It's incredibly hard to imagine that it has been two decades since this community was launched. Back then, Seahawks.com was nothing more than a black page with a tiny graphic with a couple links that went basically nowhere at all. It was in fact the very reason I started Seahawks98.com. I wanted the fans to have a voice. It was really that simple.
I remember when I created the first forum I think there was about 10 of us or less. It didn't matter. We were the happiest 10 Seahawks fans on the internet. "Holy **** you mean there are others like me?" It was instantly a hit.
By the time the site was called Seahawks99.com our community was taking off. Over a hundred 12's if I recall. The thirst for Seahawks information was palpable so I decided having a writing staff made a lot of sense. Through the years I was blessed to have many talented 12's writing articles including Doug Farrar, Matt Wolfe, Doug Snazel and others. By 2003 Seahawks.NET was a legitimate presence in the NFL fan forum world. Speaking of, I got tired of having to renew a new domain name every year so in 2000 I discovered Seahawks.net was a available domain name.
Wait, what?!?
How in the world the Seahawks or the NFL did not have that domain taken will always be a mystery to me. Alas, it was mine for the taking. 18 year's later, it remains in the hands of 12's where it belongs.
In the years since, I have had the privilege and the honor to watch true friendships be born on this site. Nothing, and I mean nothing, gives me more satisfaction than thinking about the friendships that have manifested here. People that are unforgettable. Take Les for instance. The impact he had and so many of us is my greatest reward.
This site has always been about COMMUNITY. Even when I moved to that network, my focus was always about keeping the community strong. One of my proudest moments came when I broke free of that oppressive network and went back to being 100% independent and advertisement free. The donations from the community were always enough to keep the lights on.
After a decade or so, I decided to sell the site. Our beloved landlord Mark Olsen (aka RockHawk) took up the challenge. I asked of him one thing. Just keep .NET's community the heart of the site. And he did not disappoint. It's not easy to run a site like this. There's a lot of work that goes into making this the valued community that it remains to this day. Mark overseeing the website, Anguish...ANGUISH! the amount of blood, sweat and tears he has poured into this site to keep the back end running efficiently...The volunteer mod staff...My word the silent heroes!! The Kidhawks the Kitsaps, the countless volunteers who have and continue to make this forum so well ran could never be the great community it remains without their tireless and humble efforts. Never has it been about payment or reward. Always about the mutual love for the Seahawks and the camaraderie of being a fellow 12.
I don't have a clue where this site will be 20 years from now but I want to give my respect to everyone that has made this site what it is and remains to be. The whole point of .NET was to bring 12's together, to have a place online we could all come together and commune over our favorite team.
I never realized the friendships that would blossom. I never thought about the impact this site would have and so many, and for that I am most proud.
20 years. Wow. Here's to another 20.
Go Hawks!
I remember when I created the first forum I think there was about 10 of us or less. It didn't matter. We were the happiest 10 Seahawks fans on the internet. "Holy **** you mean there are others like me?" It was instantly a hit.
By the time the site was called Seahawks99.com our community was taking off. Over a hundred 12's if I recall. The thirst for Seahawks information was palpable so I decided having a writing staff made a lot of sense. Through the years I was blessed to have many talented 12's writing articles including Doug Farrar, Matt Wolfe, Doug Snazel and others. By 2003 Seahawks.NET was a legitimate presence in the NFL fan forum world. Speaking of, I got tired of having to renew a new domain name every year so in 2000 I discovered Seahawks.net was a available domain name.
Wait, what?!?
How in the world the Seahawks or the NFL did not have that domain taken will always be a mystery to me. Alas, it was mine for the taking. 18 year's later, it remains in the hands of 12's where it belongs.
In the years since, I have had the privilege and the honor to watch true friendships be born on this site. Nothing, and I mean nothing, gives me more satisfaction than thinking about the friendships that have manifested here. People that are unforgettable. Take Les for instance. The impact he had and so many of us is my greatest reward.
This site has always been about COMMUNITY. Even when I moved to that network, my focus was always about keeping the community strong. One of my proudest moments came when I broke free of that oppressive network and went back to being 100% independent and advertisement free. The donations from the community were always enough to keep the lights on.
After a decade or so, I decided to sell the site. Our beloved landlord Mark Olsen (aka RockHawk) took up the challenge. I asked of him one thing. Just keep .NET's community the heart of the site. And he did not disappoint. It's not easy to run a site like this. There's a lot of work that goes into making this the valued community that it remains to this day. Mark overseeing the website, Anguish...ANGUISH! the amount of blood, sweat and tears he has poured into this site to keep the back end running efficiently...The volunteer mod staff...My word the silent heroes!! The Kidhawks the Kitsaps, the countless volunteers who have and continue to make this forum so well ran could never be the great community it remains without their tireless and humble efforts. Never has it been about payment or reward. Always about the mutual love for the Seahawks and the camaraderie of being a fellow 12.
I don't have a clue where this site will be 20 years from now but I want to give my respect to everyone that has made this site what it is and remains to be. The whole point of .NET was to bring 12's together, to have a place online we could all come together and commune over our favorite team.
I never realized the friendships that would blossom. I never thought about the impact this site would have and so many, and for that I am most proud.
20 years. Wow. Here's to another 20.
Go Hawks!