Tell me about this Maplewoodonline

So a little background. When I was told I should reach out to this site for information, I was under the assumption it was a fairly new beta site, made to compete with established social media.
 

But my neighbor this weekend told me that the site has actually been around since the 90s! I had no idea obviously. Is this some type of public access website connected with the township of Maplewood? 

I’d love to learn more I find sites like this fascinating. Anything to hurt Musk. 

CharlesG said:

So a little background. When I was told I should reach out to this site for information, I was under the assumption it was a fairly new beta site, made to compete with established social media.
 

But my neighbor this weekend told me that the site has actually been around since the 90s! I had no idea obviously. Is this some type of public access website connected with the township of Maplewood? 

I’d love to learn more I find sites like this fascinating. Anything to hurt Musk. 

Al Gore invented MOL….we’re all dinosaurs in this here sleepy little hamlet…

Jaytee said:

CharlesG said:

So a little background. When I was told I should reach out to this site for information, I was under the assumption it was a fairly new beta site, made to compete with established social media.
 

But my neighbor this weekend told me that the site has actually been around since the 90s! I had no idea obviously. Is this some type of public access website connected with the township of Maplewood? 

I’d love to learn more I find sites like this fascinating. Anything to hurt Musk. 

Al Gore invented MOL….we’re all dinosaurs in this here sleepy little hamlet…

I don't get the Al Gore reference. 

CharlesG said:

I don't get the Al Gore reference. 

Al Gore invented the Internet, so people would have a place to Google, “What did Al Gore invent?”

Shortly thereafter, the Brothers Ross created “Maplewood Online”. And they saw that it was good. 

nohero said:

CharlesG said:

I don't get the Al Gore reference. 

Al Gore invented the Internet, so people would have a place to Google, “What did Al Gore invent?”

Shortly thereafter, the Brothers Ross created “Maplewood Online”. And they saw that it was good. 

Al Gore thing. Im only in the states since 07, Gore was before my time but alas, yes, a google did uncover the mystery of the post. I had not heard the yarn, of course, I know of Al Gore specifically through the Michael Moore 911 film where we see Gore doing what Pence did in 2020 with the vote which in essence defeated his (Gore's) presidential run. A google of the Brother's Ross shows me a business in North Carolina so please if you have stories, please share. Again, I find this format different. Maybe shades of Redditt.

Al Gore didn’t invent the internet (right wing talking point) but rather helped fund it 

The reference upthread was probably a joke…

MOL was my first social media ... long before anyone (other than possibly some college kids) were on Facebook, etc. 

It is owned and run by the brothers Ross, although mostly Jamie these days since Dave lives in Hong Kong now.  Not run by the town.

Before the World Wide Web, there were message boards on usenet.  Early Web designers in 90s ported the format to the web, and there were many local and topic-specific message boards created to facilitate online interaction.  A few, like this site, are still around.  This is an example of late 90s/early 00s cutting edge design and functionality, and quite frankly has not been improved upon much since by the big companies like fb.  For many years, thousands of local posters conversed and shared information here, and a few of us still do.  It was and still is developed and run by Jamie and David Ross.

A side note:  for some inexplicable reason, weather nerds like this format.  The best weather forums are still message boards.

Also all of reddit, but that's another story.

CharlesG said:

So a little background. When I was told I should reach out to this site for information, I was under the assumption it was a fairly new beta site, made to compete with established social media.
 

But my neighbor this weekend told me that the site has actually been around since the 90s! I had no idea obviously. Is this some type of public access website connected with the township of Maplewood? 

I’d love to learn more I find sites like this fascinating. Anything to hurt Musk. 

billy idol was one of the original board members.  those were the days

max_weisenfeld said:

Before the World Wide Web, there were message boards on usenet.  Early Web designers in 90s ported the format to the web, and there were many local and topic-specific message boards created to facilitate online interaction.  A few, like this site, are still around.  This is an example of late 90s/early 00s cutting edge design and functionality, and quite frankly has not been improved upon much since by the big companies like fb.  For many years, thousands of local posters conversed and shared information here, and a few of us still do.  It was and still is developed and run by Jamie and David Ross.

I do like the anonymous feature. I feel more at ease asking silly questions.

Yes, those of us who've been here a long time are fine with the (sort of) anonymity.

MOL was where you would run if you heard a big crash outside, to get filled in on what happened.  People would argue furiously about the quality of our schools, get info on recycling rules/schedules, dispute details of reported crime and weigh in on the details, "send a message" to the mayor, who usually kept current -- and heap praise upon all the good reasons to live here.  Complaining about all the people who moved here "from Brooklyn" was/is a hobby for many (and is exactly where we came from 34 years ago when our son was 6 months old, and unless you grew up here, you probably came from Brooklyn or Manhattan, too.)  Moving to Maplewood to raise our kids is still the best decision ever -- and now grown, the kids agree.

Some of us drove everyone crazy for a while as we cluttered up the forums playing word and picture games.  The complainers successfully cut "Games" back to a shadow.

