Out of curiosity...

[Fadetoblack]

Who was the very first Win2Win member?

[John]

Keith :laugh

[John]

Realistically it's hard to say. When I joined, the forum was half the size that it is now, and there were only about 20 people (?) who used to post regularly.

I'd imagine either Marcus or Druids (latter left) would be one of the first ever members, although I'm not sure without checking dates.

[John]

Aha! :)

Go to the Members List link at the top and click "Join Date"

*Must stop talking to himself*

[Fadetoblack]

Aye I did that...not sure of the reliability though cause it states that a ton of people joined on the same day.

I'd be interested in knowing how the whole thing came about, who were the early members etc...

A brief history if you will.

[John]

Keith's probably better off giving you this info than I am...

Vic seems to be the regular member here who joined the earliest.

Druids and Marcus joined quite early as well.

One interesting thing that I noticed was that Tophatter joined 2 days after me, and Oldham exactly a week after me. :geek

[tophatter]

I think it is pretty reliable FTB and certainly as far as current posters go. It looks like of the people who are still active Vic was the first to join back in the very early days of Feb 2002. Other early users were Ada and Marcus.

I joined in November 2002 and i think the pro-losers system had been going two or three months previous to that. Nick is probably the longest serving veteran on that system. It really has grown into some website and really something Keith can be proud of. I cant imagine life without it now and I know that sounds a little sad but its true as I count many people on here as mates even though I have never met them.

I reckon we must have about twenty regular users who have three years behind them and probably more than double that who have at least a year so that speaks volumes I think.

The site really has carried on improving and evolving with the backing system bets and false lays been added to the pro-losers and various upgrades to the look of the site through the years so you have to take your hat off to Keith for doing all that and gambling for a living too! Im sure he gets a lot of satisfaction out of doing it though because, for all the reasons I have just listed, it really is something to be proud of.

[tophatter]

One interesting thing that I noticed was that Tophatter joined 2 days after me, and Oldham exactly a week after me. :geek

Here are some more interesting stats - 42 users have made over a thousand posts and three have made more than 10,000 posts. :yikes:

106 registered members have visited the forum during Saturday alone and a further 28 have visited at least once in the week that has just past. :yikes:

[Win2Win]

First member bar me was Michael, who actually helped set the vBulletin forum up, as before that we all talked via emails....and I got sick of answering repetitive questions :)

The reason for a number of members registering on the same day, is because that would be the forums launch date.

The original site was 100% free back in around 2000, but a Saturday service of a few win bets for a fiver was setup due to requests. It was also only a single page back then, on a free server.

Rather than introduce things that I want, I've always given both what I had wanted supplied to me when I was a losing punter, and the things that you people request. That way I'm not forcing something onto people they don't want, like a few multi-million pound commercial sites I know (many gone bust)!

From day 1 I have never paid a penny to run this site out of my own bank, and that was always the intention to keep it self funding.

I never rest, I'm always working on something new in the background for you :)

Thanks to Markwales....and erm......Vegy.....we now have a RACING SIM, and a FOOTY SIM, and a big THANKS to the hard work they put into it for free, to give those without a real life something to do :laugh

...And a BIG THANK YOU to all the Mods, for without them, I'd never get to bet :)

...And thanks to everyone else who makes a contribution.

[eastyorkshireracing]

Nice Awards Speech Keith :D

Gordon

[Win2Win]

Bugger....I forgot to thank the Queen of Sheeba, next doors cat, that dog turd the wife stood in last week, the doctor for the anal camera......:yikes:

[bigcumba]

that dog turd the wife

That's no way to talk about your Mrs! :yikes:

[radders]

I reckon I was one of the 'originals' ... joined late 2001/early 2002, but some pc/software/login problems meant I had to 'rejoin' and past history was wiped out.

[Win2Win]

Radders wins the 'Longest Mr Grumpy Award' :D

[Fadetoblack]

And surely the lucky not to be banned award....:D...

But as TH says Keith, you should be proud of the site and forum it's obviously grown and improved a lot since day one. Also, another small thing, from my own point of view, as someone who writes text and proof reads a lot of sites on the web I've never seen any problems on your homepage, regarding spelling, grammar, syntax or anything like that so well done! It looks pretty good though.

So, eventhough you are one of the most sarcastic people I have ever encountered in my entire being...you run a very well oiled tight ship here.

[bigcumba]

very well oiled

That applies to quite a few of us but in very different ways.... :)

[wb]

Just out of interest, What is the letters page on the free page for?

I presume this what happned before the forum was set up. was it an e mail address?

