FOREWORD

While often discussed, the history of the Org has never been formally documented. The closest we have is a couple of threads and some paragraphs in the FAQs This thread seeks to record Org history in a standardized manner through the use of boldfaced entries followed by an approximate date or period and a brief description, as illustrated below Of nourse, no attempt is made at chronology, though it does help to try to remember events in order.


PRINCE MAILING LIST (PML)
Early 90's

The PML (Prince Mailing List) was started by Ron Buckmire in 1990; later that year it was taken over by Jon Brode, and was an excellent source of information and discussion about Prince and related acts. When Jon decided to stop handling the PML, he asked for volunteers to continue the PML under a strict set of conditions. No one who volunteered could reach agreement with Jon about the future of the PML, and so the PML ended with its last issue on November 9, 1995.

Seeing the loss of such a valuable resource imminent, Mark Church and Kevin Smith found each other (through Leslie Timms) and started the PPML in November, 1995. The first issue went out November 15, 1995. Therefore, the PPML is not a direct descendant of the PML. It was, however, very much inspired by the PML and has come to replace (and in many ways, improve upon) the old mailing list.

On August 5th, 1996, Ben Margolin officially took over the moderator role left vacant by Mark Church. Mark decided to retire as moderator to spend more time with his family. His efforts are greatly appreciated and the PPML family is forever indebted to him for the work he performed as half of the original moderation team.

In May of 1997, the PPML and its internet home togdog.com had a hard drive crash. The PPML has been relocated, and has been expanded into prince.org. The PPML underwent some changes during this relocation, and we believe it to now be one of the premier mailing lists on the Internet - not just in the Prince community.*

PRINCE ORG
January 1st, 1999

Long ago (early 1990s), there was an e-mail list called the PML, (the Prince Mailing List), which changed ownership to became the PPML (the Paisley Park Mailing List). Eventually, a website was set up by a couple of volunteers to "archive" the past PPML mailings. In May, 1998, the archive site had a major harddisk crash, and went down. While recovering the data, the entire site was re-architected, and prince.org "v1.0" was publicly born on January 1st, 1999, offering much more than just archives of past PPMLs.**

* PML FAQs
** Prince Org FAQs
[This message was edited Sat May 3 9:13:29 PDT 2003 by Aerogram]

...and then?

AprilMichelle said:

BIRTH OF AEROGRAM
Spring, 1999

After months of lurking, Aerogram is born in the midst of an intense Bart Van Hemelen flame war, no longer able to remain silent. Or was it something Wellbeyond said?

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

Very funny.

Dammit, contribute to Org history..

Record your birth and shennanigans. I only ask that it be done in an orderly manner, except for FDhull, who can use stream of consciousness.

DORAtheASSexplorer






gotta love all the drama from me arse pic

birth of SexyDansur76
summer, 1999
went 2 the local library, hopped on a computer and floated all over the web 4 prince sites...as i walked amongst the rubble and ruins of sites that were either shut down cuz of the Paisley Legal Mafioso or abandoned due 2 discontent came across this sexxy lil' black-n-purple place called prince.org. i looked around...signed up...logged on...ain't logged off since then...


birth of MasterDansa
early 2000
began 2 make a name 4 myself, since everyone in the html chatroom started callin me "Dansa" 4 short...


birth of NewBreedChild80
later in 2001
still evolving a bit...


birth of Handclapsfingasnapz (1st wave)
early 2002
when the org v. 2.0 came 2 be, i thought i'd bust out with yet another new name...didn't know exactly what, till i pulled out my copy of for you and looked at the little list of instruments p played on certain songs...found my new moniker, and it wuz on.

'death' of Fingasnapz, birth of PlastikLuvAffair
mid 2 late 2002
got a copy of turn it up 2.0, came across the name of some unreleased demo from 1980...had a brief intertwinin with PLA, much 2 many of the org's dismay
started up a org phenomenon that would become often imitated, but never duplicated...
the almighty Caption-time® thread.

then, the org blackout and orgphan exodus of late 2002...we were all huddled over at princefams.com, drinkin all their chocolate milk n'shit and puttin our feet up on their furniture...folks told me that they missed the Handclaps name, so i vowed 4 the new year and the new org that i'd change my name back...

'rebirth' of Fingasnapz (2nd wave), 'death' of PLA
early 2003
...and the rest is history.

GREAT BVH FLAME WARS
Most of 1999

Bart instantly becomes the most controversial figure of the Org by posting unpopular "naysayer" views in an abrasive style. Orgers respond in kind en masse. Back in those premoderation days, pretty much anything went and it was a bit of a mob rule, though Bart's unconciliatory combative approach didn't help matters at all.

Boy, am I glad we all mellowed...

