately got around 200 members to head over in the first couple of weeks. Obviously, we've continued to grow from there.
It was about eleven weeks later (near the middle of September - not six months like law said) that the GSMB suddenly and unexpectedly re-opened with new software. Had they left the message that they were down temporarily while they were updating the software we may have waited and the GCMB wouldn't exist, but they were too dumb for that. I was very concerned that my new venture might be sunk while everyone returned there, but I was worried for nothing - members had no intention of going back and it's been a ghost town ever since.
Shortly after the GSMB re-opened, they banned any mention of Gatorchatter and the word "chatter" was automatically replaced with the word "sports", further infuriating their former members. With the most recent re-launch, they have stopped doing that and links to this board can be made over there. I have actually spoken to the GSMB board admin, Arnold, on the phone. Very nice guy.
This was in June of 2014. The board software wasn't working properly, but it wasn't going all the way down, posts in threads were showing up out of order - making them unreadable. This wasn't the first time it had happened, and the members were grumbling. I was a mod and had emailed the admins for help, but they weren't that interested in fixing the problem. They paid absolutely no attention to the forum, which was pretty big at that time.
I think it was '78 who started a thread complaining and ripping Halifax, the company that owned the Sun. Brad then jumped in by going to the Halifax website and taking the public information for the executives and creating a fake email exchange which he then posted. The fabricated email chain showed Halifax executives going back and forth with forum members about the "hamster" being down on the website. Brad kept escalating it until he implied one of the executives had sex with the hamster or something.....don't totally remember all the details (perhaps Brad can fill us in).
I was told later by an admin on the phone that the CEO of Halifax had it set up that he got a Google alert whenever Halifax was mentioned on the internet. As a result, he ended up seeing that thread and demanded the entire forum be shut down. Within a day of Brad's posts, the website was shut down with a notice on the page that said it was being shuttered for "disruptive posters" and would not re-open, and they would focus their efforts on social media. Yes, an income-starved newspaper company shut down a bustling forum that had been there for 15+ years because of a fake email exchange involving a hamster.
Needless to say, thousands of members were in shock and had no idea where to go. Unbeknownst to anyone, I had already been creating a new forum in the week leading up the shutdown - not because I was planning a competing forum, but because I thought the board was going to be down for a while for software updates and I wanted to give people a place to go. After all, the season was about to start. Myself, law, and '78 had some conversations about this in a group we had created on Facebook right after the shutdown.
I had the new forum up within two days of the shutdown, and immediately got around 200 members to head over in the first couple of weeks. Obviously, we've continued to grow from there.
It was about eleven weeks later (near the middle of September - not six months like law said) that the GSMB suddenly and unexpectedly re-opened with new software. Had they left the message that they were down temporarily while they were updating the software we may have waited and the GCMB wouldn't exist, but they were too dumb for that. I was very concerned that my new venture might be sunk while everyone returned there, but I was worried for nothing - members had no intention of going back and it's been a ghost town ever since.
Shortly after the GSMB re-opened, they banned any mention of Gatorchatter and the word "chatter" was automatically replaced with the word "sports", further infuriating their former members. With the most recent re-launch, they have stopped doing that and links to this board can be made over there. I have actually spoken to the GSMB board admin, Arnold, on the phone. Very nice guy.
- Jun 13, 2014
- 845
- 2,080
Founding Member
Glory. This place is awesome and glad it is in the hands of Gator fans and not the whim of disconnected corporate industry.
The entire ecosystem here works well - nicely balanced in the fabled Pumper/Dumper Ratio.
I joined because Ox is my friend, no, he is my brother, and I would support him setting up an ice cream shop in the Arctic.
Go Gators!
The entire ecosystem here works well - nicely balanced in the fabled Pumper/Dumper Ratio.
I joined because Ox is my friend, no, he is my brother, and I would support him setting up an ice cream shop in the Arctic.
Go Gators!
- Aug 11, 2015
- 8,322
- 15,964
GSMB hadn’t died and Ox hadn’t been banned yet when Ox shared the promise of a message board without trolls. I was so tired of the pointless provocations of Alvin, Cane Thing, The Dr., Lawrence etc. And I was/am convinced one sick idiot was behind most or all of those identities.
I get a lot more than I give on this board and really appreciate your collective insights, opinions & links.
And best of all...no trolls. We do tend to devolve into arguments about the arguments and personal grudges, but even that gets funny at time.
So thanks, Ox!
I get a lot more than I give on this board and really appreciate your collective insights, opinions & links.
And best of all...no trolls. We do tend to devolve into arguments about the arguments and personal grudges, but even that gets funny at time.
So thanks, Ox!
- Jun 9, 2014
- 19,752
- 27,649
Founding Member
The Sun abruptly took down the site after the Halifax blowup and posted this vague notice. What a hoot. Just like the Sun "managed" GSMB, there was no update for months.
By then, Noah's Ark had made hundreds of trips back and forth to GCMB. There was no looking back. It was the best thing that could have ever happened for open and honest Gator message boarding.
By then, Noah's Ark had made hundreds of trips back and forth to GCMB. There was no looking back. It was the best thing that could have ever happened for open and honest Gator message boarding.
- Jun 9, 2014
- 78,485
- 110,944
Founding Member
