who are the CD pioneers of CD.com......

[mykell]

so i have been taken the wayback machine to the very first posts in the MtF section and started reading them, did not recognize anyone, then i did it in the photo and video section, and recognized some familiar faces....this had me wondering, are any of the original CDers from the pioneer days still with us, are there any that remember them, are they the ones who started the forum or just the first say 100 to join ?

for me to be one the very firsts to join would have been daunting with something so new, but in one of the threads it revealed that even then this was not like the creepy chat rooms that are still prevalent, they were respectful and comfortable from the start.....quite a program.

oh and its sherries fault i took the wayback machine, was looking for some of her old threads because of her latest thread....

[Robin414]

That's an interesting post Mikell, I've only been here about 18 mo but I'm interested in the responses! (Any Phsycology majors in the group ☺ )

I would think the 'what's new' button back in the day was pretty light.

[Cristy2]

I would assume that some still pop in from time to time, just don't spend hours on end anymore. Facebook and Twitter took a lot of people away from these type forums for awhile too, but even they are starting to die down a bit.

[Tracii G]

Not really sure when this site was born but I recognize many that were here when I joined.

[ReineD]

Look at the horizontal menu at the bottom of this and all the other pages. On the right is 'Archive'. These are the first 5 threads ever in the MtF section from February 2004! :)


Looking for a stright crossdresser for a documenatry (http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-5.html)
Photography student (http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-8.html)
Looking for a Woman to help with makeup. (http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-13.html)
Trying Sisters Cloths (http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-20.html)
girly shopping (http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-28.html)

[heatherdress]

If you go to top of web page and click on "Community", then click on "Member List", then click on "Join Date", then click on down arrow - you will see members beginning in 2004.

If you scroll down a few pages, most members are active for a few years with varying numbers of posts. People come and go.


And thanks to original founders and those who still run a fun site to come to.

[I Am Paula]

The pioneer days, as in before the revolutionary war? I feel that old some mornings.

[Sarah Doepner]

I've been here for about 9 years now and I still see some of the same names now as I saw back then. However there has been turnover and a movement of folks from here to other media. I wonder about some of those who have gone missing from time to time or just lurk these days since so much of the conversation can seem the same after all those years. If they are lurking I'd love to tell them how much I've appreciated their contributions over the years. The same goes for the Mods. They do a lot of mostly thankless work in maintaining the site and keeping the kind of forum that actually welcomes new people in and encourages old questions and discussions that must seem to them as a Groundhog Day experience.

I'd like to see some of our long time members check in from time to time.

[Amy Lynn3]

This site was around three years old when I joined. Like others have said... members come and go, for different reasons. Sarah, I would love to see some of the older members stop by now and again to.

[Julogden]

I've been on here since 2006, nowhere near as active as I used to be. There were other on-line forums quite a bit before this one, and before that, I was active in the newsgroups/Usenet back in the 1990's. Before that, there were other sources for contact and support. I was active with Tri Ess and the Empathy Club snail-mail pen pals as far back as 1976, so this is nothing new for me. :)

Carol

[Maria 60]

Well I also don't know when this site was started but for some reason I tell everyone here I have only been here a few years and then read my profile and I joined here in 2010, but it doesn't seem that long. Some come and go but there are always those regulars that we recognize all the time. I don't think I'm a pioneer here but I do like that the site is very respectful and taking very serious and for me when I take a few steps forward I can't wait to share it here with what I consider my friends. When giving advice I'm very honest and hope everyone else here is honest because I also ask for advice here. My best example of that was when I was going to adventure and walk in a quit commercial area, and I got hundreds of response telling me that it not safe to do that and instead find somewhere not so confined. That's was great advice, people I don't even know helping me to be safe. That's amazing isn't it. Great post thanks for giving me alittle flash back.

[Sarah Louise]

Look at the horizontal menu at the bottom of this and all the other pages. On the right is 'Archive'. These are the first 5 threads ever in the MtF section from February 2004! :)


Looking for a stright crossdresser for a documenatry (http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-5.html)
Photography student (http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-8.html)
Looking for a Woman to help with makeup. (http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-13.html)
Trying Sisters Cloths (http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-20.html)
girly shopping (http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-28.html)

Does this mean the site was started by a student from a university in the UK who wanted to make a documentary?

[ReineD]

No. Those are just the first few posts in that section.

[Sarah Louise]

Thanks Reine. The oldest post I can find is in the Forum Issues Help and News Section. It's interesting to see a suggestion from someone called Dina suggesting having forum rules to keep things civilised, something that thankfully continues to this day.

[rachellegsep]

Oops I just popped in for a quick browse back then.

[BLUE ORCHID]

Hi Mikell :hugs:, Look below the avatar and that will tell you who the old-timers are.

Every Evening I go through the Birthday Calendar at the forum banner and It's amazing how few active members are there
so many signup and that was the last time that they ever logged on.

I am coming up on my eighth Anniversary this Christmas.