THE ORIGINAL KELLYANNE
Winter, 1999

Arguably as controversial as Bart Van Hemelen was Kellyanne the First. Indeed, they were widely suspected to be one and the same, which is probably one of the original Org urban legends. She was said to be thoroughly belligerent and to be make even the dirtiest mouthed sailor blush.
[This message was edited Sat May 3 11:24:15 PDT 2003 by Aerogram]

Aerogram said:

kellyanne... shudders

DORA said:[quote]DORAtheASSexplorer


that is assinine

SILENCE BY THE LURK

BEEN LURKIN HERE SINCE 99



BEEN HECKLIN as pej HERE SINCE OCT 02
[This message was edited Sat May 3 11:34:21 PDT 2003 by pejman]

THE FIRST OFF-TOPIC CRAZE
Spring - Summer 1999

This may surprise some newer orgers, but in those early days, there was only one place to do what we do here in the GD forum, and that was the news threads. I understand some effort was initially made to stay on topic, but at the time of my arrival in these wordy shores, there were all kind of "social" and "off-topic" posts that enraged those who wished the discussions to stay focused. This eventually lead to some some of exile from a couple of senior naysayers, which in turn made the threads even less topical. I know it's hard to believe, but it got to the point where the very first post of any thread would almost invariably be "First!"
[This message was edited Sat May 3 13:41:09 PDT 2003 by Aerogram]

Aerogram said:

'first!'

THE FIRST PRINCE IMPERSONATOR
Spring, 1999

There was once a time when a person could successfully convince half the Org that they are Prince. On that first occasion, someone whose username I forget adroitly imitated his Highess and a couple of people hyperventilated. I don't think anyone did it better until TheRainbowChild.
[This message was edited Sat May 3 13:41:53 PDT 2003 by Aerogram]

THE KLHK SCANDALS
Summer/Winter 1999 Then pretty much all of 2000

Before Oceana and Natasha, there was KLHK. Of course, KLHK was way funnier and a nice person when you got to really know her, but publicly, she was kind of a shock artist complete with giant straws/*ss juice references. There were many memorable and raucous flame wars in which the most scathing things were said.
[This message was edited Sat May 3 14:10:44 PDT 2003 by Aerogram]

I remember all of this but the PML and PPML. I got into some discussions with KellyAnne as well.

Aerogram said:

Wasn't trying to be sarcastic...was honesty happening what led to v 2.0 as my org history was/is severely rusty

Aerogram said:

i miss ol' klikkie, she wuz a riot...last i seen her wuz a couple months ago...she posted on one of the booty threadz (no surprise there ).

not 2 mention her penchant 4 george michael...that, and she had a thing 4 a particular orger...forgot who, tho'

the first 'booty thread'
late 2002

LifeCanBeSoNice started it off with a mere pic of prince, payin homage 2 his derriere...the end result wuz phenomenal. quite possibly the most viewed and revered post in the female org community.

2 this day it occasionally pops back up.

GREAT CHATROOM CLOSURE
2000-2001?

Back in the days where you could post pictures in the chatroom, there was a rash of porn photos that pushed the moderator over the edge. The chatroom was temporarilly closed, then reopened without the picture fonction. It was slowing down the chat anyhoo.

THE GOLDEN AGE OF TRACKLISTING
2001?

All of a sudden, the Org was awash in fake Prince tracklists, becoming perhaps the first Org word game and minor art form.
[This message was edited Sat May 3 15:10:20 PDT 2003 by Aerogram]

THE GREAT AERO-COCO CONFLAGRATION
2000?

One of the nastiest flame wars of Org's early days, it erupted in the wake of either the NPGMC's disastrous opening or some post about the Org on AMP. Some very strong words were exchanged and I even started posting on AMP (I was quite the fiery poster back then). Bridges were later rebuilt
[This message was edited Sat May 3 15:31:59 PDT 2003 by Aerogram]

Aerogram said:

i remember whose fault it wuz 4 havin the image url function removed, 2!!!

CONTRARIAN EVIL TWIN ERA
1999-2000

From the onset, Wellbeyond emarged as the Org's most challenging debater with his meticulous brand of methodically contrarian deconstruction, often done just for the sheer fun of allegedly unrevaling potential logic errors. WB's CET often made for a gruelling evening of arguments and counter arguments, in which he often exhausted his oppenents by quizzing them with minute questions on various principles and concepts, graceful as an Mohamed Ali of debate.
[This message was edited Sat May 3 18:18:13 PDT 2003 by Aerogram]

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

[color=purple:fffd199de1:c2ee7eca85]then, the org blackout and orgphan exodus of late 2002...we were all huddled over at princefams.com, drinkin all their chocolate milk n'shit and puttin our feet up on their furniture...folks told me that they missed the Handclaps name, so i vowed 4 the new year and the new org that i'd change my name back...

"feet up on furniture"

I was one of those folks

Handclapsfingasnapz is only proper!

:O



YOU WERE..!!!


which one..?

Aerogram

please add POOK to this history...

DORA said:

Where?

Muse2noPharaoh said: