okaysamurai.com: five years old
Today marks the second anniversary of this journal, but a recent trip to the Internet Archives brought up a better reason for celebration. The first incarnation of this site was actually created on April 17, 1999, so today we celebrate five years online. These are some of the best moments from the past five years.
The first realization that I could make a website. The free hosting site Angelfire seemed so cool. A cheesy, spinning, animated globe marked the top of one huge page of text called "Second Nature Online". It had band member information, a link to our offsite music, one sample Second Nature comic and a ridiculously pointless section called "Acorn McDoogle's Hidden Alcove" where a squirrel supposedly answered fan mail (which, needless to say, was mostly fake). The band and the comic gave me excuses to make promotional websites and learn HTML.
The VRML Treehouse. Cybertown was and still is a 3D world where you buy virtual homes and furniture, as well as talking with other community members from around the world. The first person I met was named PsYcHo_BoB, who hacked into the system and made me a virtual millionaire. My snow_crash character became one of the richest people in the city, which prompted me to learn how to make my own 3D worlds. I learned VRML (virtual reality modeling language) and changed part of the site into a 3D treehouse. You directed a character around and clicked on objects that took you to the 2D parts of the site. This was my first creative online endeavor; attempting a different type of navigation system.
News posts. In 2001, we started posting our band news and concerts in a weblog-like system, which eventually evolved into the journal. I thought that putting a random picture and nonsensical headline with each entry would draw (trick) people into reading. The format stuck.
Second Nature World. This 3D VRML video game tied into a storyline in the Second Nature comic strip, and was circulated throughout the dying VRML community. Getting mentioned on a Russian VRML site and being referenced in a California student's term paper made me realize the potential global reach of the site.
The Teach For America Chronicles. Eight chapters about my experiences at Northeast Middle School let my friends and family know what I was going through during the most difficult year of my life, and started a steady flow of email feedback and questions from current teachers and TFA recruits. I still maintain that TFA is a strong organization and don't regret my time with them; challenges define our lives.
Moving To Atlanta. Portfolio Center provided new excuses to add content to okaysamurai.com, and gave me a major creative boost in general. The site has really picked up since enrolling.
Connections with friends. I think that running a website is like having your own international television station. Personal websites are slowly losing their nerdy stigma and becoming mainstream. I wish that everyone had a site, whether you use it to share 73.8 photos of your dog, vent about the cute girl/guy who doesn't notice you in class, or simply post your resume. The limits are constricted only by your imagination. The friendships built, kept, and rekindled from this site are the sole factor behind continuing it. I'm able to share school projects through photos and daily adventures through writing and movies - things a phone call or letter can't convey as well. The email responses, ranging from past girlfriends to potential employers, are always nice surprises.
Thank you to everyone who regularly visits this site, especially those few who have been with us since the beginning. If Katy McHale, Mary-Claire Leftwich or Jimmy Scanlon still visit this site, please let me know what you're up to!
Thursday, June 10 at 11:06 PM
Okay Samurai Multimedia is Dave Werner's personal site. I'm currently working at Minor Studios in San Francisco. Thanks for visiting! (more...)
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