How the internet affected my life
Posted by Skrud at Friday, February 9th 2007 at 8:27pm
Kathy Sierra at Creating Passionate Users is looking for stories about how the web (or some other app) changed people’s lives. I was writing this up in an e-mail to her project when I realized it would make a good blog post, too.
There are two instances of huge importance that I can think of.
The first story one dates back to … oh, early spring 2003, on the ol’ IRC. I used to be an operator in a heavy metal IRC channel. At the time, I was 19 years old and just finishing up my CEGEP curriculum, planning to attend university in Computer Science in the coming fall. By chance, I was discussing my future goals in the IRC channel with one of the channel’s regulars, “FiG”. I mentioned that I would be heading to Concordia University in Montreal. His response was something along the lines of “No way! I’m the president of CCSS: the Concordia Computer Science Society! I can get you free beer! Come by our tent at Frosh or drop by the office some time!”
On the first week of school, I made sure to drop by the CCSS office where I met not FiG, but some other geeks. We had a friendly chat, and I continued to drop by there regularly, eventually meeting FiG. I started participating in all their events (camping trips, coding competitions, etc.). The following year (even though I had transferred into a “Software Engineering” major as a direct result of CUSEC 2004’s influence) I ran for a VP position and got elected. We were shorthanded a few executives so I actually took up extra work myself. I networked and befriended people all across the university, including students in various disciplines as well as the faculty members. I brought in speakers and recruiters from local companies (Ubisoft and EA, for example). My efforts even got me a faculty-wide award “for outstanding contribution to Student Life”. The year after that I was President of CCSS, running the society myself with a team of executives. (I wasn’t a very good president, but that’s another story.)
I’m still heavily involved in student life at my school, I’ve met some amazing people and have a wonderful group of friends. It’s reached the point where the thought of graduating actually produces tears – I’m going to miss everyone! And all this because of an IRC conversation almost 4 years ago.
As for FiG, we are still very good friends and talk regularly… which leads me to story number 2.
Around November 2003 I started a blog. There was a hosting company (1and1) which was offering a full-featured hosting package absolutely free for one year. It was just the excuse I needed. I bought a domain name (skrud.net) and set up a simple blog. As an afterthought, I installed a simple forum script and promptly forgot about it.
After a couple of months, people actually started posting in it. Edward was the first, and then a few more of my friends (including the aforementioned FiG, who also brought along his own friends). And then people started signing up whom I had never met before. These were people who were new to Concordia in some Computer Science or Engineering discipline and found the forum and blog by chance, by Google, or by looking over someone else’s shoulder in a computer lab or classroom.
Now the forum is a modest-sized community of friends, and even one professor. We get together every so often as a big group and take over a bar, restaurant, or house. The forum has become the online presence of my circle of friends – which has expanded to include friends from before and during university life – and it keeps growing! Some of my favourite people and best friends I might have never met were it not for the forum. And the cycle continues! A number of the newcomers to the forum end up becoming actively involved in student life; the people who ran as my team of executives when I was president of CCSS were mostly forum members.
And there you have it – the internet has played an extremely integral role in making me the person I am today. :)
You know, it’s amazing that you mention that, because it’sone of the things that I think about from time to time. Even things as simple as people who where in CCSS with me (Behrouz, for example) have greatly changed the course of my life (Gameloft!).
To an even greater degree than you Skrud, I think my life has been touched by the internet, mostly because of Melissa. We met through the Webmaster of a Metal forum we both used to frequent. He introduced us to each other one day (HA! Through ICQ!) and we managed to stay in touch for a long time!
The world has become a much smaller place because of the internet, and not only that, it completely changes the way “young” people like us communicate and make friends. Never before has pure chance had the ability to make such large effects in peoples lives!
^^ Dude, that’s totally the kind of story that Kathy is looking for her project. You should e-mail that to ProjectX@wickedlysmart.com (and make sure to mention that you’re the same FiG from my story so that she can link everything together!)
Here’s to Skrud!
I ignore most people (with significan gender bias against the ‘Y’ chromosome). Skrud is an exception (java.lang.SkrudException?), being such an interesting, cool, and all around good person that he ranks fairly high on my list of people worth paying attention to.
I submit that Skrud has had an equal, if not greater impact on the web than it has had on him.
Dude, we’ve got 2 profs on the forum if you include Grogono… :P
Aw man, this story makes me all emotional! I love you guys at the forums, and yes that’s exactly how me and Paul met, thanks to the internets, how I got to know most all of you guys over the internet before I even moved here.
The acceptance I was given still means alot to me. Hey, even my dad was impressed with meeting the Skrud that summer ‘05 when I moved here. Your reputation has spread far and wide! This communty has become quite the beast that we all relate to at some level. It’s awesome.
Skrud, you do realize Melissa’s dad still talks about you from time to time? Probably because we met you randomly in the streets while we were showing hime aroudn MTL, but still, he does ask about you :)