[Win2Win]

That was how the members had their input before the forum....so they're a little dated :D But problaby contain more info than Tommo has supplied in his life :laugh

[susanwells]

:hearty Out of interest, who are the ones no longer with us who we remember so well and without whom life is not. well, er, quite the same.. who would we like to have back ?
ALEX ?
THE DOCTOR ?
BOI ?

... there was another one with one brain cell. forgotten his name.. he used to drive Keith potty, not understanding answers to his questions and gettng the wrong end of the stick. But he didn`t get banned.. the three above did.. who else has been banned ? Oh those memories !!! :yikes:
I think I`ve been a member since about 2002 ? Seems like a lifetime but as someone else said, can`t imagine life without it and have made a lot of people I count as friends, not just ina racing sense. My daughter feels this about a group she met on her wedding forum which she went onto a lot in the months before her wedding..they`ve kept together, some of them formed a book group, they`ve met up and become real friends.. nothing to do with the wedding part now.
I think this must be one of the best, steadiest and most honest and reliable, not to mention friendly, forums of any sort on the net... I`ve shared a few good moments and some sad ones on here and always had a warm response. As well as being wound up from time to time.

[Fadetoblack]

I miss kered.

[susanwells]

Oh God yes of course.. what happened to Kered, does anyone know ? He used to be a good steady small better then suddenly went mad and started to bet on Ladbrokes Balls and stuff.. then he vanished. btw anyone heard from SILAX lately.?

[jollyjayne]

I used to enjoy the wisdom or otherwise of Dr David, although I felt he may not have been meant for this world.

[tophatter]

I had a soft spot for Kered but he was frustrating as he had this thing about having to finish the week with a profit and a weakness for the Ladbroke balls game which was hurting him. I hope he has that all under control now.

[Fadetoblack]

I respected his honesty...for someone to come on to a website filled with gambling pros and admit to succumbing to an addiction in the worst possible way takes a lot of guts I think. He got some good advice but never took too much on board if I remember correctly.

[tophatter]

Silax is fine Susan, he popped in to say a quick hello a week or so ago and he will be back with us shortly.

Dr.David was the strangest user we have ever had on here, a vietnam veteran, inventor of concorde and posts about as simple as some of stephens hawkins equations which were crafted in the most obnoxious manner. I think he was only on here about a week but if you were around at the time those posts will stay with you for many years!

[susanwells]

Yet when I started on the forum Kered gave some good tips and also his bets were all 10p and 20p.. 50p was his MAX MAX... he never had any money and yet he plodded on, making 2.50 a month or something.. then, as you say, something happened, he started mad punting on the balls, chasing losses.. and just couldn`t take advic.e But he kept coming back for it.. which indicated he knew he needed it. Sad. If he ever lurks, he`d be welcome back. One of the more individual members.
I`ve just looked through some of the members lists.. dozens and dozens of them who joined, posted maybe a few times, left again,m never came back.. I wonder why the small hard core of us stay on and really enjoy it and rely on it, and others don`t get the point.. don`t stay long enough to do so either. Odd that.

[tophatter]

well about 250 members have visited the forum in the past month which is over 12% of the membership that has been built up in nearly four years so that is pretty impressive in my book. people join things on a one off and dont get round to posting but in general I would say once you make a few posts you get hooked. I took about 8 weeks to make a post and now you cant stop me!

[susanwells]

Don`t dispute that TH.. just wondered why the people who came early, fluttered off again... but we do seem to get and keep a solid circle of members, who are added to now and then by others who stay and make a real contribution after a short time..
Not of course forgetting those who come on in order to post their own tips, which then mysteriously turn into a 'service' which charges money !
I miss L'Head Eagle but I think fatherhood began to eat into his forum time !!

[tophatter]

Thats the great thing about the internet though isnt it. You get a turnover of people all the time and its a bit like a workplace in that regard. Some stay and become part of the furniture, some start and leave, some start and become established. There is always a good amount of new members coming through and while some may be spammers or people who just joined on a whim and dont come back we get a good couple of rising stars every month.

[Fadetoblack]

You know what the scary thing about it is though...one of us could die tomorrow and there's a chance that the forum may never know about it.

[John]

:hearty Out of interest, who are the ones no longer with us who we remember so well and without whom life is not. well, er, quite the same.. who would we like to have back ?
ALEX ?
THE DOCTOR ?
BOI ?

... there was another one with one brain cell. forgotten his name..

There have been a few Susan, Toploader was one of them but got banned... trying to think who it was now... maybe you are thinking of AceCobra?

[sparkyminer]

Davina Gamble perhaps? Now she / he / it was strange.:)