MOL was where you came to ask a favor, help a neighbor, or argue about politics (local, national, global).  The last became so divisive and "cluttered up the forums", it got its own separate forum where they could take shots at each other, pigeon-hole peoples' views, or fight the good fight for their beliefs -- the rest could choose to take part or not.  

Many of us like each other a lot, appreciate the up-to-date reporting and friendships.  Years ago, we even met each other in person at wonderful "MOL-F2F" (face-to-face) gatherings. 

Many have become more interested in knowing who was saying what about whom and have migrated to the "The Lounge" on Facebook ... perhaps they feel it's more inclusive of South Orange (though MOL has always addressed both towns), and indicative of other changes going on in the towns.

Jamie and Dave are legends among us, the Diehards ..."tips" and donations are dug out of pockets, when possible, to keep things humming.  They have grown MOL into a highly effective ad space for local businesses and the perfect place to find "what's goin' on" in both towns.  I, for one, will always be grateful.

Some of us came from somewhere else besides Brooklyn ... just sayin'.

Way back, around 1999, Maplewood residents discovered that the township had to conduct a property reassessment— the first one in 20+ years.  Back before the instant communications of today, residents relied on the local weekly, the News-Record to learn what was happening in town. Attendance at the township meetings became mandatory, one night I recall the crowds spilled out into  Valley Street and the Mayor used a bullhorn to address the crowd! The Town Hall’s communications were primitive back in the day —no one would ever have believed the internet, etc was on the way.

Because of the tremendous impact the tax assessment on the way, residents were desperate to organize neighborhood meetings and newsletters were churned out and circulated. The need to communicate your angst was a driving force,

MOL was a dial-up service, via a few telephone numbers, to get an opportunity to say your piece on the MOL site. Conversations were not organized into categories and, due to the dial-up aspect, often cut off mid-stream!

The Dark Ages!

Never a dial-up service (though you may have used one like AOL, Prodigy or CompusServe to find/use MOL). 

Great way to keep up with news of the Shire from Hong Kong. 

max_weisenfeld said:

A side note:  for some inexplicable reason, weather nerds like this format.  The best weather forums are still message boards.

Also all of reddit, but that's another story.

From an information perspective, it may be that message boards are a very searchable/findable/storable/easily readable/and image appendible format. 

Also, it's a low-stress social media format.

mtierney said:

Way back, around 1999, Maplewood residents discovered that the township had to conduct a property reassessment— the first one in 20+ years.  Back before the instant communications of today, residents relied on the local weekly, the News-Record to learn what was happening in town. Attendance at the township meetings became mandatory, one night I recall the crowds spilled out into  Valley Street and the Mayor used a bullhorn to address the crowd! The Town Hall’s communications were primitive back in the day —no one would ever have believed the internet, etc was on the way.

Because of the tremendous impact the tax assessment on the way, residents were desperate to organize neighborhood meetings and newsletters were churned out and circulated. The need to communicate your angst was a driving force,

MOL was a dial-up service, via a few telephone numbers, to get an opportunity to say your piece on the MOL site. Conversations were not organized into categories and, due to the dial-up aspect, often cut off mid-stream!

The Dark Ages!

we are dinosaurs, but of the enlightened period … I don’t remember ever having to dial into this site. You had to dial into aol to get on the web. 

dave said:

Never a dial-up service (though you may have used one like AOL, Prodigy or CompusServe to find/use MOL). 

Great way to keep up with news of the Shire from Hong Kong. 

Yes, it was AOL,

I remember working in my college's computer support center to make some pocket money. We did a lot of teaching new students how to log into the university network from their room using Kermit. For funsies, we'd plot how we might try to run enough T1 cable to get from the campus to our off-campus housing, so it would just always be connected... and not take over our phone lines.

sac said:

Some of us came from somewhere else besides Brooklyn ... just sayin'.

Sure ... SOME came from Texas & other places.  But many speak of it disparagingly -- as if the whole borough is Park Slope.  When you're living in a 1BR row house in Bay Ridge, both working in Manhattan, and the first little tyke arrives ... Maplewood in '89 was affordable, commutable (even before MTDirect), diverse, with a population willing to work on keeping it that way and not tipping, and we fell in love with the housing stock.  Much more appealing than row after row of attached houses, even if we could ride our bikes along the harbor in the AM.  Having a park across the street and an extra bedroom for a nanny was the perfect next step.  

Being single and quite downwardly mobile for a good long while, I can't afford Maplewood anymore -- can't even afford the new apartments over here in East Orange.  With all this development everywhere, I still pray MW doesn't become what my hometown in CT did.  I went to college and all the BIG money moved in, tore down our childhood homes and built their McMansions.  You can't go back to what it was after that.  Westport will never be the country village I was raised in ... (Imagine MW becoming Beverly Hills; MW Ave being Rodeo Drive, and the "Tear Downs of the Week" posted in the weekly paper.)  I've lived that once already.  And to see an historic home razed right on Parker Ave ... gives me the chills.    (sorry, thread drift!)