Isn't it amazing that we can have so many friends all over the world with just a click of the mouse...:daydreaming:...

[Lorileah]

Many of the people who I knew back then are gone. Many of the people I knew who started here as CD morphed to TS and then disappeared into life. I am still friends with some on other sites. The thing is that the site tends to rehash most things. I don't mind because I like the idea that us "pioneers" are here to help the new explorers, but often people move on, not because they no longer dress, but because they no longer have the interest in panty colors or how marriages react. You can hear that from some of us old fogies when a subject comes back around.

It was a different world back then when I started here

[pamela7]

maybe there is also a matter that once we've "said our piece" on a subject, that's it, done and dusted and we don't need to go over it. The site is great for encouraging "out" but once you're "out" the job is done. Having said that, our gratitude to the old-timers cannot be overstated, because you/they have helped us all so much. xxx Pamela

[ReineD]

I know quite a few CDers who CDed less and less as they aged. It was almost a full-circle sort of thing, with starting out slowly, then going all out for a period of years with the excitement of perfecting the appearance and learning to go out, all to subside again after several more years. This happened to my SO and quite a few other members who were prolific contributors to the site. They reached the point where they couldn't be bothered (as much as during the heightened years). I'm sure many do still CD but not nearly to the same degree. And then there is the issue of aging ... not appreciating the mirror image as much as when one is younger. Not for TSs obviously but for CDers.

[Annette_boy]

Been here from 03/2005 I did not realize that I was an early settler, not quite a pioneer, but time files when you are having fun.

Hugs Annette

[Yoshisaur]

I think it's actually really impressive to have a forum community that started twelve years ago and today still have such a supportive and friendly attitude. I don't mean to offend anyone, but most forums nowadays are filled with trolls and assholes, so its really great to be a part of this site, and I gotta thank all the originals and pioneers for building such a welcoming place for us newer members who come here.

[Kate Simmons]

I've been here 10 years. Don't comment as much as I used to as many topics make the cycle over and over. Miss some who have left but I guess they have their reasons. In any case always willing to contact and chat with my friends here. :battingeyelashes::)

[Raychel]

Not so sure I would consider myself a pioneer, as much as an early settler as well.
Joined in 2005, a year after the forum was started.

There are many here that have been here as long, Some good friends that have moved on.
But that is all part of life, People come and go, :daydreaming:

[mykell]

Reine you always have an answer.....



Look at the horizontal menu at the bottom of this and all the other pages. On the right is 'Archive'. These are the first 5 threads ever in the MtF section from February 2004! :)

so i shared a few of the first hundred threads and its amazing how current those were, their was one about "passing" that i found "i look great as a women".....

http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/showthread.php?282-Why-do-most-of-us-use-girlie-names
http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/showthread.php?50-How-to-tell-your-loved-one%28s%29
http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/showthread.php?391-Two-Groups-of-Dressers
http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/showthread.php?386-Desirable-image
http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/showthread.php?574-Cding-vs-transgender

[Mink]

joined in oct 2011... didn't post until oct 2013... but lurked before then as a non-member... reading so many threads from 2004 to 2011 over the years but not joining in but then joining but not joining in but then finally joining in ... but it can be quite frustrating how insanely over-modded some stuff can get ... what gets deleted or closed or told off or is off limits

around 2003 or so I was on a forum called Pantiesetc and the ETC was key... some dudes just wanted to talk of undies... no bras or dresses or makeup or total transformations... others went the full route and even with trans on the line / on the fence and gay encounters... it tip-toed the line but then was over-run with both spam and decreasing usage...

but that one wasn't focused enough on the "beyond panties / lingerie / clothes" side...

where this one for being CD dot com feels a bit TOO MUCH beyond the clothing / crossdressing...

which can be great but can also maybe freak people out... not just the TS forum but all this always talk of wanting to be with a guy sexually and "well they were CDers but then they moved on up to Transitioning!"

can be kinda scary like "what does MY future hold? OH GOD!"

before 2003 (I was 19) ... well 1999ish to 2001ish I was on "naughty" adult chat broom closets

and let me tell you... at 15 years old starting chat rooms called BOYS IN PANTIES and revealing I was 15/M/MN wearing pretty pink panties...

I was probably really on the edge of "what the HELL was I doing!"

luckily I never met up with anyone or really got into that whole cyber sex THING (not my bag baby!)

I was just trying to learn // educate myself on what I was and what I wanted or how others were or felt and their thoughts / experiences (SEXPERIENCES!)

but also getting a bit of a thrill / finding myself!

telling girlies on yahoo chat at 15/16 (or even younger! 13 in 1997! talking about TITANIC and PANTIES!) [and TITANIC PANITES!] <wonder what rose wore! oh god?>

etc!

but getting thoughts on middle school / high school age as a late bloomer flower of women or girls like "what do you think of me as a 14 year old boy wearing girls undies / clothes? is that weird?"

etc!

[Jennifer in CO]

wow...6/24/04. Makes me an "ancient one"

[SherriePall]

I joined in 2005. No wonder I have to use extra foundation. Time flies when you're having fun. And getting all dolled up is fun!

[docrobbysherry]

I spend a lot of time on FB now. Because it turns out Sherry's quite an exhibitionist. I had no idea when I joined here back in the day. :eek:
And, I've met some of the most deliteful folks here. Both online and in person!:hugs:
I'm surprised I've lasted here this long. I seem to keep forgetting the rules!:doh:
Fortunately, the Mods know I'm old, forgetful, but lovable.:D

A number of dressers who left here invited me to sites that were less controled. They were also as boring as watching paint dry!:sad:

Kudos to Tams and the mods here! They run a tite ship but there's no place else like cd.com on earth! Thank u all! :love:

[Lyla]

I think leaving your mark or making a difference is valued more then just being the first to do something.

[mykell]

...............I would think the 'what's new' button back in the day was pretty light.
light perhaps,but were still discussing the same topics...

I think leaving your mark or making a difference is valued more then just being the first to do something.
sometimes being the first to do something is leaving your mark, Orville and Wilber might agree as well as the vast others.....

Hi Mikell :hugs:, Look below the avatar and that will tell you who the old-timers are.
....................... It's amazing how few active members are there
so many signup and that was the last time that they ever logged on.........
Isn't it amazing that we can have so many friends all over the world with just a click of the mouse...:daydreaming:...
i had a thread about that topic when i first joined, even today, i try to welcome as many as possible, for most it is the only post......my reasoning is we are all so attached by our devises and social site that perhaps many accidentally out themselves, i was surprised by all the notifications from CD.com when i first joined before i corrected them in my profile....

[Jenny22]

Virginia Prince, a true pioneer , was active in our cause probably before this forum came to life. Her publication of TRANSVESTIA was a major milestone in my development. . Do you remember her and her publication?

[Leelou]

Interesting thread. I didn't know how long the site was active before I joined in 2009, so cool to know it was launched in 2004.

I still find this site interesting and fun. It is still very active compared to other message boards I've encountered. I understand that there are topics that come up repeatedly, but I'm OK with that. I can either read them or not, but I also understand that they are valuable to some of the newer members.

[mykell]

Virginia Prince, a true pioneer , was active in our cause probably before this forum came to life. Her publication of TRANSVESTIA was a major milestone in my development. . Do you remember her and her publication?


i dont know of it but will look it up, i had this info fall in my lap from the passing of my mom,

http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/showthread.php?234772-huh-what-are-the-odds-mom-was-a-transgender-caregiver&highlight=mom+caregiver

[tifftg]

Great thread, it forced me to check my start date. May 2005. That was a very intense time for me, wrestling with how far I wanted to go on the journey. Ups and downs over the years. It does seem that in the past 11 years, transgenderism has certainly become more visible and the basic crossdressers, ( which I consider myself) are possibly a minority of a minority in the TG community.

[Genifer Teal]

May 2005. Guess I'm getting old. Lol

[Mink]

2004 is 12 years ago but in the internet / interest of things doesn't seem that far back?

it's just the mid 00s!



I've been on one message board (music board) since 1999! [and that only started in 99... the website was from 1997!]

that's nearly 20 years!

[azncd]

Wow, February 2005. I guess I'm one of the originals.. Although sadly my posting hasn't quite been up to the level of basically anyone...

[Lorileah]

Virginia Prince, a true pioneer , was active in our cause probably before this forum came to life. Her publication of TRANSVESTIA was a major milestone in my development. . Do you remember her and her publication?


Then again, that wasn't the question

[mykell]

Wow, February 2005. I guess I'm one of the originals.. Although sadly my posting hasn't quite been up to the level of basically anyone...


just re-welcomed a girl from sept 2005, seems the UK and Australia were popular back then..... you can always catch up with posting, and sometimes folks just post nonsense that has noting to do with the topic just to bump up the post count or whatever....

[TrishaTX]

I am happy they started it and kept it going....its been a lifesaver for me

[Christie ann]

It seems like I have been here for awhile. I do miss some of the conversations from years ago but still enjoy reading about what everyone is up to now.

[Wen4cd]

I was in my 20's when I joined this forum. I am currently in my 40's.

I check in here about once a month to see if any old friends are trying to contact me, but I don't hang out on the internet, and I've found "discussion" is pretty overrated. :) So I lurk occasionally.

Jennifer in CO, you have me by 2 weeks and a day. So close!

[ColleenCD]

Mikell,

Still here, albeit 10 years later. I don't post much but I stop by for a cup of coffee every so often. Season in life change, but my appreciation for pretty things remain.

Colleen

[Melissa73]

member sine 2005 here and i "lurked" about for months before i joined

[Sarah V]

Never realized I too can be considered here with the oldies. Member here since May 2007, and all that time just a bit under 1.1K in comments.