Juniemoon said:

Some of us drove everyone crazy for a while as we cluttered up the forums playing word and picture games.  The complainers successfully cut "Games" back to a shadow.

I think it was more a case of the game-players slowly running out of steam.

As well, if a game thread is not visible in the first page or so, it tends to be forgotten and sinks out of sight.

That's another thread drift in the making.

Point of Information:  When MOL started there were very few native Brooklynites posting on the message board.

Juniemoon said:

Sure ... SOME came from Texas & other places.  But many speak of it disparagingly -- as if the whole borough is Park Slope.  When you're living in a 1BR row house in Bay Ridge, both working in Manhattan, and the first little tyke arrives ... Maplewood in '89 was affordable, commutable (even before MTDirect), diverse, with a population willing to work on keeping it that way and not tipping, and we fell in love with the housing stock.  Much more appealing than row after row of attached houses, even if we could ride our bikes along the harbor in the AM.  Having a park across the street and an extra bedroom for a nanny was the perfect next step.  

Being single and quite downwardly mobile for a good long while, I can't afford Maplewood anymore -- can't even afford the new apartments over here in East Orange.  With all this development everywhere, I still pray MW doesn't become what my hometown in CT did.  I went to college and all the BIG money moved in, tore down our childhood homes and built their McMansions.  You can't go back to what it was after that.  Westport will never be the country village I was raised in ... (Imagine MW becoming Beverly Hills; MW Ave being Rodeo Drive, and the "Tear Downs of the Week" posted in the weekly paper.)  I've lived that once already.  And to see an historic home razed right on Parker Ave ... gives me the chills.    (sorry, thread drift!)

I moved from bay ridge to maplewood in 1990….

joan_crystal said:

Point of Information:  When MOL started there were very few native Brooklynites posting on the message board.

I was born and raised in Brooklyn!

So was I

Juniemoon said:

Sure ... SOME came from Texas & other places.  But many speak of it disparagingly -- as if the whole borough is Park Slope.  When you're living in a 1BR row house in Bay Ridge, both working in Manhattan, and the first little tyke arrives ... Maplewood in '89 was affordable, commutable (even before MTDirect), diverse, with a population willing to work on keeping it that way and not tipping, and we fell in love with the housing stock.  Much more appealing than row after row of attached houses, even if we could ride our bikes along the harbor in the AM.  Having a park across the street and an extra bedroom for a nanny was the perfect next step.  

Being single and quite downwardly mobile for a good long while, I can't afford Maplewood anymore -- can't even afford the new apartments over here in East Orange.  With all this development everywhere, I still pray MW doesn't become what my hometown in CT did.  I went to college and all the BIG money moved in, tore down our childhood homes and built their McMansions.  You can't go back to what it was after that.  Westport will never be the country village I was raised in ... (Imagine MW becoming Beverly Hills; MW Ave being Rodeo Drive, and the "Tear Downs of the Week" posted in the weekly paper.)  I've lived that once already.  And to see an historic home razed right on Parker Ave ... gives me the chills.    (sorry, thread drift!)

Mihali is playing in Westport next Friday! It can't be that bad. 

joan_crystal said:

Point of Information:  When MOL started there were very few native Brooklynites posting on the message board.

I moved from Midwood to Maplewood (although we spent a year renting in Springfield) in 1991

max_weisenfeld said:

I moved from Midwood to Maplewood (although we spent a year renting in Springfield) in 1991

we bought our first home in  maplewood in 1962; the second in 1973 when four kids pushed us out of the first! Stayed put until 2010.

On of my  brooklynite proprietary complaints about the “new” Brooklyn, aka Bay Ridge, is the loss of so many community identifications which real estate folks thought off-putting, however historic.   

Back before the present era, I grew up in Sunset Park, moved to Fort Hamilton in the ‘40s. Bay Ridge was a fairly small section.

marksierra said:

I think it was more a case of the game-players slowly running out of steam.

As well, if a game thread is not visible in the first page or so, it tends to be forgotten and sinks out of sight.

That's another thread drift in the making.

Never ran out of steam playing all those great games, especially with our "Down Under" neighbors chiming in.  Mark, I think you've kept one or two going......

Scully said:

Al Gore didn’t invent the internet (right wing talking point) but rather helped fund it 

The reference upthread was probably a joke…

It was definitely a joke.  Here is the story from snopes.com:

When asked to describe what distinguished him from his challenger for the Democratic presidential nomination, Senator Bill Bradley of New Jersey, Gore replied (in part): "During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet. I took the initiative in moving forward a whole range of initiatives that have proven to be important to our country's economic growth and environmental protection, improvements in our educational system."

In context, Gore's response (which employed the word "created," not "invented") was clear in meaning: the vice president was not claiming that he "invented" the Internet in the sense of having thought up, designed, or implemented it, but rather asserting that he was one of the visionaries responsible for helping to bring it into being by fostering its development in an economic and legislative sense.